Khmer Homestay

When we first went to Baray, it was a much more rugged experience. Apart from having to put up with all kinds of creepy crawlies, there were no proper toilets, and we had to bathe from well water.

In recent years however, Esther in trying to provide employment for the villagers in the Baray vicinity has built a a Khmer Homestay 'resort'. This has become more successful than I had anticipated as there appears to have been a steady influx of visitors.

Situated 40% of the way up the road from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, it provides a nice stopover point for travellers. Nicely constructed wooden chalets provide a rugged but civilized living experience for guests. Sleep on the floor under mosquito nets. Simple lighting and a fan if required. Toilets and shower available. Home cooked food. All in all a very affordable and reasonably comfortable, safe stay for school and mission trippers.

In addition, guests get to experience cultural dances by the children, cow cart and horsecart rides to the nearby villages. And yes, that glorious sunset if it is not raining.

Not exactly a five star resort, but on evenings when the clouds clear from the night sky, the Milky Way makes for a billion star experience.

The Khmer Homestay certainly makes our frequent trips to Baray so much more pleasant and comfortable, and I would heartily recommend it to any first timers seeking an experience the usual tour groups never get when they visit Cambodia.