NGO Food in Cambodia

There are so many restaurants with NGO projects in Cambodia - here are some of the ones I tried and really loved.

Daughters of Cambodia

Right on the riverfront of Phnom Penh with a gorgeous balcony and craft shop below, Daughters is a great place for lunch or a people-watching snack! Learn about the work Daughters does to bring women out of sex trafficking and help them to develop skills to transform their lives, such as cooking, craft, hospitality, and more. Try any of the smoothies and you'll just fall in love with the place - banoffee is my favourite! 

 

Daughters of Cambodia, Phnom Penh

When I was 8 year old, my primary school best friend moved from sleepy Ickleton to bustling Singapore. I remember being so devastated that she'd be leaving - who would I walk around the football pitch and chat with at break time now? - and really not understanding where she was going or why. Mum got out the big atlas to show me where Singapore was, and later Phnom Penh when she moved again to Cambodia, but I still didn't understand the reason why I was walking around the pitch by myself.

12 years and the glorious Internet later, I saw a Facebook post by my friend which I didn't really get. She was wishing her Mum a happy Mother's Day, saying she was sad to not be with her but she understood that sharing her Mum with all the daughters of Cambodia was so important, and she was so proud of the work her Mum was doing. It was dissertation season so my mind skipped over the bits I didn't understand (story of 2/3 years of my degree) and I kept scrolling down my news feed, knocking back my standard cup of tea and handful of chocolate raisins. Bag of chocolate raisins. Fine yes it was a pint of milk and two bags of chocolate raisins they're one of your five a day can we move on now please and thanking you. 

Sex trafficking - Eastern Europe and South East Asia. That association has been in the back of my mind for a fair while. The media feeds us statistics, we feel bad that these things happen, and then it's back to the priority of making colour coded sticky notes for my exam revision because visual learning is a thing and I'm definitely not just procrastinating and making things look nicer. One article I do remember clearly, though, was a study using a computer generated image of a very young girl to lure people looking at her images and talking to her into actually talking to a team of police agents working on the huge operation. They modelled the girl to have very juvenile features based on those of young Cambodian girls, because Cambodians are apparently one of the most sought after people in the trade. The article went on about how successful the sting had been, but something clunked in the back of my mind. She was so little.

Sandan Restaurant, Sihanoukville

I've written a fair amount about NGO work in Cambodia, and this is another one which is worth a special mention. Similar to Daughters of Cambodia in Phnom Pehn, Sandan works to give its students a better life. Rather than escaping the sex trade, however, Sandan helps the homeless and at risk population of Sihanoukville by accepting them into their programmes and training them as chefs and front of house in their ever popular, successful, and high quality restaurant. The students get accommodation, income, and training, and we get a great meal. Win win! 

If Sandan were in London, paparazzi would buy apartments across the street. It's a glamorous place with crisp, white tablecloths, dazzlingly shiny wine glasses, and a gorgeously relaxed yet special ambiance. I went with two girls I met in my hostel and had the best meal of my travels! We were shown to our table, given wine and food menus, and made to feel like super smooth VIPs. 

Freebies!

I looked so awful returning from a beach jog that the hostel receptionist grabbed me by the elbow and rushed me to the bar for a free beer! I'll drink to that!

Amok!

A traditional Khmer dish, amok is a light but filling curry with a hearty kick! This beauty was a chicken version served in a coconut husk with sticky rice and a beautiful view of the riverside. 

Lush.

2 Weeks in Sabah, Borneo

Backpacking in Borneo feels like opening a Double Decker bar after a hard gym workout - a blissfully indulgent but hard earned treat.

For me, Sabah has been the gift that just keeps giving. All the grand experiences have been wonderful, but even in the daily goings-on I've learnt a great deal. Malaysia has a lot of sit-down loos, although I seem to have a knack for finding the remaining holes in the ground in desperate times. Unlike in India when I accidentally locked myself in to one and the school caretaker nearly performed an exorcism and Kenya where I lost my balance and plunged foot first straight down said hole, I seem to have finally mastered the art of not being completely incompetent in this division. Embrace the victories, right?

My wonderful hostel owners in KK made me feel like family, taking care of me when I staggered down the stairs after climbing and making sure I had enough to eat on long bus journeys. The scenery I just can't gush enough about. The mountains, jungle, rainforest, beaches, waterfalls, fruit, wildlife - I just can't get enough! I even took a 6 9 hour bus from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan to see more of it rather than a 40 minute flight, which was only slightly tainted by the looping soundtrack of farting, burping, spitting, and retching coming from across the aisle...

In my first week I explored the city, went to the beach, got lost in a night market, had a magnificent day at the Sabah Ethnology Museum, and climbed Mount Kinabalu. The infamous Gaya Sunday Market was sprawling with tourist trinkets and local foods, but for me the terrible conditions and treatment of animals for sale was far too negative to outweigh these. The regular night market is very tame, however, and is just crammed with locals, food, and clothes. Week 2 was also exciting, with 3 days in the jungle wildlife spotting, visiting the best orangutan sanctuary I've experienced, island hopping, and eating my way through the city again, including the Gaya Street Chinese New Year kick off festival! No such thing as too much dim sum. I also spent 2 weeks being chronically underdressed compared to the super snazzy holidaymakers from China and Korea, decked out in the most beautifully Pinterest outfits and heels with perfectly porcelain faces despite the 35 degree heat. That's talent, my friends.

Manutik Island, Kota Kinabalu

Mowgli Time! The Kinabatangan River and Jungle

Brace yourself, I'm very excited. Almost as excited as I was when I Skyped Tom to tell him I was going offline for a few days because I was going to the JUNGLE! I said Lara Croft, he said Eliza Thornberry, we settled on a Dora the Explorer/The Magic Schoolbus crossover. I think I lost out there. 

After an 8 hour bus from KK to Sandakan and a night there to refresh, I was picked up in Sandakan by a minivan and whisked away to the Kinbatangan river within 3 hours, stopping to pick up other people along the way and bumping our way along the last few "roads" to the crossing point. We got into a boat and hopped over to the other side of the river, climbed a plank and plunged straight into the jungle at the Nature Resort Kinbatangan! 

Loving life in the second row

The resort is absolutely glorious. A row of wood cabins lined the path to the reception centre, secluded from each other by free growing jungle and the occasional monitor lizard. The first thing that struck me was the pure quiet of it all - no phones tapping, no Whatsapp buzzes, nothing. The second thing was how noisy it all was, but gloriously so! Dragonflies buzzing, birds calling, cicadas making smoke with their back legs - so much noise which I never normally hear, and it was lush. After checking in and an ice cold glass of rose cordial I skipped off to my dorm with 3 of my bus pals, delighted to find comfy beds and a bug screen across the window - I like nature, but not enough to cuddle up to a bazillion mozzies every night.