Lady, you want tuk-tuk? - A trip to magical Siem Reap


Much has been said about the famous 9th century temples hidden in the dense jungles of Cambodia. Vintage posters and photographs have now given way to popular culture in the form of Indiana Jones and the Tomb Raider, making the place a lightning rod for movie buffs who flock the sites in hopes of getting a glimpse of some exotic setting where Angelina Jolie or Harrison Ford might have deigned to set foot on.

But Siem Reap is so much more than that as we delightfully discovered on the very first day of our visit.

Tourism in the city, as we were told, really began in the 1930s when Hollywood movie stars descended upon Siem Reap within the first few years of the discovery of the great temples of Angkor. Although the French had been in the country much longer before that, it wasn't until then that the world really took notice.

Our ride and tour package company extraordinaire
Just RM1,139 pp for return flights + accommodations + two tours - unbeatable!

Nowadays, the throngs of visitors hail from all four corners of the world. In 2010 alone, 3 million visitors came to Siem Reap in search of the magic of Indochina. This year, the government reckons that that number will rise to nearly 4 million, with the largest group of visitors to come from mainland China followed closely by Koreans and Taiwanese. Cambodians for their part, are quick to recognise the importance of courting the tourist dollar. For a city of around 170,000 people and a land area less than 4% that of Kuala Lumpur's, it houses a total of 125 hotels and guest houses and nearly everyone will speak at least French and English (some do take the trouble of learning Mandarin and other European languages).

French influences in the country are still apparent in everyday life. After 90 years of being a French protectorate (with a short interruption in the middle by the Japanese occupation) some infrastructure, systems and culture from Cambodia's colonial past still exist today. Most evident is the widespread use of the French language in communications - road signs, shop signs, newpapers and not to mention that the average Cambodian usually can speak French (which actually sounded a bit more creole to my untrained ears). More noticeable are the stacks and stacks of baguettes and croissants that are omnipresent in every tuckshop, road stalls and even hardware stores. 




View of the inner courtyard of Prince D'Angkor Hotel

  

Our hotel was near enough to the city to walk when we had the energy. Most times this was conveniently overlooked in favour of getting one of the tuk-tuk drivers who position themselves strategically at every hotel and every other points of interest. These guys do harass you a bit for business but because the competition is great, they can be bargained down to perhaps US$1 for a one way trip.

Cambodians are generally a gentle and hospitable people. Which makes it even more astonishing to think of the horrors that they went through from Year Zero, the start of the Khmer Rouge rampage. Our tour guide gave us a rundown of what and how the Khmer people suffered - including his own family - during those 3 years and 8 months when 4 million people (mostly intellectuals) lost their lives and an entire culture and heritage nearly died along with them. For now it seems, everyday life is back to normal. Though the scars of war and the terrors that Cambodians who are old enough to remember will live on. Memories of pain and terrible loss will forever run deep in the hearts of these people. 




Psar Chas or "Old Market"

  
A stroll down Sivatha Road from our hotel took us into the old French Quarter and ended up in Psar Chas or "Old Market" where you might find everything from household supplies to fresh produce and souvenirs. The grey surroundings are punctuated by bursts of colour from the curious silk shops offering everything from pillow cases to scarves and handbags. I read somewhere that most of the items on sale are actually imports from Vietnam and Thailand and only the rare few are made in Cambodia, such as the colourful patterned silk that display distinctive Cambodian art made into purses and wall hangings, and the table and bed cloths made from gold threaded tapestries with woven images of apsara dancers and elephants.

Haggling here is expected and driving a hard bargain is something of an art form. Some books we read recommended starting at 30% of the quoted price before negotiating upwards up to 50% off retail at a maximum. I personally felt that the prices were already pretty low to begin with so as little as 50 US cents over the price I really wanted was easily overlooked. Do keep in mind that 50 US cents is a lot of money for them so try to know when to let go.

The rest of our afternoon was spent exploring other parts of Siem Reap city by foot. For a city this small this didn't take long to accomplish and before long we ended up making a near full circle back to our starting point. This was also the best way to observe Siem Reap at its most normal. To see how life unfolds beyond the curb and to take in the simple pleasures as well as the back-breaking challenges that the locals face.

Poverty is widespread here and you can see this from the scores of dilapidated homes that use plywood or thin pieces of asbestos for walls and corrugated aluminium sheets for roofs. Children play by the road side and young men gather around a television set at a local eatery to watch muay thai matches and forget their troubles for an hour or two. But every now and then, just about every kilometre or so, a tall imposing mansion fully adorned in Khmer decoration and fine luxuries surrounded by lush green gardens pokes up like a sore thumb amongst the endless sea of shoe box plywood homes. Sights like these really make you wonder at the state of things in a country like that.





We hadn't realised that the Angkor National Museum was about
5 minutes from the hotel. This is a newly opened museum which has
an exhorbitant entrance fee of US$12.

Not completely worth it in my humble opinion.

At the recommendation of the concierge, we went to a nearby restaurant supposedly famous amongst tourists who want to see the traditional apsara dance performance. From what I understand, apsaras are mythical nymphs in Hindu legend that sprang from the stirring of a great sea of milk for a thousand years. The act of stirring the milk maintains the balance between heaven and earth and when harmony is achieved, heavenly bodies rejoyce and dance. Apsara dances were traditionally performed for the courts of the kings of old, but now this dance is available for the average tourist for a mere US$12 and conveniently includes a dinner buffet (drinks are separate). The restaurant is called Koulen II and definitely a must-do recommendation from me. The food was passable at best but the atmosphere and the dance itself is completely worth it.



Atmosphere at the Koulen II



Apsara dancers


After dark, Siem Reap offers a plethora of virtues and vices that await the willing buyer. But unlike places like Bangkok, the streets aren't awash with an unshakeable feeling of grime and the looming possibility of indictment. This isn't a cowboy town where anything goes. In fact, uniformed policemen roam the streets at night, keeping it relatively safe and clean.

For the more adventurous sort, the destination of choice is likely to be Pub Street where rows of restaurants and bars that cater heavily to western tastes - and pockets - teem with tourists of every race and creed. But if you're of the family friendly variety, then chances are that the Siem Reap Night Market is where you'll be headed. Our group drew this card, which wasn't a difficult choice given the alluringly cheap massages, manicures and fish spas available in between stalls upon stalls of handicraft items for sale. For US$2, we found ourselves sampling a half an hour khmer foot massage plus complimentary head and shoulders massage. As for me, I thought I'd satisfy my curiosity and pay the "premium" price of US$4 for a half hour pedicure (which includes artful flower paintings). I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of my manicurist's work and I was more than satisfied with the result.


Pedicure (with flower painting) at the night market - US$4
Tip to manicurist - US$1
Experience of having a pedicure in the middle of a busy night
market with hundreds of pairs of eyes staring - priceless

Feeling well pampered, we slowly made our way back to the hotel. Along the way however, we stumbled across a modern but deserted looking restaurant called The Nest. After examining the menu we decided on supper. By this time we had formed a budget monitor squad among us who used numbers of dollar signs as an effective decision making tool. This was started by thorough reading of our trusty Lonely Planet Guide which would list restaurants based on how expensive they were using the dollar sign. One dollar sign is the cheapest eats you will find in the city.



This was definitely TWO whole dollar signs but absolutely worth it


I loved the layout of the restaurant. They had an entire outdoor section reserved for lounging, which really looked like a row of twin beds on rattan frames. The idea is so you can lie on the beds, stare at the open sky and perhaps count the stars. Coffee was perfection here and if you're feeling a bit daring, there's an option to order fried frog legs to go with your latte!

Our first day in Siem Reap turned out to be a series of mini surprises all rolled into a pleasant expedition of discovery. In one day we had covered a large part of our itinerary, but our main goal of coming to Cambodia was to take place the next day - exploring the ancient temples of Angkor.

'til the next post.