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The Park Record

Journeys Within offers guests ‘a break from Asia’

By Jared Whitley
July 7-9, 2004

Brandon Ross has done what most Park City High School students only dream of: he’s opened a small bed and breakfast in Cambodia.

The 25-year-old runs “Journeys Within” with his wife, Andrea, in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Their business is a five-room bed and breakfast, plus tour service for their patrons.

Journeys Within offers English-speaking tourists the chance to “take a break from Asia,” according to the company’s Web site, and spend time with other native English speakers in Western-type style and comfort.

Neither of the Rosses had worked in the hospitality industry before opening Journeys Within in January 2004, but they had plenty of experience in travel.

“In the many places we have stayed we have seen how a good hotel is run, and we have definitely learned what not to do!” said Andrea via an e-mail interview.

Life in Cambodia presents many challenges for people who grew up with Western conveniences.

“On good days, it was fun to try to figure out where one goes to buy pillows and pillow covers in a city with no department stores,” Brandon said. “On other days, it was just plain frustrating not being able to find things as simple as flour to cook with.”

“There are many challenges to living in Cambodia,” Andrea said. “But when we see guests appreciating the culture and the people, and we see Cambodians benefiting from tourist influence and dollars, the difficulties seem to melt away and I truly feel that we made the right decision living and working in Cambodia.

Andrea, originally from England, met Brandon when the two were students at Chapman University in Southern California. Brandon earned a degree in political science and worked as an accountant, which wasn’t exotic enough for him.

In 2002, they took a trip through Asia, exploring Cambodia despite the fact that their guidebooks warned them it was unsafe. They fell in love with the Cambodian people, who are “full of smiles and always friendly: despite the country’s poverty and history of bloodshed, Brandon said.

About a year after the trip, the Rosses decided to return for a month to test the possibility of opening a tourist business there, and see if they could actually adjust to life in a different culture.

When they saw the Cambodian landscape from the airplane, they knew they wanted to stay there. The next day they went looking for a place to rent “the Cambodian way,” which Brandon describes as driving up and down streets until you see a “for rent” sign.

The Rosses, of course, miss their families and American conveniences. Andrea said, “it’s not really the same” to read about the Sundance Film Festival online when they used to go every year.

Brandon said, “I miss America and everything that it is: football, Fourth of July, parades, Malone in the playoffs, ice-cream, drive-throughs, easy conversations, knowing where to find things and understanding how things get done.” Brandon is the son of Jo Duthie and Toby Ross, former Park City manager.

The Rosses enjoy the variety of experiences Cambodia offers, from the sublime – such as seeing the moon rise over the country’s elegant temples – to the zany – such as watching five grown men ride a motor scooter or advertisements for English schools with misspellings.

“For Cambodia this is the norm, but for us it makes each day an adventure,” Brandon said.

“These are the moments that we’ll always remember,” Andrea said.

The Rosses aren’t sure how long they’ll stay in Cambodia. Andrea guesses that after five years they might consider leaving, depending on how well their business does.

“As long as we’re enjoying it we’ll stay,” Brandon said. “This is a country that we never intended on visiting and now we love it and want to do what we can to make it a better place.”