I’ll take you to live with a farming family in the south of the country, about 2 hours from Phnom Penh on the road to Sihanoukville! Who hasn’t wanted to stay with a local? (or homestay in English). But not the interested homestay, the one where exchange comes first! A look back at our experience.
HOMESTAY IN ENGLISH
Nowadays, everyone wants to stay with a local, but how many leave disappointed because they simply didn’t have any contact with the family? They felt they were giving their money to the agency, and their guide made no attempt to introduce them further to their family. In Cambodia, they’ve understood that this type of trip is extremely popular, and some agencies offer low-cost home-stay accommodation. Don’t be surprised if you end up in an associative village, next to several tourists, in a house where you won’t see the locals and where you’ll have few exchanges. And yes, this type of homestay exists and is becoming more and more popular, but my local contact has known his host family since his arrival in Cambodia. It’s a bit like his second family, as over the years he’s built up a bond with them over the years before offering them the “homestay “. But not just any homestay, one that respects the family rules of not coming every day and under certain conditions!
We weren’t quite sure what we were getting ourselves into, and we were pleasantly surprised. Set in the Cambodian countryside, it is surrounded by rice paddies and inhabited by a simple, charming family. It’s a true haven of peace that allowed us to enjoy a wonderful experience without tourists, but in the heart of a small village in the middle of nowhere! I’d like to introduce you to the pretty typical house where we stayed, the outdoor kitchen, the rooster that crowed at all hours, even at night, the parents, the child and the grandmother, a little perched and in her own world, but quite a character.
To sum up our day in simple terms: after our arrival, at lunchtime, we were quickly put in the bath and went to put the 2 cows in the meadow, then started a little nap in the hammocks! After the effort, the comfort! In the late afternoon, a fishing session in the nearby river with 2 local techniques, net casting tested by Antoine and the laying of the net on the width of the river tested by myself. In this little game, my technique proved more successful! You still have to jump into the brown water, inhabited by local snakes and crabs, and then put your feet in the mud to attach the net…yuck!
Coming to Ming’s mom, Pou’s dad and grandmother Yé (who plays an important role in the family, helping out and looking after the garden) is well deserved, and we were lucky. Here, we live by the rhythm of the village, so as the sun set, we met up in the village café to enjoy a few drinks and chat about everything and anything. A true art of living!
EVENING MEAL AND OUTDOOR SHOWER
The experience continues around the table : Ming has prepared us a fabulous Khmer meal, and the exchange with the family is optimal. Don’t hesitate to ask Ming to come and have dinner with you, and don’t be offended if she doesn’t. It’s simply not in her culture, and she won’t mind talking to you! Once dinner is over, you can sleep in your room in the upstairs room, and shower in the garden, in an authentic and exotic corner of the house. We love it!
EARLY WAKE-UP CALL BUT GREAT!
Roosters can crow at night. And yes, the rooster that crows at sunrise…it’s a myth! It sings all day and night too! But you get used to it. When you wake up in the morning, around 6 o’clock, you will be able to pick up your fishing net, set the night before, then have breakfast while observing the scenes of life around you where each inhabitant of the house is doing his or her own thing: Min prepares the feed for his cows, while Dad sharpens knives and repairs the bike, and Grandma looks after the garden and other chores. It was a real pleasure to see all this in such peaceful calm. Then it was time to leave, our minds full of memories and our hearts heavy from leaving this welcoming family, but happy to have shared an experience that will remain the highlight of our trip to Cambodia!
If you wish, I can organize your authentic trip to Cambodia and design a customized stay to suit your needs. Please note, we don’t just organize overnight accommodation, it’s included and sold as part of a tailor-made tour reserved for our customers.
Don’t hesitate to send me an email for any quotation requests to contact@mademoiselle-voyage.fr
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