So when Kerry and I started planning this trip, we thought we would visit 3 different countries, each for 1 week. We soon realized that Thailand was enough to entertain us for much longer than our trip allowed, but we still wanted to visit one other country while we were here. Given the world-reknown status of Angkor Wat, the temple complex outside of Siem Reap in Cambodia, and the ease of obtaining a tourist visa at the border we decided that it would be a good use of our budgeted 4 days.
We stayed at Babel Siem Reap guesthouse, which is well situated near downtown but on a quieter alley. They have their own tuk tuk drivers, which was very helpful throughout our stay since it was over 100 degrees F and many places we wanted to go were far away. It wasn't as nice as some of our previous lodgings, but it had what we needed.
And since Angkor Wat might be one temple, the ticket gets you so much more so see my next post about what you can do with a 3 day pass.
I credit Kerry for a lot of these activities. She did a lot of research for this entire trip, but I really think that Siem Reap would've been "boring" without her finds.
Night Market - While this has been a staple everywhere, it was fun to see another country's version. The food was good and cheap, the beer was cold and $0.50, and there were plenty of things to buy. The nearby Pub Street was flooded with more food, making the options endless.
Phare, the Cambodian Circus - Outside of the temples discussed in my next post, this was probably my favorite part of Siem Reap. This circus is associated with a school for rhe arts that accepts poor children and helps them find a better life. They have many different shows, and we got to see Eclipse, a story of a pariah who is finally accepted after being blessed by the gods and having a devil spirit cast out of him. The acrobats were amazing. I've never seen Cirque du Soleil, but it's the same concept of circus, with amazing gymnastic feats. It felt great to contribute to responsible tourism, and the show was incredible. Plus our guesthouse reserved our seat and our tuk tuk driver to/from the show.
Traditional Apsara dancing - This was something else our guesthouse helped us with. We knew we wanted to see a show, and they recommended one with an included buffet. They got us seats at the front, and we were excited. The buffet was nothing to write home about, but we got to try lots of different foods and desserts with no concern about wasting our money if we didn't like it. However, it was overrun with buses of Asian tourists who were loud and disrespectful once the dancing start and most of whom left before the show was complete. There were also a fair share of non-Asian tourists, walking between us and the stage and standing in front of us to record videos. I did enjoy parts of the dancing, but I was so turned off by the actions of the other tourists that it was difficult to focus. I think another venue for Apsara would have been more enjoyable.
Landmine Museum - I wasn't sure where to put this, since we visited it along with some temples I will discuss in my next post but it was a separate $5 entrance fee. It is a collection of disarmed explosive devices and stories from a Cambodian man who was a child soldier and then started disarming landmines to protect his people, eventually forming a NGO. The museum also has a school for orphaned and impoverished children, originally for victims of landmines although it has expanded its assistance. It was a great stop on the way back from Banteay Srei, especially since I don't know if I would have learned so much about Cambodia's history otherwise.
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While Angkor Wat and the other temples are the obvious highlight of the trip, there are definitely things to see in Siem Reap. I think it would be a shame to miss out on the city while visiting the temple complex. That being said, I won't miss the oppressive heat.
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