Eat, Drink, Cook & Get Creative in Cambodia

    SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA, August 26, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Eat, drink, cook and get creative in riverside Siem Reap and colonial Battambang on a new 9-night Cambodia Culinary Tour and 10-night Travel and Food Writing and Photography Retreats, curated and hosted by Cambodia-based travel and food writer and photographer couple, Lara Dunston and Terence Carter.

Siem Reap is the departure point for UNESCO World Heritage listed Angkor Archaeological Park, home to the stupendous temple-city Angkor Wat. Both the Retreat and Tour include temple scrambles, using the 'back door' to avoid crowds and offering insider experiences of these incredible attractions, such as a laidback moat-side sunset picnic with the locals overlooking Angkor Wat. The trips also include three days in charming Battambang, regarded as Cambodia's 'rice bowl' and excursions into the bucolic countryside around both cities.

"Our aim is to take you to the heart, soul and stomach of Cambodia - to offer you a deep, meaningful and memorable experience of Cambodian culture, people, history, and food," Lara Dunston said.

Siem Reap residents of three years, Lara and Terence have crafted enriching itineraries with a delicious balance of culinary experiences, cultural excursions, countryside tuk tuk trundles, and, on the Retreats only, writing and photography workshops. Participants will spend their time eating, cooking, exploring temples and villages, and visiting artisanal producers, while those on the Retreat will also be writing and taking photos. There will be downtime for reflection, relaxation, pampering, and even shopping. Cambodia has a rich tradition of exquisite arts and crafts and a new generation are producing stylish fashion, jewellery and accessories and beautiful homeware and kitchenware.

Highlights include meals at Cambodia's most authentic restaurants; behind-the-scenes kitchen tours and the chance to interview chefs; market tours, street food adventures and village walks; introductions and tastings of everything from Cambodian breakfast soups to traditional sweets; and rural excursions to visit cottage industries and observe artisanal producers make everything from rice paper and rice noodles to palm sugar and prahok (fermented fish).

Exclusive experiences include a visit to an organic farm with a young Cambodian chef and time to observe the last maker of a beloved traditional dessert in a village once famous for producing the delicate, painstakingly prepared sweets. There'll also be a private cooking class and leisurely lunch at the lovely country home overlooking the rice fields of Cambodian-New Zealand chef Kethana Dunnett of Sugar Palm restaurant. Chef Kethana is the go-to consultant for visiting chefs, having advised the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Luke Nguyen when they were in Cambodia working on television programmes and cookbooks.

"Our focus will be on immersing you in Cambodian food, one of Asia's most misunderstood and under-appreciated cuisines. On both our Culinary Tour and Retreat, we'll be introducing you to the people who cook the cuisine, sell it and produce the ingredients that go into making it, and giving you a taste of the rich culture and long history of Cambodia. Those on our Retreat will also spend time honing their writing and photography skills through bite-size creative workshops, practical achievable assignments and one-on-one consultation time," Lara explained.

According to testimonials, the couple's 2015 culinary travel writing and photography tour was "incredible", "an extraordinary experience", "a wonderful tour", and "a memorable experience". Participants said encounters arranged with locals was a real highlight of the tour, so once again visitors will get to engage with local chefs, cooks, foodies, farmers, and producers.

The retreat will also feature memorable experiences such as a monk's blessing to wish participants luck; an introductory Khmer language lesson with foodie vocabulary; a night at the quirky Phare Cambodian circus (no animals involved); a chance to sample Cambodia's best coffee; a visit to the country's only winery; a Khmer cocktail-making lesson; and sundowners and canapes overlooking the rice fields.

Accommodation is in stylish, intimate boutique hotels, including sleek Templation in Siem Reap, by acclaimed local architects ASMA, which boasts the city's biggest swimming pool, and charming Maisons Wat Kor in traditional-style houses in Battambang -- where Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt spent Valentines Day last year.

About Grantourismo Travels: Lara Dunston & Terence Carter
Lara Dunston and Terence Carter are a prolific travel and food writer and photographer couple. Their work has been published everywhere from Australian Gourmet Traveller and Delicious to National Geographic Traveller and CNN, and they authored dozens of guidebooks for Lonely Planet, Footprint, Dorling Kindersley, and others. They have written widely on Cambodia and are working on a Cambodia cookbook. The couple also publish the travel site, Grantourismo, focused on slow, local and experiential travel, which launched in 2010 when they undertook a yearlong, global grand tour, aimed at inspiring travellers to travel slowly and sustainably, to go local, and to learn things. Lara and Terence spent two weeks in each place, settling into apartment rentals and holiday houses, connecting with locals, and cooking the local food among other things. As an academic for some years, Lara taught writing and filmmaking, guiding thousands of students through the creative process, from concept to completion. She also crafts bespoke itineraries for travellers, including Savour Siem Reap, focused on food. http://grantourismotravels.com

# # #