Pol Pot, deforestation, poverty, land mines, Killing Fields? It can be hard to put aside some of the negative historical mental images of Cambodia but the fact is that it’s fast moving forward with regional investment from all over Asia and the world.

With Kim Wildes 1981 hit “Cambodia” running through my mind we jumped out of the Silk Airs brand new 787 800 Series from Singapore into the Siem Reap International airport.

Australians need a visa on arrival which is USD $30 and you will also need a passport photo. The passport and cash is passed to one person, and after being inspected by an additional 15 people you get it back with a full page sticker before you go through immigration and customs to collect your bags. If you’re lucky and you are in the front of the plane it is less painful in the visa queue, otherwise it can be slow going. Bring plenty of US $1 dollar bills or use one of the money changers but just be careful of the fakes. You can buy sim cards at the airport but the network is currently 3G so don’t expect miracles, the Wi-Fi in hotels and cafes is great.

Casinos, shopping malls and condominiums are springing up all over the place throughout the country. Tourism is on the rise and not surprisingly the service industry along with it. Cambodia operates on the USD and virtually everything is $1, if it’s less than that you will receive change in the local currency the Riel. 4000 = $1USD

To give you an idea, in 2000 there was 466,365 international arrivals for the entire year bringing USD 228 million into the country. In 2015 there was 4,775,231 arrivals bringing USD 3.012 billion.
Whichever way you look at it their tourism has had huge growth.

You may feel the need to travel to the far reaches of the world, but Cambodia is relatively close to home and these days it is also a pretty safe destination.

Siem Reap: Only 2 hours away from Singapore (5 to 7 hours from Australia to Singapore) in the north of Cambodia one of the seven wonders of the world awaits in Siem Reap, the Temples of Angkor Wat. The word “Wat” means temple in Khmer and not surprisingly there are many temples in Siem Reap to keep you busy exploring for days.

The Tomb Raider movie in 2001 starring Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) put Cambodia on the tourist map. The Red Onion Bar café was highlighted by the fact that Jolie stayed there during the filming.

My first trip to Cambodia in 2002 was soon after Tomb Raiders movie debut and the place was still fairly rough and services left a lot to be desired as well as hygiene standards. The food at the Red Onion was nothing to write home about, but the real view of how people lived in rural poverty was raw. The roads around the city were all dirt and unclothed kids could be seen running around everywhere. At the time poverty smacked you in the face with limbless children roaming the markets and streets as they sought out tourists to beg for money or food. When visiting the temples of Angkor Wat we had unlimited access to the site and it was easy to get photos without the throngs of tourists popping into view. However, we were told not to stray off the paths due to the very real danger of land mines, which is still relevant today (though much safer).

Fast forward to my visit to Siem Reap this year. Hotels line the roads from the new airport into town and the choice is unlimited. The amount of Korean and Chinese tour buses heading out each day has grown enormously. The rattle of tuk tuks plying their trade has provided many families with an income. You can rent one with a driver for 2-4 people to take you around the temples and guide you for about $25-30 USD per day. Or you can rent a Toyota Lexus, good for 4 people for around $65 USD per day with air-conditioning which I do recommend. April is the tail end of the dry and hot high season and with the temperatures around 40 – 43 degrees you will be happy you did.

In 2-3 days you will see most of what you want to see, temples, floating village, waterfalls and even get blessed by a monk. May through October is the rainy season, and while it’s a lot cooler do expect to get wet, and I mean wet.

Tourists abound now tramping through the streets to the old market or one of the many new night markets or hitting the bars in the evening to rock the night away.

It’s hard to recognise the old town these days, and in some parts nightclubs and backpackers have all but taken over, though the temples still remain the same. Precautions have been taken to limit the tourists wear and tear on some of the most vulnerable parts of the ruins and so they remain in extremely good condition.
Along with the tourist boom the need for quality coffee has risen as well.

One of the early starters bringing in specialty coffee into Siem Reap is So Wat Coffee Roasters. So Wat meaning Temple of So. The Siem Reap born owner founder Vathna So started the company last year. Wanting people to experience quality coffee the name So Wat is not only part of his name but implies another temple, The Temple of Coffee in Siem Reap.

You want a coffee? So Wat.
Vathna had been managing coffee chain stores in Phnom Penh for 4 years before venturing out on his own. He invested in a new small batch 3kg roaster and started importing specialty green coffee and roasting in Cambodia.

Vathna has based his business at A-29 Borey Prem Prey, St. Charles De Gaulle Road on the way out to the ruins from where he supplies cafes and hotels in Siem Reap and further afield in Phnon Penh and to the southern town of Sihanoukville.

As Cambodia’s distributor for Bezzera Espresso machines he is building up a reputation for quality coffee.
In October 2015 he decided to participate in the CamFoods event which is held every 2 years. Aside from being the most popular booth due to the wafting aroma of fresh coffee he was able to take the award for the Best Booth of the Show for 2015. Working with him is Cambodia’s 2014 Barista Champion Pa Buntheng who looks after training and roasting coffee. You can check them out on the So Wat Coffee Roasters Facebook page.

If you head up to Siem Reap swing by for a coffee and say hello, Your tuk tuk driver will know where to take you.

Story by ROSS BRIGHT