Siem Reap

After a couple of days among the craziness and pollution of Saigon, we were ready for a more laid back destination.  For the next four days, we settled in Siem Reap, Cambodia, home of the famous Angkor Wat temple.

Our first day was spent getting to know Siem Reap.  It’s still heavily motorbike centered, but not quite as much as Vietnam.  The one major difference is that the taxis are predominantly tuk-tuks, or motorcycle driven carriages.  We took tuk-tuks everywhere, and usually for just $3.  It seemed sketchy at first, but we quickly got used to being close to cars and other motorbikes while travelling around.  Tuk-tuks were actually rather pleasant.

Our first adventure was to go into Siem Reap, and explore the market.  It wasn’t nearly as high-pressure as the Saigon market - the vendors did a little bit of self-promotion, but had just the right amount of aggressiveness. We bought some clothes, including a couple of shirts, a scarf for Laurel, and some Cambodia pants.  Outside the market, we explored Pub street and it’s many well-populated alleys, and found La Creperie, a French crepe place run by a real frenchman.  The crepes were quite tasty. I actually got to use my French.

"Doctor Fish" in Siem Reap - They eat dead skin on your feet

After chilling at the hotel, I found George’s Rhumerie for dinner. This is also a French restaurant, with the twist that George also makes his own infused rums and jams.  We were offered a tasting of coconut rum to start the meal, which was delicious and interesting.  Rum cocktails followed, and the French-Cambodian food was terrific as well.  We bought a small bottle of rum and some homemade jams to take with us.

The next day was Angkor Wat. We arranged for a car and a guide from the hotel, and although we could have done it less expensively outside, this was worth spending the extra money for.  We spent a full day exploring the various temples, including the main Angkor Wat, and a few smaller sites.  The highlight for us was the “tree temple”, made famous by Tomb Raider, where 400 year old trees are growing on the sculptures of the temple.  Our guide was very good, and although the day was hot, the van had chilled towels and water for us when we returned.  The temples were quite a feat of engineering, and the detail work and sculptured murals were pretty amazing.

Angkor Wat

Warrior Queen

Faces of Angkor Thom

That night, Sue found the Phare Circus, a local troupe founded to give underprivileged youth a new way. I wasn't expecting much, but the show turned out to be really good. They had eight young performers who did some amazing acrobatic and balancing acts. The story revolved around the takeover of Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge, where millions of Cambodians were killed. As a part of the show, an artist would do live paintings to complement the story line. In one case, he drew a Buddah, and then covered it with black, and then bombs, to signify how the Khmer Rouge banned religion. Both Bryve and Laurel were moved to tears, but the story did have a happy ending, and everyone was fully entertained.

Our third day, while the girls did a spa day, Bryce and I rented ATVs and took a guided tour of the countryside.  Our two hour trip took us to a cool Buddhist temple, some ruins, a village, many houses on stilts, and some way-out backroads through rice paddies and cow pastures.  Occasionally, a cow resting in a puddle would have to move for us as we splashed through.  It was great fun driving ATVs, and we got to see parts of the countryside that would otherwise be inaccessible. Great fun.

After our adventure, Bryce and I had lunch at yet another good French restaurant, and then proceeded to walk home in a driving rainstorm.

Dinner that night was on Pub Street in town.  This is the center of Siem Reap, and it sports many bars and restaurants, with an international feel.  It would be paradise for 20-somethings, but we enjoyed it too.  Sue was keen on seeing some Cambodian Apsara dancers, and one of the bars has a nightly show, so we got drinks after dinner and enjoyed the dancers,  It was actually very India-like - both the dancing and the music.

On our final morning, Sue, Bryce and I took one last tuk-tuk ride to Angkor Wat, and re-enjoyed the temple and the murals in the morning.

There’s a lot to explore in Siem Reap, and it would be an interesting place to live as an ex-pat.  We really only scratched the surface, but someday we may return!