Phnom Penh demands your attention from the moment you arrive. Vibrant, exciting and utterly unpredictable are just a few words to describe Cambodia’s capital. It’s a city of stark contrasts: slick SUVs share the road with old-world cyclos; visitors can relax in a posh cafe and think they are in Paris, or join the locals at a pop-up stall selling fried noodles; the memorial at the Killing Fields is heart wrenching, while the Temple of the Emerald Buddha will lift the spirit.

The self-sufficiency of vendors in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is an amazing sight: they carry everything with them, even mini-kitchens. Here a man cooks hard-boiled eggs on a coal brazier. Photo courtesy of Cindy Fan

Just when you thought you’ve got the hang of the city, though, it’ll surprise you with glimpse of something fascinating and unexpected. One wrong turn on a walk and you may find yourself a guest of honour in a Khmer wedding!

Yet if the stimuli ever become too much (and it will happen), simply head to Sisowath Quay, the grand boulevard along the river. The Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers, which merge at Phnom Penh, are intrinsic to life and livelihood in Cambodia, so naturally activity in Phnom Penh gravitates to their banks. From your spot in a riverside cafe, bar or restaurant, unwind and watch as the city hustles on by.

Day Trips

A trip to Phnom Penh wouldn’t be complete without a boat ride on the Mekong River at sunset. Slipping away from the shore, one is blessed with the quiet that eludes the city’s relentlessly busy streets. Watch fishermen haul in a catch and maybe visit a village of silk weavers to learn about the fascinating process.

The memorial stupa at the Killing Fields outside Phnom Penh is a startling but important reminder of Cambodia's past. Photo courtesy of Cindy Fan

A trip to the Killing Fields, now known as the Cheoung Ek Memorial, is an important, eye-opening lesson on the Cambodian Genocide and Phnom Penh’s past. From 1975 to 1979, 1.7 million people perished at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. A Buddhist stupa containing the bones and skulls uncovered from mass graves is a place to reflect on Cambodia’s sorrowful history.

A less sobering alternative is to dine, shop and get pampered for a good cause. Daughters of Cambodia is a nongovernmental organization that trains, employs and empowers victims of sex trafficking in Cambodia. Their Sugar ’n Spice cafe serves lunch (salads, sandwiches), as well as tasty baked goods. The centre is also a spa and a shop selling handmade products.

Shopping

If you’re on the hunt for designer and brand-name clothes at bargain prices, the Russian Market is the place to shop in Phnom Penh. Since there are numerous garment factories in Cambodia, if an item doesn’t meet quality standards or a designer’s specifications, it somehow ends up here. The Russian Market also teems with other items ranging from tasteful to wondrously tacky. This is the best place to pick up good quality, inexpensive silk.

The Central Market (Psar Thmey) of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is well worth the visit for the building's stunning art deco architecture. Photo courtesy of Cindy Fan

Handmade, high-quality products can be found at boutique stores such as Artisans Angkor and Couleurs D’Asie, while Bodia Nature sells 100-percent-natural bath and aromatherapy products made using locally grown ingredients. The herbal ginger balm is good on sore muscles after a long day of sightseeing. There is a shop riverside at #10, St. 178 and a small stand within the Russian Market.

Mekong Quilts is a non-profit group that provides sustainable employment to women from poor rural regions of Cambodia. The hand-sewn quilts and other handicrafts, from laptop covers to yoga bags, are beautifully made and inexpensive. Shop employees are pros at packaging up large quilts tightly but if you still don’t have room in your luggage, international shipping is available at #49, St. 240.

Restaurants

The eating in Phnom Penh is outstanding. The thriving expat community in the capital city means there’s every sort of international cuisine available, with prices ranging from a worrisome “Why is this so cheap?” to a jaw-dropping “Why is this so expensive?” Generally speaking though, there is good value for meals.

One of the many treats of time spent in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is a tasty and fresh green-mango salad. Photo courtesy of Cindy Fan

You can test your stomach’s mettle with street eats: Hot woks dish up stir-fried noodles (mee cha), noodle-soup stands dot every corner, meat kebabs sizzle on grills and whole pigs slow-roast over red-hot coals.

Rice, fish and coconut milk are staples in Cambodian cuisine and Amok trey, the signature dish of Cambodia, uses all three ingredients. Fish coated with coconut milk is steamed or baked in banana leaves, then served with rice. It is delicious, light and fragrant. Try your own hand at Khmer cuisine with a Phnom Penh cooking class.

Cafes and restaurants line Sisowath Quay (riverside) but travellers should make an effort to explore the excellent eateries throughout the city.

Local Treats

Local Angkor beer is everywhere – fortunately it’s also good and cheap.

Tired of ubiquitous Angkor Beer? The German-owned Kingdom microbrewery offers tours and tastings of their flavourful pilsner at their factory in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo courtesy of Cindy Fan

The Seeing Hands Massage Centre is a great place to get a no-nonsense massage. Opened in 1995, it now employs 22 blind massage therapists with professional training. In a country with no social assistance, this centre gives those with a disability a sustainable livelihood and skills they can pass on to others. For US$7 you get a one-hour shiatsu massage and you’re contributing to a good business; it’s win-win. The centre can be found at 12E St. #13, across from the large post office near Wat Phnom.

Instead of walking or taking a tuk-tuk to get around, why not hire a cyclo? Slow down and see Phnom Penh in a whole different way.

Night Out

A night out in Phnom Penh starts early, with generous happy hours kicking things off – sometimes at an unsavoury hour. In the sultry afternoon heat, begin on the patio of one of the many riverside bars, cooling off with a cold drink and, if you’re lucky, a breeze off the water.

Happy hours indeed! The perks of time spent in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo courtesy of Cindy Fan

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) is one such riverside spot. The FCC is located on the second floor of a colonial-era building, away from the street-level hustle of touts and tuk-tuks. It was once a popular watering hole for diplomats and journalists. While there aren’t many shady deals and intrigue going on these days, the FCC still retains the historic charm of its past. The nibbles on the menu are also a treat.

Once upon a time, the nightclub Heart of Darkness would have capped a wild night out. Unfortunately, it now has an unsavoury reputation, with security and crime an issue. Today, expats favour Pontoon.

Yet even with UNESCO’s imprimatur on sites big and small, natural biospheres and even intangible culture, the same famous mega-monuments always seem to get the lion’s share of travel love. Lesser-known but equally worthy sites still fall to the wayside as travellers rush for the obligatory photos of world icons and check off another legendary site on the do-before-I-die lists.

UNESCO recognition through its World Heritage List and time in the subsequent travel spotlight can be a mixed blessing. On the one hand, a new site gets a big status boost and protection under the UNESCO umbrella. On the other hand, an influx of tourists adds pressures and more need for protection.

One way to curb this effect is for travellers to visit alternative heritage destinations where high tourism congestion isn’t causing problems. In that spirit, below is our list of seven UNESCO World Heritage all-stars plus just-as-incredible alternatives. Why not avoid the heavy traffic and step lightly while doing your own thing? That way, the all-stars won’t get loved to death and more places will have a chance to benefit. The photos will be just as cool.

The All-star: Chichén Itzá in Cancun, Mexico. Photo courtesy of flickr/Dtraveller

1. The All-Star: Chichén Itzá in Yucatan, Mexico

The iconic Mayan pyramid of Chichén Itzá was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988. Then, in 2007, it was nominated for the New Seven Wonders of the World. Now that it has officially been identified as one of the honoured seven, some predict tourist visits will double within five years. As a convenient day trip from the mass-tourism destination of Cancun, Chichén Itzá, given its amazing story and stunning coastal location, is the second-most-visited ruins site in Mexico. Authorities have gradually needed to close parts of the monument to the public, no longer allowing visitors to enter interior chambers.

The Alternative: Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico. Photo courtesy of flickr/Ivanka Majic

The Alternative: Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico

Deep in the jungle of Chiapas in southern Mexico are the ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Palenque, which was inscribed as an official UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. While it doesn’t attract the kind of mass tourism that Chichén Itzá does, thousands visit it each year. Guided tours fascinate with stories about the buildings’ precise astronomical alignment and visitors can still go into some of the ancient passages and chambers.

The All-star: The Great Wall of China. Photo courtesy of wikimedia/Jakub Halun

2. The All-Star: Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is one of the best-known world monuments of all time, but added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 1987. The Badaling section of the wall, near Beijing, attracts around 10 million visitors per year. Sadly, as a result, Geography in the News points out that “There is little concern over protection and conservation. Instead, exploitation of the site has culminated in an almost Disneyland type scene.” Booming tourism, development and inadequate protection are eating away at the Great Wall, of which as much as two-thirds are in a state of collapse.

The Alternative: Wall of Ston, Croatia. Photo courtesy of flickr/Poo-tee-weet?

The Alternative: Walls of Ston in Croatia

While nothing can really compare with the magnitude and might of the Great Wall of China, it is definitely not the only great wall in the world. In the historical city of Dubrovnik on the Adriatic coast of Croatia, for example, are the Walls of Ston, known as the “European Wall of China.” It dates back to the 15th century and its 5.5 kilometres of length form an irregular pentangle.

The All-star: The Parthenon, Athens, Greece. Photo courtesy of wikimedia/Steve Swayne

3. The All-Star: Parthenon in Athens, Greece

Lit up and glowing over Athens, Greece at night, the Parthenon is the jewel of the Acropolis, the ancient city on a hill. As the grandest remains of Greek Antiquity, the Acropolis was deemed an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Greece is a world tourism powerhouse, welcoming more than 17.5 million visitors each year. In 2005, Athens alone received 6,088,287 tourists (each of them wanting a photo of the Parthenon without any other tourists in it).

The Alternative: Temple of Bacchus, Baalbek, Lebanon. Photo courtesy of flickr/Ben Piven

The Alternative: Temple of Bacchus in Baalbek, Lebanon

One of five of Lebanon‘s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Baalbek demonstrates that Greece is definitely not the only Mediterranean country with amazing ancient ruins. As UNESCO states about the ancient imperial city, “The archaeological site of Baalbek represents a religious complex of outstanding artistic value and its majestic monumental ensemble, with its exquisitely detailed stonework, is a unique artistic creation which reflects the amalgamation of Phoenician beliefs with the gods of the Greco-Roman pantheon through an amazing stylistic metamorphosis.”

The All-star: Medina of Fes, Morocco. Photo courtesy of wikimedia/Pawel Ryszawa

4. The All-Star: Medina of Fes, Morocco

Compared to Marrakech (one of Morocco‘s most famous destinations), the city of Fes is a modest place. Yet every visitor to inland Fes is bound to wander through its medina, the walled city centre that dates back to the 8th century. By some measures, it’s the largest car-free area in the world.

The Medina of Fes has been on the official UNESCO World Heritage roster since 1981, but may soon also be added to the list of World Heritage in Danger. UNESCO cites two major threats: uncontrolled urban development due to overpopulation, and deterioration of the buildings. The governmental plan to address these issues is to safeguard everything, intervene where houses are collapsing and increase sustainable tourism.

The Alternative: Medina of Tétouan, Morocco. Photo courtesy of flickr/luisgosalbez

The Alternative: Medina of Tétouan, Morocco

In the smaller and less-touristed city of Tétouan in northern Morocco, another medina has gained World Heritage status. Full of mosques, madrassas and markets, Tétouan’s ancient city centre exhibits the same definitive Moroccan culture and tradition as its better-known counterparts in Fes and other cities. While also in need of protection and conservation, Téotuan is less overwhelmed than the Medina of Fes and in a better position to absorb increasing tourism traffic.

The All-star: Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Photo courtesy of flickr/daveperkes

5. The All-Star: Angkor Wat, Cambodia

A spectacular temple complex from the 12th century, Angkor Wat has been a power player for tourism in Cambodia since before its 1992 inauguration as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Thomas Holdo Hansen of AngkorHotels.org, the whl.travel local connection in Cambodia, comments that “Angkor would without doubt be on my personal Top 10 World Heritage Sites list. It’s not without good reason that this important archaeological site is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and comes high up on many people’s must-see lists. The flip side of the coin is that the recent increase in tourism potentially can bring about many negative impacts if not managed properly.”

The Alternative: Preah Vihear, Cambodia. Photo courtesy of flickr/theonlymikey

The Alternative: Preah Vihear, Cambodia

Compared to Angkor Wat, Preah Vihear is a minor temple complex. It’s a less-likely tourism destination because of political strife. “Preah Vihear is more controversial but still a stunning archaeological site,” says Hansen. “It is situated right on the top edge of a steep cliff bordering the Sisaket Province in Thailand. After its inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, Preah Vihear has been the centre stage for some border conflicts between Thailand and Cambodia and, thus, many travellers have been discouraged from visiting.”

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The All-star: Machu Picchu, Peru. Photo courtesy of flickr/[togr

6. The All-Star: Machu Picchu, Peru

The year 2011was special for South America’s favourite pre-Colombian archaeological site of Machu Picchu. It marked 100 years since Hiram Bingham, a Yale University historian, arrived at the majestic high-elevation Incan citadel and announced its existence to the rest of the world. Machu Picchu was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Since then, UNESCO has had to fight many battles to protect it from private interests and overdevelopment, including the implementation of a daily visitor limit. Still, safe-keepers fear irreparable damage if poor administration continues in the face of surging tourism.

The Alternative: Wiñay Wayna, Peru. Photo courtesy of flickr/Greg Headley

The Alternative: Wiñay Wayna, Peru

Also along the Inca Trail in the Sacred Valley of Peru where Machu Picchu is found, Wiñay Wayna is a minor Incan ruins site that is often considered a mere “stop in the road” on the way to Machu Picchu. While it’s true that it can’t match Machu Picchu’s scale and grandeur, Wiñay Wayna charms and impresses. With staircases and fountain structures connecting the layers of terrace, it is a perfect example of the hillside architecture traditional to the Incas.

The All-star: The Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt. Photo courtesy of Bruno Girin

7. The All-Star: Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

The Pyramids of Giza were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. They are, of course, Egypt‘s most visited attraction. In 1999, the largest of the three pyramids was reopened after a year of restoration work. The project’s goal was to undo some of the damage caused by long-term exposure to mass tourism. According to the BBC, “humidity levels in the tunnels and chambers inside had reached 80 percent because of the sheer volume of people going in,” which caused condensation and a build-up of salt. Since then, a cap of 300 visitors per day has been set on pyramid access.

The Alternative: The Pyramids of Gebel Barkal, Sudan. Photo courtesy of flickr/shovelingtom

The Alternative: Pyramids of Gebel Barkal, Sudan

The Pyramids of Gebel Barkal are part of the larger Gebel Barkal mountain site, which was approved as a UNESCO cultural World Heritage Site in 2003. It is one of only two in the country of Sudan. The Kushitic pyramids themselves were built as a royal cemetery in the 3rd century, which makes them only half as old as and very modest in size compared to the likes of the Great Pyramids of neighbouring Egypt. Travel to Sudan is complicated at the moment, but pieces of cultural heritage like this already under UNESCO protection hold promise for a tourism future.

Travellers to Phnom Penh can learn about the Cambodian Genocide by visiting the Killing Fields and the notorious prison “S-21,” now known as the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.

S-21 was originally a school before it was converted into a detention center in 1975. People deemed enemies of the Khmer Rouge (doctors, teachers, monks – amongst others) were interrogated and tortured here before being shipped to the killing field to be executed.

After the Khmer Rouge fled, S-21 and its startling photonegative archive were discovered. All prisoners had their photo taken upon arrival. Male, female, infant to elderly – hundreds of stark black-and-white portraits of the victims now line the museum walls. It is a moving, eye-opening display and has become an iconic memorial of the genocide.

A visit to the Killing Fields and S-21 is a must while in Cambodia, not only to learn Cambodian history, but to learn our history. While the Cambodian temples of Angkor Wat reveal the greatest of human accomplishment, S-21 and the Killing Fields remind us of our failings – giving us an opportunity to grow.

Now imagine if you had a story about actually getting to drive a rickshaw. Yes, today it is possible to get your hands on the steering bar of this ever-popular mode of transport. In which case it’s game over: Your tale wins, hands down.

A good personal rickshaw report is important for two other reasons: First, ‘rickshaw’ is a cool word that’s fun to say. Try it. With conviction this time. Rickshaw. Second, rickshaws come in many varieties and are common transportation in many countries. If you’ve never encountered one, a small part of you hasn’t lived.

Even if you ride one daily, though, there are probably plenty of facts you may not have considered. For instance, the word ‘rickshaw’ is Japanese in origin (jinrickisha means ‘human-powered vehicle’) and refers to two-wheeled carts pulled by a person and often carrying a member of the social elite. Nowadays, the three-wheeled bicycle rickshaw or, more commonly, auto rickshaw has largely replaced the often-outlawed human-powered version. Also, there are many other names by which a rickshaw may be known: tuk-tuk, trishaw, tricycle, bajaj, motortaxi, auto-remorque…

Get ready to tell the best stories about your time as a rickshaw pilot, because we’ve found the top five rickshaws that you are actually allowed to drive.

On a Rickshaw Challenge in India, the first order of business is to decorate your vehicle (and yourselves) and think up a great name for your team. Photo courtesy of Rickshaw Challenge

Rickshaw Challenge in Southern India

Since 2006, the Rickshaw Challenge has been serving up rickshaw driving trips for adventure-seekers in India. The first route was from Chennai to Kanyakumari in southern India, crossing an area of the country somewhat off the trodden tourist trail. Since then, this route has been adapted into the Classic Run, which is one of four routes offered as a Rickshaw Challenge.

Get a group together and start planning an outrageous design for the customisation of the auto rickshaw that you (yes you!) will be driving. There is no limit to the amount of insane creativity and detail that participants put into pimping their rickshaw rides, but matching costumes are certainly recommended. Sign up for the 11-day Classic Run, the nine-day Malabar Rampage, the nine-day Deccan Odyssey or the 14-day Mumbai Xpress. Details about dates and prices are available on the Rickshaw Challenge website.

These two Lanka Challenge contestants are about to embark a raucous 12-day trishaw adventure of a lifetime in Sri Lanka, where their driving and tree-planting skills will be put to the test. Photo courtesy of Large Minority

The Lanka Challenge in Sri Lanka

The wildly successful 2011 Lanka Challenge came to an end earlier this month. Organised by LARGE minority as the first event of its kind in Sri Lanka, this race is as much about teamwork, mastering the trishaw (especially at its eye-watering speeds of 50 kph), dressing up in zany costumes and a race across breathtaking landscapes as it is about giving back and scoring points for the earth. In addition to funds raised for social projects (US$26,000 in 2011), each team faces cultural and ecological challenges along the way, such as planting fruit trees.

Check out the fun facts and amazing memories from 2011 as inspiration to start planning for the 2012. The 12-day ride ride (August 31 to September 11, 2012) is slated to be a bigger deal than ever before.

Cambo Challenge contestants are ready to race to the finish line on their decked-out auto-remorques, the Cambodian version of the motorised rickshaw. Photo courtesy of LARGE Minority

The Cambo Challenge in Southern Cambodia

In Cambodia, an auto rickshaw is called an auto-remorque, a ‘motorcycle-meets-carriage mishmash,’ as described by the people at LARGE minority, the organisation behind the Cambo Challenge adventure trip. What better, awkward, irrational and more absurd way could there be to try your hand at driving an auto-remorque than 11 days and 1,350 kilometres of non-stop rickshaw madness. Keen for a thrill? This year’s event is coming up, from November 6-17, 2011! It’s not too late to join.

As with the other LARGE minority initiatives, the Cambo Challenge is an awesome hybrid of fun and positive-impact travel. In 2011, funds are being raised to support a water-supply pipeline project for the Chambuk Eco-tourism Community. Help them reach their goal of US$20,000.

The Three Tinned Tigers are one of the lucky teams to compete in The Adventurists' famous Rickshaw Run adventures. Photo courtesy of www.facebook.com/MongolRally

The Rickshaw Run in India

From the same people who organise the fantastical Mongol Rally across the ‘stans of Central Asia and the Mototaxi Junket through South America comes perhaps the most well-known three-wheeled adventure out there: the Rickshaw Run in India. The Adventurists have gained such widespread fame and popularity for their extreme transportation trips that landing a spot on a tour takes some doing. They launch three Rickshaw Runs a year, all of which sell out within hours of opening registration.

The Adventurists established the elements of a good drive-your-own-rickshaw adventure as: customised vehicles, ridiculous costumes, big parties and good causes. This fun-loving bunch is also out to save the world. It has a network of charities that each adventure supports and teams that sign up for adventures are asked to raise £500 for their adventure’s Official Charity plus a further £500 for another charity of their choice.

In the highly anticipated Rickshaw Run Southeast Asia, which The Adventurists will be premiering this October 16, there will surely be the usual mix of tattooed tuk-tuks, parties, chaos, confusion, costumes, crises and top-shelf fun. Photo courtesy of www.facebook.com/MongolRally

The Rickshaw Run in Southeast Asia

The Adventurists describe their newest rickshaw tour through Southeast Asia as “the sweatier, junglier cousin of its Indian namesake.” Starting on October 16, 2011, this ambitious journey will take about two weeks to blaze a trail – by auto-rickshaw, of course – from Jakarta, Indonesia, to Bangkok, Thailand.

In this exclusive first expedition of the Southeast Asian Rickshaw Run, only 30 positions were available. They sold out in under a minute! Even though the number of participants who will make it to the finish line is yet to be seen, the next tour is already scheduled for March of next year and is sure to sell out just as quickly.

SEE BELOW FOR THIS MESSAGE IN KHMER /

Got two months off work or school? Looking for an epic backpacking circuit in Southeast Asia? Why not start or linger in one of the incredible less-frequented locations – like Battambang, Cambodia – that are usually brief stopovers between major destinations but deserve much more attention? You’re guaranteed pleasant surprises around every corner and a smiling face to greet you.

Phnom Sampeau, the limestone cliff, temple and 'killing cave' near Battambang, Cambodia, is beautiful in its own right, but also promises breathtaking views from the top. Photo courtesy of Tuomo Lautaporras

Battambang may not be as familiar a destination in Cambodia as Siem Reap, location of Angkor Wat, but it’s the second-largest city in the country and the main hub of its northwestern region. Given its size, the best way to see all that Battambang has to offer – a blend of ancient Khmer culture and more modern French colonial architecture – is of course on a Battambang city tour.

Sharing the same name as its capital, the province of Battambang is the “rice bowl” of Cambodia and therefore and a great place to try Khmer cuisine. The attention to food is just one of the many enjoyable qualities of the laid-back rural ease that pervades all of the things to see and do in Battambang. Also not to be missed are the ancient temples that have survived centuries of abuse, such as the 11th-century Ba Nan Temple and the Ek Phnom Temple, the wall carvings of which include depictions of the Ramayana.

A highlight of any visit to Battambang is the quasi-famous Nori, or Bamboo Train, a rickety transport that was originally used to deliver coffee and bananas to Phnom Penh but now carries tourists. Running at low speeds (up to only 10 kph), it is the perfect platform from which to take in Battambang’s countryside.

The 'Nori,' better known as the Bamboo Train, is an old means of transportation now used to take travellers into Battambang’s countryside. Photo courtesy of Tuomo Lautaporras

Like its neighbouring cities, there are many comfortable and affordable hotels in Battambang. These can now be booked directly through Battambang-hotel.com, thanks to Mr. Kang Vannak and his team at CamRoads Travel.

“We feel confident about launching the Battambang whl.travel website, as we have been able to produce a good variety of hotels for customers to choose from. In addition we have also been able to make a couple of high-quality tours that take place in Battambang,” Vannak shared. “Working with whl.travel has been a really good experience for us.”

In Cambodia, Battambang joins other portals for Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.

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Skulls and bones in the 'killing caves' of Phnom Sampeau remind us about Cambodia's horrifying recent past. Photo courtesy of Tuomo Lautaporras

Mrs Nary prepares the equipment and ingredients for cooking school students in Nary Kitchen in Battambang, Cambodia. Photo courtesy of Tuomo Lautaporras

Stretched along the Siem Reap River just north of Tonle Sap, Cambodia’s Great Lake, is the town of Siem Reap, gateway to the world-famous and ever-popular ancient temples of Angkor. In the early 1920s, French writer Pierre Jeannerat de Beerski famously wrote “Go to Angkor, my friend, to its ruins and its dreams.” Even today, a visit to Angkor is sure to inspire a sense of magic and awe.

The main attraction of Siem Reap, Cambodia, is the Angkor Wat temple, which is dramatically illuminated at night. When visiting Siem Reap, take a few days to explore all that it has to offer beyond the Angkor Wat. Photo courtesy of Thomas Holdo Hansen /angkorhotels.org

Angkor Wat in Cambodia is the world’s largest religious building and considered by many to be one of the greatest manmade structures ever created. However, the surrounding area is full of smaller and less visited temples all waiting to be explored. The ancient great city of Angkor Thom, with its central Bayon temple known for large and enigmatic sculpted smiling faces, and Ta Phrom, which is often referred to as the ‘Jungle Temple’ because of the many roots and trees growing in and through the temple ruins, usually come high up on most travellers’ itineraries.

Day Trips

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Angkor consists of hundreds of temples of various shapes and sizes. Even though it’s possible to see the main Angkor temples in one day, we strongly recommend not rushing it. Instead, take time to soak in the atmosphere at a leisurely pace.

Just off the main road to the temples is a very informative and interesting permanent exhibition entitled ‘Tonle Sap, Sources of Lives’, where the Cambodian foundation Krousar Thmey showcases the ecological and cultural richness of the great lake of Tonle Sap. All information is in English, French and Khmer and, as such, the exhibition serves as a tool for raising environmental awareness for both locals and visitors.

Tonle Sap itself holds the promise of many popular boat trips. From Siem Reap, the closest and most accessible point of departure is the village of Chong Khneas. Visiting the village used to be a very different experience; with vibrant communities of floating houses, markets, schools and even a floating police station, it has been changed by recent development and in response to the influx of tourists. Chong Khneas is not as ‘unspoiled’ as some of the more remote villages, like Kampong Phluk and Kampong Klieng.

A great way to explore the temples and visit some of the area’s highlights is to cruise around Siem Reap by bicycle, a mode of transport that lets travellers get off the beaten track, pedal through local villages and get a feel for the real Cambodia. Guided Siem Reap cycle tours are available, but bikes can also be hired independently on a daily basis. One local charitable organisation, The White Bicycles rents bikes for US$2 per day from selected hotels and reserves some of the profits to support local community projects.

Exploring Siem Reap by bicycle comes highly recommended. Available from selected outlets, The White Bicycles ensures rental fees support local community projects. Photo courtesy of Soria Moria Boutique Hotel / The White Bicycles

Shopping

Over the last few years, Siem Reap shopping opportunities have increased and many of the stores have taken a proactive stance with regard to giving back to the local communities.

Centrally located in Siem Reap is the Old Market (Psar Chas), a great starting point for any shopping excursion. Together with the Angkor Night Market, the Old Market presents visitors with a range of Fair Trade businesses, shops and market stalls selling traditional handicrafts, Khmer silks, silverware, jewellery and local carvings.

A relatively new addition to the vibrant Siem Reap shopping scene is Alley West, which only a few years back was a dusty, dark and rundown back alley. Now after some serious renovations and refurbishments, the street boasts cute little boutique shops and funky outlets selling locally designed and made clothes and accessories.

Restaurants

Visitors to Siem Reap will find that, despite its relatively small size, the town offers an impressive range of restaurants and eating options. There’s everything from local, budget-friendly street stalls to French-accented top-end restaurants with prices to match.

The ‘rice corner’ at the end of Pub Street sees many backpackers enjoying fried rice, noodles and cold beers. Local delicacies of smoked snake and crispy fried crickets with lime and chillies are also up for grabs for those eager to delve into Siem Reap street fare.

At Sala Bai, which literally means ‘school of rice’, you can eat safely and with a good conscience as the school each year trains 100 young disadvantaged Cambodians in key hospitality skills. Similarly, the US$1 nights at Soria Moria Boutique Hotel on Wat Bo Road started off as a staff training initiative, but now draw a steady crowd of locals and travellers alike.

Khmer Kitchen is a popular and well-priced place for good Cambodian food in a lively location.

Ton Pin, in front of the Silk Lab stall at Angkor Night Market, displays a great range of original, handcrafted items made from local silk. Photo courtesy of Jo Owen / Harnessing Opportunities Through Play and Education

Local Treats

Whilst eating out can be a real treat, we believe it is worth digging a little deeper and exploring some of the secrets of traditional Khmer cuisine. Learning how to catch and prepare crispy fried tarantulas might best be reserved for the truly adventurous, but signing up for a local Cambodian cooking class is a great way to get a feel for the local ingredients.

After a long day of shopping or exploring the Angkor temples, many travellers appreciate resting weary feet and revitalising aching muscles at one of Siem Reap’s spas and massage parlours. Many of the midrange and top-end hotels have their own in-house spas. Amongst the independent local spas, Frangipani comes highly recommended.

Exploring Siem Reap’s art scene can be a true adventure and the Arts Lounge at Hotel de la Paix features exhibits from international and contemporary Cambodian artists. The McDermott Gallery at the FCC is a long-term favourite and the Friends Centre at the Angkor Hospital for Children hosts a rotating exhibition with a range of artists, everything from the legendary Steve McCurry to selected pieces from the Angkor Photo Festival, as well as work by kids from Anjali House, a local centre for underprivileged children.

Night Out

The name Siem Reap probably does not conjure up images of a party town, but, in fact, it is fast earning a reputation for cool coffee hangouts, urban bars, pumping dance floors and live music acts. In fact, what once was a bumpy dirt road with a single bar and snooker hall has developed into a hugely popular area with a diverse selection of pubs, bars and restaurants. Aptly referred to as ‘Pub Street’, a name that has even made it on to the street signs, the official designation is still Street No. 8.

Looking for some specific recommendation? How about Angkor What?, the first and probably most famous bar on the block; it continues to draw crowds of travellers. Just off Pub Street, opposite the Old Market, is the Warehouse with occasional live bands and comedy nights. Miss Wong is the place to go for classy cocktails. For late night owls, ‘X’ marks the spot.

Long long ago, most tribal groups were nomadic due to a lack of stable food supplies. These ancient itinerant practices exist to this today, especially in places like Kyrgyzstan, in Central Asia, where 'yurts' or transportable houses are still in use, like those seen below near Tash-Rabat. Photo courtesy of Dostuck-Trekking

To the well-intentioned traveler, though, ‘green’ labels can be a bit vague, a tinted title that has been taken to mean a host of things, not all of them positive. Faced with growing concerns about ‘greenwashing’ and tongue-twisting turns of phrase like ‘sustainable eco nature adventures,’ the average person is left wondering what a green leaf means on hotel pamphlets.

Similarly, tips for ‘green living’ can be found in most magazines nowadays, but not always with clear objectives. Does not washing your towels really make that much of a difference? Is switching off your lights really going to save the planet? What makes green hotels truly ‘green’?

To answer that, we first need to look at what it means to be sustainable.

How Do Things Look Today?

These days, green initiatives are usually taken to mean those where the practice either has a positive or neutral (anything except negative) effect on the natural environment. But while the protection of natural resources is a vital preoccupation, sustainability means a lot more than saving our planet’s trees.

Local and indigenous communities across the planet often suffer in the shadow of hard-impact mass-market tourism. While the proceeds from tourism may, generally speaking, bring in capital and sometimes even increase peace and stability, local people are sometimes hard pressed to see the benefits. The lion’s share of profits are shipped abroad to foreign stakeholders while local people are even frequently overlooked as staff, tour guides or regional experts. Those that do succeed in pushing through any obstacles are usually then not given the opportunity to rise to positions of higher-level (managerial or supervisory) responsibility, roles reserved for foreign nationals.

A favourite activity of many Solomon Islands visitors is a fishing trip guided by local people. With them, one can experience a way of life long forgotten in the modern word. Photo by Kerry Kennedy, courtesy of Flickr/whl.travel

With some bitterness, local people see their cultures bought and sold in front of them, often returned in with no resemblance to the centuries-old traditions that drew in tourists in the first place.

What Is Sustainability?

To me, sustainability is synonymous with responsible economic and social development, even as it is applied to tourism. Clearly there is no catch-all phrase able to determine whether the place in which you are staying deserves the title of being ‘green,’ but sustainability can certainly be measured in terms of an accommodation’s or tour’s effect on the health of the environment, energy consumption, the promotion of local culture and heritage, the distribution of profits, labour force vitality and even the quality and nature of building materials.

The list doesn’t stop there, especially since the notion of sustainability is one that evolves as quickly as new technologies and the circumstances through which they are brought to light.

Nevertheless I’ve tried to compile some basics to help add to a discussion about the definition of sustainable tourism. It is important to remember that each destination is unique and has different sustainability requirements. The following chart should therefore be looked at as a review of general trends in sustainable travel and ecotourism, not as a checklist.

Ecotourism Destinations

With these factors in mind, the question becomes: where to go? The following are some places that have made important strides toward sustainability and cultural immersion without compromising on comfort. Of course, travelling is all about forging your own path outside your daily routine, so always still keep make sure that your choice of accommodation fits your needs as well as those of the host country.

Green in the City
* Near Amsterdam, the Ilma Yoga House is located inside the Gaasperplas Nature Reserve just 20 minutes from the city centre by bicycle. On site you can enjoy host Ilma’s massage and yoga studios. She donates 10 percent of all her proceeds to charity.

* Located in the heart of Buenos Aires, the Eco Pampa Hostel was the city’s first ecologically friendly hostel, a model for others to follow. The managers have paid careful attention to keeping things green, from installing a rainwater tank, low-energy electrical appliances, solar panels and heating, and an organic rooftop garden to using recycled materials in the decoration of all the rooms.

Many city hostels and hotels are embracing the idea of emissions-free travel, whether it be by bicycle, foot, cart or even local animals. Amsterdam is one of the finest examples of this, where bicycles can be found for use at most accommodations. Photo courtesy of the European Centre for Eco Agro Tourism

Local Houses
* What better way to find out what it’s like to live as a nomad than actually to live like one? In Kyrgyzstan, a yurt stay is an increasingly popular way to see the vast undeveloped countryside. Because the camps move with the nomads and essentially leave no trace behind, it’s hard to imagine a way of making less impact.

* Transport yourself to 5th-century Turkey by staying deep inside the surreal cave-and-tunnel systems of the stony Cappadocian countryside. Cave hotels offer unique accommodations repurposed from ancient lodgings designed to support lifestyle without continuous access to water or outside trade. Today’s self-cooling hotel rooms, like those of the Yunak Evleri Cave Hotel, are surprisingly luxurious and full of light thanks to the innovative design of the early Turks.

* Village homestays are an increasingly popular way to directly finance traditional communities instead of parading them as tourist attractions. By living side by side with villagers in, tourists can actually take part in the perfect ecotourism model: natural materials and fibres are used for nearly every edifice and tool, water is sourced from nearby rivers and streams, and opportunities exist for fishing and hunting with locals. The Solomon Islands have some superb village stays, many of which were established in the late 1980s, when the practice boomed.

Luxury Ecolodges
* Run by a local naturalist (who discovered a new species of bird), the Hobatere Lodge in northern Namibia has leased the land around it from a local conservancy that encourages indigenous people and animals to live freely on and directly benefit from the land. Ongoing lodge projects range from the Kunene Lion Project and the Namibian Elephant and Giraffe Trust to the study of the black mongoose. Local Namibians make up 100 percent of the staff, and 80 percent of them have been working there for 10 years or more. A private generator powers the lodge and there’s a garden of indigenous plants used by the restaurant.

Many luxury ecolodges are built straight into wildlife conservancies as a way to help support efforts by local foundations and the people living off the land. Places like the Hobatere Lodge in Namibia work alongside the Kunene Lion Project, among others, to track and monitor local lion populations. Photo by Debbie Rowles, courtesy of Flickr/whl.travel

* Featured in the New York Times as the next hot ecolodge destination in Koh Kong, Cambodia, the 4 Rivers Floating Ecolodge is so remote that you need a private canoe to get there. Designed to immerse its guests in the surrounding wilderness at the convergence of four rivers, this destination proves that sustainability does not have to be at the expense of luxury.

* There’s nothing quite like the romance of the Arabian Desert, conjuring up images of starry nights, languid camels, warm campfires, embroidered throw rugs and the call of the Bedouin in the morning. At the famed Desert Nights Camp in Oman’s Wahiba Sands, guests are given the full experience of the ancient practice of the famed desert traders, all with minimal impact on the environment.

Community Projects
In Thailand, it’s easy to visit monasteries but few places allow lay people to live alongside monks and learn their practices. The 10-day silent retreat at the Suan Mokkh International Dhamma Hermitage gives outsiders a chance to experience monastic life. Expect to forsake all material pleasure, eat vegetarian food only twice a day, attend meditation and yoga classes, and maintain complete silence. The retreat is free, but participants must be committed to all aspects of the program.

Further Study
For more information about ecotourism, environmental tourism and how to go green, check out some of the links below.
* The International Ecotourism Society
* Tree Hugger
* Earth Summit

The traditional J’Pong heat and herbal treatment in Siem Reap, Cambodia, uses a range of natural herbs as ingredients to treat the body in a variety of beneficial ways. Photo by Borei Angkor Resort and Spa

With so much on offer, planning a way to revitalise weary limbs and revive aching muscles after a long exciting day exploring the Angkor temples is essential. Many travellers therefore also find rest, relaxation and rejuvenation to be key qualities of a complete Angkor experience. Fortunately, the worn-out and weary-footed can choose from a wide range of Siem Reap hotels and resorts with excellent local massage and spa facilities.

Marks of the Khmer Massage

Traditional massage in Siem Reap isn’t just for tourists. On the contrary, Khmer massage and ancient healing practices play an important role in the daily life of the Cambodian people as well. It should therefore come as no surprise if a local guide or driver shows up with some distinct circular marks on his or her face and body, or if you see professional businesspeople in their smartest business attire with similar strange-looking marks. Chances are the marks are signs of traditional treatment methods still widely in use all over the country.

Khmer massage has its own unique history and tradition. Masseurs often use hot cups and coins in their practice, which is what leaves the unusual marks. The belief is that suction and increased blood flow caused by these objects ease obstructions, and the treatments are said to relieve a variety of illnesses from common colds to more severe aches and pains. No oil is used and shiatsu-style work is done with the body’s ‘meridians.’ Unlike Thai massage, Khmer is gentler; there is no stretching or twisting involved.

In Siem Reap, Cambodia

Siem Reap has a great selection of spas and massage lounges in which to rest, relax and indulge. From as little as US$5 per hour, visitors can find themselves quickly revived with a soulful foot massage after a long day trekking. Or they can laze all day at a spa and be receive head-to-toe pampering with special services such as body scrubs, hot-stone massage, heat treatment and aromatherapy, to name but a few.

A fine bit of quality pampering at the Mutita Spa of the Borei Ankgor Resort and Spa could be a highlight of any trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo by Borei Angkor Resort and Spa

Hang Sokvanna, Resort Manager at Siem Reap’s five-star Borei Angkor Resort and Spa, describes their most popular traditional treatment option, the J’Pong, available at their in-house Mutita Spa:

“J’Pong is an ancient, steam-filled Khmer heat and herbal treatment that allows visitors to relax in a cloud of herbal steam. This helps to clear the lungs, relieve stress, promote blood circulation and regenerate energy. The herbs used in this herbal healing are all natural and include dried turmeric, cinnamon, sweet basil, mint, prai, lemon grass, cloves, galangal, ginger, tamarind, thanakha and kaffir lime leaves.”

Scattered around Siem Reap are also numerous ‘Seeing Hand Massage’ establishments, in which blind people receive occupational training and then offer traditional massage treatments. As the name suggests, the qualified therapists more than make up for their lack of eyesight; they are said to see through their hands when performing their skillful massage treatments.

With plunge baths, invigorating body scrubs and soothing massages increasingly appearing on the radar for visitors to Siem Reap, a touch of authentic Khmer hospitality adds to the sense of true indulgence and total well-being. Many carefully composed spa packages are available, and skilled massage and spa therapists are happy to prepare a customised programme for you.

The whl.travel local connection in Siem Reap, Cambodia has great local knowledge of traditional massage and spas. Contact them for enticing treatment options and a selection of their favourites.

Originally from the United Kingdom, Lee is a busy guy. He has been living and working in and around Laos for nearly 10 years, the last six of which as General Manager of Teamworkz, a travel agency and sustainable tourism and marketing consultancy recognised and trusted as local travel experts by a number of international organisations.

Lee Sheridan and his fiancée Pan play tour guides for Lee's visiting sister. Photo courtesy of Lee Sheridan

On the side, Lee is also studying for a Masters in Responsible Tourism Management and working as a tourism consultant with organisations like the International Finance Corporation on their Stay Another Day project, with Dutch development organisation SNV at the provincial level to design long-term tourism development strategies with local stakeholders, and a few others such as the Asian Development Bank. He is also the local Tripbod connection in Laos.

WHL Group: Which is your favourite WHL Group destination and which would you most like to visit?
Lee: Without doubt, Laos is my favourite place, and I am not just saying that because we are whl.travel’s local connection here. Ten years ago, while backpacking in Laos, I fell in love with the country and decided to stay. Within Laos, Champasak Province would have to be my favourite destination. With a pre-Angkor UNESCO World Heritage Site, the largest waterfalls in Southeast Asia, the very rare Irrawaddy dolphins, the best coffee in the world, and 4,000 idyllic islands in the middle of the Mekong River (which is up to 14 kilometres wide at this point) – how could this not be my favourite place?

In terms of where else to visit, I would love to get down to the Pacific Islands and visit some of our whl.travel local connections out there, like Fiji, Vanuatu, and Samoa. They sound and look fantastic! And with Laos being landlocked and mountainous, I would love to see the differences in cultural and biological diversity.

On the special occasion of his family visiting from the UK, Lee Sheridan chose for them the luxurious Luang Say Residence in Luang Prabang, Laos. It was one of the finest hotel experiences he can recall. Photo courtesy of Teamworkz

WHLG: What would you never travel without?
Lee: I don’t go anywhere without my laptop. I would be lost without it. I get withdrawal symptoms if I cannot connect check my emails every few hours. I even wake up in the night to check them!

WHLG: What do you miss most about home when travelling?
Lee: If my fiancée Pan is reading this, then most definitely her! If she’s not, then probably Beerlao (the national beer of Laos) and the great team I have in our Teamworkz office.

WHLG: What’s the most adventurous trip you’ve ever taken?
Lee: This would most likely have to be my first. When I was 17 I took part in a month-long World Challenge Expedition to Costa Rica. I remember erupting volcanoes, canoe trips through crocodile-infested waters, catching hypothermia climbing a mountain, village homestays in remote forests and giant turtles laying their eggs on golden beaches. Looking back, I can see how this trip inspired me toward a life of travel and adventure.

WHLG: What is your funniest travel experience?
Lee: I can’t think of one that doesn’t need censoring!

WHLG: What is your scariest travel experience?
Lee: Returning to the UK – each and every time.

Lee Sheridan sits down to a nice dinner in Luang Prabang, Laos, with his visiting mother and fiancée, Pan. Photo courtesy of Lee Sheridan

WHLG: If you could go on holiday with anyone famous – living or dead – who would you take?
Lee: I would love to have travelled with some of the early explorers of this part of the world – people like Henri Mouhot or Dr. P. Neis for example. Can you imagine traipsing through the jungle and just stumbling upon Angkor Wat? Rather than just going on holiday with them though, I would much rather travel back in time and join their original expeditions. Now that would be an adventure!

WHLG: Describe the best and worst accommodation you’ve ever stayed in.
Lee: While I am not normally one of luxury, my mum and little sister came over to visit early in 2011 and we spent a wonderful few days in Luang Prabang. A few nights at the Luang Say Residence was followed by a night out in the forests at Lao Spirit and waking up early in the morning to bathe the elephants in the river. Both of these lodges are up there with the best I have stayed in.

The worst was 12 years ago in a US$2-per-night beachside bungalow in Koh Samui. It was a picturesque bamboo hut with a balcony and a hammock overlooking the ocean. I woke up in the morning with thousands of bites! I’d been attacked by bed bugs, mosquitos, sand flies and God only knows what else. I was left feeling extremely miserable and very uncomfortable for a week to follow.

WHLG: Describe your earliest travel memory.
Lee: As a child, buckled in to the back seat of the car arguing with my sister on road trips around the UK. Family holidays in the north of Wales arguing with my sister. Trips to southern France arguing with my sister. I am starting to understand why I love to travel on my own these days!

The Sala Don Khone Hotel is a guesthouse on Don Khone Island, which makes up one of the Four Thousand Islands in Champasak Province. Lee Sheridan believes it could benefit from travellers exploring beyond Vientiane and Luang Prabang. Photo courtesy of Teamworkz

WHLG: Please briefly explain what you think local travel is.
Local travel means more than just being based in the destination that we serve. Local travel means providing a kind of travel in which our guests can experience a place beyond the surface level. Living in tourism destinations, we often notice that tourists all do the same things at the same time in the same way as all the other tourists, and we wonder why. Local travel to us is about understanding the locality of a place and what makes it special. It’s about participation and positive interaction.

Local travel is a belief that nobody knows a place like the people who live there. Local travellers make the effort to seek out what locals recommend, what locals would do, and spend time enjoying and understanding the destination as a resident might, rather than staying in the isolation of the ‘tourism zone’. Teamworkz’ experienced staff are here to help you make this step – a step inside our destinations to understand why we love these places as much as we do.

WHLG: In what ways do you see local travel benefiting the country in which you live?
Laos is a culturally rich country with a lot to share with the world, especially travellers willing to spend the time and make the effort to look below the surface, to make a little extra effort in getting out of the main tourism centres. I believe local travel will bring great benefits to travellers.

In Laos, tourism is largely concentrated on Vientiane and Luang Prabang. For tourists to move to other areas of the country would mean a greater dispersal of tourism spending and more people benefiting from the growth of the tourism industry.

Like countries throughout Asia, China celebrates the New Year with a splash in some areas

Below are our picks for the top five New Year celebrations in some of the most beloved nations of Asia, each with its own unique traditions and festivities.

China

The Spring Festival, also known as the Lunar New Year, is the most important annual celebration for the Chinese people. Apart from being a weeklong holiday mandated by the government, it is a time to honour the past, celebrate the present and gather good luck for the future. Prior to New Year, people flock to stores to buy ingredients for grand feasts, as well as various decorations for their homes, new clothes to wear when visiting ancestors and gifts for friends and family.

The Chinese people attach particularly great importance to the Spring Festival Eve. In recent years, a Spring Festival Party has been broadcast on China Central Television (CCTV) – essential entertainment for the Chinese both at home and abroad. No matter where they are in the world, families stay up to see the New Year come.

In Lijang, China, elaborate decorations are placed with care as part of one of the biggest festivals of the year - the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year

Around the world, homes are also decorated to reflect the festive atmosphere. Door panels are pasted with Spring Festival couplets written, in Chinese calligraphy, with black characters on red paper, indicating the owners’ wishes for a bright future and good luck for the next year. Pictures of the gods are also posted to ward off evil spirits and welcome peace and happiness.

The lively atmosphere not only fills every household, but also permeates the streets in both China and Chinatowns everywhere. Lion dancing, dragon lantern dancing, lantern festivals and temple fairs take place for days. In the Chinese city of Lijiang, where tourism is a vital industry, travellers gather around a giant bonfire and enjoy the unique songs and dances performed by various ethnic minorities from around the region.

Vietnam

Tết Nguyên Đán, more commonly known as Tet, is the most important traditional festival in Vietnam and falls around the same time as the Chinese Lunar New Year – in 2011, February 3rd is the first day of the new lunar year, a date that is also the foundation ceremony day of the Vietnamese Communist Party. Everyone will be celebrating the Year of the Cat.

The flowers of the Han Market in Da Nang, Vietnam, are at their most vibrant during the New Year celebration of Tet. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Dragfyre

In the city of Da Nang and many other places, the streets become noisy and crowded with Tet preparations. Never hampered by the relatively cold weather, Han Market, the city’s biggest flower market, opens its doors and displays a wide range of colourful wares like apricot blossoms, peach blossoms, rosebushes, daisies, sunflowers, dahlias and marigolds. Families gather in their homes to worship the Kitchen God, who is said to fly to heaven to report all the events of the previous year.

On New Year’s Eve, families gather for lunch or dinner and pay tribute to their ancestors, welcoming them to the celebrations. Houses are cleaned and decorated. In the evening, people assemble by the nearest riverbanks to watch firecrackers at midnight. Then, they flock to biggest pagodas in the city to burn incense and pray for good luck for themselves, their families and their businesses.

Thailand

The Songkran festival is celebrated throughout Thailand as the traditional New Year, from the 13th to the 15th of April in 2011. On these days, the most noticeable practice is the throwing of water: Thais roam the streets with pitchers or water guns, or post themselves at the side of roads with a garden hose and drench each other and passersby.

The Songkran festival in Thailand is another annual New Year water-throwing free-for-all street party. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Love Krittaya

Traditionally, Songkran is a time to visit and pay respects to elders, family members, friends and neighbours. People go to a wat (temple) to pray and give food to monks. They may also gently cleanse the Buddha images in household shrines, as well as Buddha images in monasteries, using water mixed with a Thai fragrance. It is believed that doing this will bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year. In many cities, such as Chiang Mai, images of the Buddha from the city’s most important monasteries are paraded through the streets so that people can throw water at them, ritually ‘bathing’ the images as they pass by on ornately decorated floats.

Among young people the holiday has evolved to include dousing strangers with water as relief from the heat, since April is the hottest month in Thailand. Fun-filled water fights are basically an essential part of the fun.

Laos

What can best be described as a national water fight, Pi Mai Lao (Lao New Year) is celebrated annually in Laos, from the 14th to the 16th of April in 2011. Since it takes place during one of the country’s hottest seasons of the year, it is a welcome and refreshing event.

No generation is exempt from enjoying the large-scale water fights that break out in Laos as part of Pi Mai Lao, the annual New Year celebration. Photo courtesy of Lee Sheridan

Like in Thailand, the festival is a time to visit temples, and pay respect to and bless friends and family before the start of the New Year. Many people visit a number of temples to wash Buddha images and hope for a good start to the New Year. Traditionally, the water used to wash the Buddha images is considered blessed as it drips off the Buddha. For this reason, it is collected and gently poured over loved ones to wash away the problems of the past and help them prepare for the start the New Year clean and full of optimism.

Today, this widely practiced tradition is celebrated with enthusiasm; if you are in Laos during Pi Mai Lao, be prepared to get wet! Vientiane and Luang Prabang are the two best places to enjoy the New Year celebrations, with Luang Prabang hosting a parade through the town centre, sand-castle building on the banks of the Mekong and a traditional beauty pageant. Beer Lao soon flows freely and there is music and dancing in the streets: tourists join merrily dressed locals, young and old, in the most jubilant of Lao festivals designed to bring the new year in with gusto!

Cambodia

Lasting three full days between the 13th and 16th of April in 2011, Khmer New Year is arguably the most popular festival and national holiday in Siem Reap and over Cambodia. Chaul Chnam Thmey, as it is called in Khmer, coincides with the end of the harvest season, so farmers celebrate the New Year with their families and enjoy some relaxation before the rainy season begins.

In Cambodia's Chol Chnam Thmey New Year celebration, water throwing is a common part of the widespread festivities and games. Photo courtesy of Lee Sheridan

People travel from near and far to meet with their relatives, visit temples and partake in the celebration that occur throughout the country. City and village streets are often packed revellers enjoying some time off with their friends and families, celebrating together by dancing and playing traditional games.

The throwing of water is also a notable feature in Cambodia during this special time of year, although it happens primarily limited in the main tourist areas.

For whl.travel, a company dedicated to improving the travel experience and the ethical standards of tourism from the bottom up and for everyone involved, it is hardly surprising that many local partners are actively involved in voluntourism initiatives.

Here we spotlight a few whl.travel destinations that encourage travellers to get involved in local projects with the promise of a true cultural experience and exchange.

Volunteers and locals put their heads together to build a solar cooker for the Jipe Mojo Women Group in Moshi, Tanzania, which helps families affected by HIV and AIDS

Zanzibar, Tanzania

Zenith Tours, a local operator in Zanzibar, Tanzania, is very active in voluntourism. As a key part of World Unite! – a network of seven local tour operators and partners around the world providing short- and long-term volunteering opportunities – Zenith work with numerous social and conservation projects on the island and mainland Tanzania.

Popular initiatives include teaching local adults and children on the island of Uzi in southern Zanzibar and a project in Moshi, at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro, called the Social Reality Tour developed in partnership with KIWAKKUKI (Kilimanjaro Women against AIDS), a local nongovernmental organisation.

The Social Reality Tour is a way of funding the work of KIWAKKUKI through tourism. Zenith Tours works directly with volunteers to improve the tour and the situation of families affected by HIV. One area of development in which volunteers help is the design, construction, packaging and distribution of souvenirs. To this end, Zenith Tours has bought some solar cookers and, together with volunteers, gives classes in cooking exotic jams and marmalades.

As well as painting the outside of this local village school in Yucatan, Mexico, volunteers have donated much-needed milk to the students

Yucatan, Mexico

There are many volunteer groups at work in the Yucatan of Mexico. The range of focus runs from environmental and cultural sustainability to orphanages, schools and community projects. A local tour operator, Adventures Mexico, works together with Cuerpos de Conservación, a large network of volunteer groups in the region that has varied programmes, including everything from conservation, environmental education and natural resource management to strengthening social organisation and the development of natural and cultural resources. There are also programmes to support human rights for children, gender and class.

Adventures Mexico and Cuerpos de Conservación have teamed up to build volunteer-vacation and service-learning programs that immerse travellers in Yucatecan culture as they help locals improve the quality of their lives through efforts such as painting an orphanage or teaching at a rural school. During the trip, travellers stay with host families, which makes the experience more meaningful and personal, as there is ample opportunity to learn Spanish, try new foods and bask in the total immersion in Mexican culture.

The Mondaña Medical Clinic is the only full-time, fully staffed medical facility in the remote Upper Napo River Region of the Ecuadorian Amazon. The Clinic serves 8,000 people living in 35 impoverished communities that are accessible only by canoe.

Quito, Ecuador

The Yachana Foundation, the whl.travel local partner in Quito, was established in 1991 with the aim of improving the lives of people from the Amazon region and protecting the rainforest. In 1997 they built the Mondaña Medical Clinic, which is now run by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Public Health and provides free medical care to more than 8,000 inhabitants of the region.

The only way you can reach the clinic is by canoe and the Yachana Foundation runs a medical volunteer programme at the clinic open to enrolled medical, nursing and public health students, as well as practicing healthcare professionals. There are also volunteer opportunities at the Yachana Technical High School and the new technical institute they will be building with funding from the Inter-American Development Bank.

Yachana endeavours to design voluntourism programmes based on volunteers’ talents and interests, so when they are not working they can participate in regular tourist activities like jungle trekking with multilingual guides, tubing on the river, visiting the local healer or medicine man and excursions into the Yachana reserve.

The Akha Village Experience Project was set up in 2009 as a pilot initiative to provide alternative sources of income via voluntourism to former opium-growing communities in Northern Laos like the one pictured here

Phongsali Province, Laos

Although voluntourism is not as well developed in Laos as in other countries, the whl.travel local partner, Teamworkz, is actively involved in several initiatives.

One of them is a pioneering volunteer program set up collaboratively by adventure and sustainable travel specialist Tiger Trail Outdoor Adventures, UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) and the Lao government to generate alternative income for former opium-growing communities in Phongsali Province, the northernmost, poorest and most remote region in the country. As part of a six-day tour, volunteers live with local families in an Akha ethnic minority village and immerse themselves in ethnic Akha community life, undertaking routine tasks include supporting villagers working in the fields and at home by collecting firewood, carrying water, planting rice, harvesting, feeding chickens, cooking, looking after kids, and teaching English while learning Lao and Akha, as well as learning traditional ethnic handicrafts like weaving or basket making. Itineraries can be tailored within reason to the needs and wishes of the volunteers and villagers. Support is provided in the form of an experienced local guide/interpreter.

The Sangkheum (meaning 'hope' in Khmer) Center for Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia, offers volunteer English teaching opportunities as well as positions for professionals skilled in medical care and social support

Siem Reap, Cambodia

WHL Cambodia is keenly involved in sustainable and responsible travel initiatives in Cambodia and works closely with a number of local community projects, especially in Siem Reap. One of these is the Sangkheum Center for Children, which provides teaching, training and care to disadvantaged kids. As a service to the centre, WHL Cambodia has organised a number of projects, including a rehabilitation program currently in need of skilled support.

In the past, a volunteering fourth-year Occupational Therapy student from the University of Sydney noticed the relative lack of facilities and targeted information for people with mobility impairments. As a result, she carried out assessments for hotels and accommodation providers in Siem Reap to determine their level of accessibility by tourists and travellers with physical disabilities, including people with reduced strength and balance, and visual impairments. As a result of her recommendations, a number of accommodation providers have set about adapting their buildings for disabled tourists, who will now be able to make more informed choices when planning their travels.

A common sight in Thailand's Bangkok markets, this deep-fried insect food stall sells locusts, bamboo worms, moth larvae, crickets, scorpions, diving beetles and giant water beetles. Photos courtest of Wikimedia/Takoradee

We’ve rounded up a collection of some of the world’s most uncanny edibles, from fried spiders to local lizards and great big mouthwatering worms! Adventurous eaters beware: not everything tastes like chicken and one man’s pet may be another man’s delicacy.

Crunchy Crickets, Thailand

Visit the street markets in Thailand and you are certain to find all manner of ready-to-eat fried insects like locusts, dragonflies and even giant water bugs! In the northeast of the country, though, small crickets are the local delicacy, considered the perfect beer munchies and often compared to popcorn for their “buttery” taste and crispy texture.

Caught using light traps in the rice fields of Chiang Rai, the crickets are cleaned, dehydrated and seasoned to taste. Yum! Cricket husbandry is even catching on as a means for farmers to supplement their incomes. Of course breeding them means having to contend with the constant chirping, but luckily, these little guys only need to be fed twice a day. Cricket breeders can make up to 20,000 Thai baht (over US$600) per month!

Chicken feet and heads (affectionately known as walkie talkies) are a popular street food in South Africa, particularly in Durban and Soweto. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Maqi

Yummy Walkie-Talkies, South Africa

Don’t play fowl! Chicken thighs and breasts are positively tasty, but why throw away the rest of this otherwise appetising poultry? As any good cook from China, Jamaica or Peru will happily explain, some of the best bits of this bird include the liver, gizzard and feet!

In South Africa, “Walkie-Talkies” are a common traditional township delicacy. To prepare it, the feet – the “walkies” – and head – the “talkie” – are boiled to remove the tough outer layer of skin; they are then covered with seasonings and grilled. Explore the local food markets in Durban or Soweto and you are likely to stumble upon this classic savoury snack. Other regional specialities include mngqusho – a dish made from samp (cracked corn) and beans – and “smileys,” which are whole roasted sheep’s heads, each still bearing a gruesome toothy grin.

A bag of mopane worms - harvested and sun-dried and ready to eat! The dried worms tastes like dried fish and have surprisingly more protein than beef. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Hsuepfle

Mouthwatering Mopani Worms, South Africa and Botswana

In hot, dry, low-lying areas throughout Southern Africa, the Mopani worm (a type of caterpillar that metamorphoses into an Emperor moth, one of the world’s largest) lives on the Mopani tree. There it is hunted down by hungry locals!

Considered a tribal delicacy in many countries and a staple snack in northern Botswana, the harvesting and sale of Mopani worms is a multi-million rand industry in Southern Africa. South Africa alone does annual trade of roughly 1.6 million kilograms of Mopani worms, which are plucked off the trees by locals two times each year. Like long tubes of slimy green toothpaste, the worms are squeezed, gutted and then laid in the sun to dry. Southern Africans just can’t seem to get enough of this grub, whether eaten raw like crispy potato chips, or canned and packaged in tomato or chilli sauce.

Peruvians eat approximately 22 million of these cuddly guinea pigs each year. High in protein and low in fat, the healthy meat apparently tastes a bit like rabbit.

Guinea Pig Picante, Peru

The Andean delicacy of cuy, or guinea pig, has been a popular traditional food staple in Peru for literally thousands of years, even before the rise of the mighty Incan empire. Domestication of the cuy in the Peruvian Altiplano can be traced back to 5000 BCE, but it wasn’t until Queen Elizabeth I took one as a pet that these little critters became popular household animals. Today, though, while guinea pigs may be the “first pet” of choice for many European and Northern American kids, these tasty little fur balls continue to make mouths water in many Andean communities.

Peruvians consume more than 22 million guinea pigs per year – a number that might be startling were it not for the fact that cuy are, after all, rather lean and bony. Picante de cuy, a dish in which the guinea pig is fried and doused in spicy peanut sauce, is perhaps the most traditional recipe. Other variations include cuasa de cuy (guinea-pig stuffed potatoes), aguadita de cuy (a type of guinea pig soup) and escabeche de cuy, which is guinea pig served in a vinegar sauce with plenty of onions and potatoes.

A spiny sea urchin being dissected to get to the tasty orange roe inside. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Portum

Spiny Sea Urchins, Corfu

At first glance, ricci di mare, or sea urchins, don’t really resemble an edible treat. As any experienced scuba diver will explain, you certainly wouldn’t want to step on one of these small, spiky underwater animals that often inhabit the ocean’s rocky regions. Catching and eating them therefore requires some care, although when urchins pull across your palm, their spines merely tickle.

Considered a delicacy on the Greek island of Corfu and many other regions around the world, urchins are in fact rather meagre reward for the effort taken to catch and prepare them! With urchin in hand, take a seat right on the sand and begin: snip off those spines (carefully), split the urchin in half and then scoop out the raw insides. Urchin roe has a light consistency and complex salty taste. We’re told it’s best served raw with a nice glass of ouzo!

Barbecued green iguana (or bamboo chicken, as it's known) is a popular dish in Belize. Just season with salt and pepper, garlic, soy sauce and pepper sauce et voilà!

Braised Bamboo Chicken, Belize

Rest assured that you won’t be eating poultry if a local from Belize invites to dinner of bamboo chicken. This delicacy is none other than the great big green iguana, an animal commonly found throughout Central and South America. Catching these fellows is not always easy business, as some grow as large as two metres in length and have sharp tails (used for whipping) and an occasionally nasty bite. Nevertheless, this particular reptile does appear as bush meat on local menus, usually grilled or sautéed with seasonings such as garlic, pepper and teriyaki sauce.

While hunting green iguanas for food and sale as pets has unfortunately left their numbers rather sparse in certain areas, the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Centre manages to maintain a captive green iguana-breeding program to increase their populations.

Fried tarantula sellers on a street in Skuon, Cambodia. This market town is sometimes known as 'Spiderville' in the local lingo on account of its penchant for this unusual delicacy. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Thomas Schoch

Crispy Fried Tarantulas, Cambodia

Ever wondered what would be the scariest job in the world? If you’re afraid of arachnids, then being a spider-catcher in Cambodia would top that list! The spiders are dug out of their holes in the ground with a shovel and then collected by hand. Cambodian “tarantulas” (unrelated to the Western variety and by no means poisonous) are extremely slow and do not run quickly like their relatives on the other side of the world. This makes it relatively “easy” for the catcher to pick up the spider and prepare it for consumption.

For the bold, fried spiders are available at street stalls throughout Cambodia, especially around the town of Skuon (75 kilometres north of Phnom Penh. Jam-packed with protein – and flavoured with salt, sugar and garlic, these a-ping are the healthy snack food of choice for local Cambodians on the go! Many Khmer women also believe the furry arthropods have cosmetic properties which can enhance one’s natural beauty. Crunch and munch on the legs first, ladies, and feel your hair grow long and lustrous!

The staff members of the whl.travel local connection in Siem Reap, Cambodia: Dayvy (left), Sin Bota (centre) and Ny Tevimakara (right)

Born and bred in Cambodia, Sandayvy, affectionately known as Dayvy, is one of the longest-serving members of the whl.travel network. Once often to be seen on her bicycle headed down the road to confirm a booking at a local guesthouse without Internet access, Dayvy put a smiling face to early whl.travel’s ‘digital-to-bicycle interface.’

WHL Group: Which is your favourite WHL Group destination and which would you most like to visit?
Dayvy: Apart from my home country, Cambodia, which goes without saying, my favourite WHL Group destination is the country I would most like to visit: Vietnam. This is because Vietnam is one of the most interesting countries located in Southeast Asia. In addition, Khmer cuisine is closely related to that of its neighbour, Vietnam, although it is not as spicy.

WHLG: What would you never travel without?
Dayvy: My passport and camera.

WHLG: What do you miss most about home when travelling?
Dayvy: Apart from my family, I miss Khmer curry soup – the kind with chicken and coconut milk all mixed with dried chilli, lemongrass and other curry ingredients. We eat it with rice or nom banchuk (Khmer noodles).

WHLG: What’s the most interesting trip you’ve ever taken?
Dayvy: My first trip to Vietnam with my colleagues Kristin and Thomas was just magic. It was my first time in a different country. Ho Chi Minh City was a great city to visit, the food was fabulous and the place where I stayed was a pulsating area near the Mekong River. Singapore is also an interesting place, but I missed Khmer food and my family.

Dayvy prepares food for the Pchum Ben festival, one of the most important celebrations in Cambodia, when families prepare food, visit their local pagodas and pay their respects to their ancestors

WHLG: What is your funniest travel experience?
Dayvy: During my visit to Vietnam, the funniest experience was that I could not communicate with people there because they could not speak Khmer or English and I could not speak Vietnamese. I used body language to bargain for things when I was shopping; it looked so funny.

WHLG: What is your scariest travel experience?
Dayvy: The traffic in Phnom Penh can be busy, but I could never have imagined how many motorbikes there are everywhere in Vietnam. So many that it made it very difficult to cross the roads.

WHLG: If you could go on holiday with anyone famous – living or dead – who would you take?
Dayvy: Probably Angelina Jolie, the famous American actress who has brought so much publicity to my home country and, of course, the fantastic Angkor temples. It would also have been interesting to travel with Henri Mouhot and Zhou Daguan to see how life was in Cambodia in earlier days.

WHLG: Describe the best and worst accommodation you’ve ever stayed in.
Dayvy: The best accommodation that I will never forget is the Renaissance Riverside Hotel in Vietnam. In Singapore, accommodation is so expensive that I couldn’t believe the standard of hotels, especially when compared to Siem Reap prices.

Dayvy rides her bike at the 2009 Angkor Wat Bike Race and Rally, an annual event where participants pedal around the magnificent Angkor temple complex. Last year, Dayvy and her colleagues raised more than £1000 for the Young Adults Programmes at the Sangkheum Center for Children, an amount they hope to beatat this year's event, scheduled for 4 December and open to all.

WHLG: Describe your earliest travel memory.
Dayvy: During my first trip outside of Cambodia, Vietnamese dancing was very exciting to me and people there were so friendly. The whl.travel team in Vietnam was also helpful during my trip.

WHLG: Please briefly explain what you think local travel is.
Dayvy: Local travel can educate visitors about community development in rural areas. For instance, they are able to view the real lives of handicapped soldiers, orphans and vulnerable people who face several problems in their lives. Visitors can make a contribution either financially or by volunteering their time to help.

WHLG: In what ways do you see local travel benefiting the country in which you live?
Dayvy: Working closely with many local organisations and community projects, we see how local travel can help both the visitors and communities to understand each other well. In addition, visitors have an opportunity to learn more from local communities and to provide appropriate assistance to tackle the real needs of the rural poor. As for the vulnerable and/or marginalised groups/children, they too receive aid and other kinds of help that improve their daily lives and develop their physical and mental abilities. Lastly, local travel creates employment opportunities and improves the local economy, as small market stallholders and guesthouse owners can really make lives better for themselves.

The PEPY Ride is PEPY Tours' signature cycling tour. What began as a fundraising cycle trip through Cambodia is now an awe-inspiring and invigorating annual ride in its sixth year.

The Wild Asia team recently paid a visit to PEPY Tours, a truly unique local tour operator and nongovernmental organisation working to improve access to quality education for underprivileged kids in Cambodia. Setting them apart as voluntourism agency is their focus on educational adventures in rural Cambodia; the company organises a range of tours that include everything from service-learning projects and volunteer opportunities at local schools to extended, multi-week cycling tours. Following the road less travelled allows participants to interact and forge friendships with local people, which is exactly what makes PEPY Tours so special.

PEPY – an acronym that stands for “Protect the Earth, Protect Yourself” – was established in 2005 by Daniela Papi and her friends, who traveled to Cambodia and recognized a need to improve the countrys educational system. Moved and inspired by the travel experience, they set out to raise funds to build the first-ever secondary school in Chanleas Dai Commune, approximately 45 minutes by car from Siem Reap. To raise money for the project, they planned subsequent bicycle tours around Cambodia.

Since then, PEPY has evolved from a small informal group into a legal educational development organization with over 30 local staff members working in rural Cambodia to reach children and youth through a variety of education and leadership programs. The goal is to provide them with the opportunity to study, fulfil their dreams and reach their highest potential.

In parallel, the unique characteristic of PEPYs tours lies in the emphasis on hands-on experiences that let travellers get to the heart of how they can make a difference to rural communities and their children. PEPY engages travellers in insightful and thought-provoking activities as a means of demonstrating the social and environmental impact of tourism. The goal is for travellers to leave Cambodia with a transformed view and attitude of how they should live, travel and give.

Contact PEPY Tours to learn more about their bicycle tours, and non-biking educational and experiential activities. For even more responsible travel options in Cambodia made available through expert local connections, visit the whl.travel websites for Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, or indulge in a unique experiential Urban Adventures day tour in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

Tune into The Travel Word in the coming weeks to read about the remaining three Responsible Tourism Award finalists from Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Winners will be announced on 21 October 2010 during the Responsible Tourism Award ceremony at ITB Asia in Singapore (20–22 October 2010).

Together with the Awards will be a Responsible Tourism Forum and networking session jointly organised by Wild Asia, ITB Asia and The Blue Yonder. Themed ‘CSR in Travel,’ the forum will feature the Award finalists, winners, CSR leaders and green entrepreneurs among others. ‘CSR in Travel’ will cover topics such as tourism and sustainability, greening the supply chain and communicating Responsible Tourism, as well as share Responsible Tourism experiences by successful tourism operators, NGOs and social enterprises working in Asia.

Darron Raw (@swazitravel) – the whl.travel local connection in Swaziland
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Elsie C. Orabona (@UbatubaTravel) – the whl.travel local connection in Ubatuba, Brazil
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Kate (Ward) Webb (@rscmalawi) – the whl.travel local connection in Malawi
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Neil Lyon (@lyontours) – the whl.travel local connection in Port Elizabeth and Addo National Park, South Africa
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Nicola Swann, (@TheFarHorizons) – former whl.travel local partner in Uganda
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Rajendra Sapkota (@WHLNepal) – the whl.travel local connection in Kathmandu and Pokhara, Nepal
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Sonja Grau (@kaunostours) – the whl.travel local connection in Dalyan, Turkey
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Thomas Holdo Hansen (@whlcambodia) – the whl.travel local connection in Siem Reap, Cambodia
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Tomaz Martinek (@travelslovenia) – former whl.travel local partner in Slovenia

Willie Ki (@borneoecotours) – the whl.travel local connection in Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu, Borneo, Malaysia

All of these #whltravel tweeps, plus those presented on Make Travel Fair and all the rest, can be found on the WHL Group Twitter list.