Travel blog: Siem Reap

We had a fantastic time in Siem Reap a couple of weeks back. Since we only had two and a half days there, we squeezed in a lot of activities, and had so much fun!

We arrived in Siem Reap in the afternoon and went straight to our hotel, Shinta Mani. It is a lovely hotel, which runs its own "Institute of Hospitality", which provides free hospitality industry training for young Cambodians at risk. By staying there you don't only get to enjoy the great facilities, you also contribute to the Institute. The rooms are large and nicely decorated, and the staff are friendly and well-trained. The Spa is fantastic, they start off by serving you tea and giving you a foot bath and after the treatment they provide more tea and a small snack. Very nice touch! The breakfast is OK, but not great, and the price of the transfer to and from the airport is ridiculously expensive at $8 per person each way. We opted for a tuk-tuk on the way back.

We had afternoon drinks at the FCC terrace, which is a great place for people watching. Then we set off to the Night Market, great buys, very cheap handicrafts and we got to practice our bargaining skills! I also tried the "fish massage", which involves putting your feet in a big pool with little fish eating off the dead skin on your feet... A bit weird, but a fun experience. And it actually helped!

Fish Massage in the Night Market (private photo)

Day 2 was the time to go to the temples. Fantastic! There are so many of them you'll need days to see them all, but we really enjoyed visiting Angkor Wat, Bayon, and Angkor Thom. We also went for the sunset at Phnom Bakheng, which was nice though I think seeing Angkor Wat itself during sunset may be a better option. We also did a detour to Artisans d'Angkor, a training school for local Cambodian artisans which helps them gain employment and make a living from traditional crafts. They have a lovely store too, pricey but the quality is outstanding.

South gate of Angkor Thom (private photo)

Deaf-mute students at Artisans d'Angkor practicing silk painting (private photo)

Day 3 we went to the Angkor National Museum, which has stirred some controversy because it is Thai-owned and carry a lot of pre-Angkor artifacts, thereby having some critics claim its name (both the Angkor and the National part of it) inappropriate. I actually really enjoyed the museum. The history is well presented, they have a good mix of displays, and audi- and video presentations, and the room of 1,000 buddhas is just a sight in itself. For me it was definitely educational, and I recommend it! At $12 for foreigners it is expensive by Cambodian standards, but still, a good experience.

We also got a chance to visit the Old Market and do more shopping. The handicrafts are just so cheap, and we packed our bags with shawls, pillow cases, silver, an Apsara statue and even a (good imitation...) Phillipe Patek watch. You they also have interesting displays of food - snake meat anyone?

One thing to avoid? The Tara River Boat. It is nice to see the floating villages, but you're much better off going on your own on one of the small boat. The Tara "cruise" actually never even sailed, and while the sunset was nice, the "free" food was not and the whole thing was just a rip-off. In my view.

The food i Siem Reap is also lovely and there are a variety of restaurants serving both Cambodian and international cuisine. I highly recommend the Amok, a national curry-dish made with coconut milk and truly delicious! The icecream and cocktails at Banana Leef bar are wonderful too...

Amok (private photo)