Dear Sparklette friends, as I have promised you, here’s the travelogue of my 3-day trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Short as it was, I did fulfill my goal of visiting the ruins of the ancient city of Angkor, as well as indulge in some Khmer (pronounced k’mair) delicacies!
Our direct flight to Siem Reap happened to be the first flight of the day. After flying for 2-ish hours, we arrived, bleary-eyed, at the Siem Reap International Airport. For an airport in a third world country, it’s extremely modern and well-organised :) it seemed pretty bare though; there was just one other plane parked.
Catching an early-morning flight sure was no fun, but at least I got to admire this awesome sight from the plane. The sun was rising then, and the clouds were way below. Whoa!
Anyway, things just went swimmingly well. Our hotel had sent someone to pick us up at the airport in a nice green van. It ensured that we had a comfortable and hassle-free ride to our hotel.
Welcome to the Borei Angkor Resort & Spa!
By then it was only 7+ in the morning. Since check-in time wasn’t until 2pm, we planned to:
- leave our luggage at the reception counter.
- head out, grab some breakfast, maybe do something touristy.
- return at 2pm to check in.
While we sat at the bar to enjoy our free welcome drink and wet towel, the hotel staff came over with a wonderful surprise: they had arranged for us to check in early. It’s free of charge, too! Boy, were we elated! Most hotels would impose a charge for early check-in, but Borei Angkor just gave it to us without being asked!
Here’s our room. Ta-da!
And with that comes another wonderful surprise: the hotel had upgraded us to a bigger room. Again, free of charge! I was so happy!
Check out the awesome, awesome bathroom. It is, hands-down, the best bathtub I have ever used in a hotel room. There’s even a shower cubicle within the bathroom!
While most hotels provide shampoo and bath gel in little disposable tubes, Borei’s come in quaint bottles that are refilled daily. Not only are those environmental-friendly, they look good too.
The attached balcony is huge! You get a view that depicts a somewhat accurate picture of Siem Reap: trees, shanty houses, low-rise buildings, and more trees. (that probably explains the many crickets we found in our room at night!)
After unpacking, we took the tuk-tuk and hit the downtown area for some brunch. The motorcycle and trailer style of the tuk-tuks makes them different from the tuk-tuks in Bangkok. While there is no fixed price for the tuk-tuk rides in Bangkok, in Siem Reap it costs a standard US$1 per ride. That’s pretty fair, don’t you think? It sure lowers one’s chances of getting ripped off!
Oh yeah, everything is priced in US dollars. Quarters and dimes won’t be of use here though. Any small change owed under a dollar would be paid in Cambodian riels. (2000 riels = US$0.50)
Each time we rode the tuk-tuk, we passed by hotel after hotel. This is a touristy town after all. The Ree Hotel stood out in particular. See the creature spouting water at the entrance?
It’s our very own Merlion! Now that’s someone you certainly wouldn’t expect to see in Siem Reap! I later learned that the hotel is run by a Singapore-based firm. Ahh… That explains it.
Upon dropping us off at our destination, Mr. Somart, our tuk-tuk driver, handed us a mobile phone. He assured us that whenever we needed a ride, we could just call him from this phone! We were freakin’ impressed! That’s not all; he said that we could use it to call home too since international calls cost “only 50 cents a minute”. Wow! He trusted us so much!
Right now you might be thinking: Ha, there must be a catch somewhere! Well throughout this entire trip, Mr. Somart was nothing but honest and punctual. Not once did he overcharge us or take us anywhere we didn’t ask to go. Each time we called him, he picked us up within 5 minutes.
Up till now I still feel that we really lucked out in landing such a reliable driver as our dedicated “chauffeur”. Because of him, we didn’t have to worry about transportation at all! If you’re ever in Siem Reap, I highly recommend Mr. Somart as your tuk-tuk driver. He is stationed at the entrance of Borei Angkor Resort.
So we were at Pub Street, the most happening place in town. Here, you can find dozens of restaurants, cafés and pubs specialising in varied kinds of cuisines. Many of these open as early as 7am, so all your dining needs would be well satiated.
We chose to get our first taste of Cambodian food at Khmer Kitchen Restaurant. Actually we were attracted by their “$1 beer”. Only later did we realise that everywhere in Siem Reap, beers are shockingly cheap. Some places even sell them at 50 cents! And that’s how I ended up having my first can of Angkor beer at 10 in the morning :)
US$1
If you notice, the Angkor beer logo features Angkor Wat, the world-famous landmark of Cambodia. The temple image also graces the national flag.
In a typical Khmer meal, people normally have rice accompanied by 3 or 4 dishes. These were our picks:
US$3
Rating:
The amok, a curry made with coconut milk and sweet basil leaves, is one traditional Khmer dish that we’re particularly eager to dig into. It comes in a shade of yellow, and is milder than your typical Indian curry.
The taste slants towards the sweet side, and is strangely non-spicy. Aren’t curries supposed to be spicy? But we loved it anyway, so much so that we had it again at other restaurants for our subsequent meals!
Fried minced chicken with chilli and basilUS$3
Rating:
A safe bet would be the fried minced chicken with chilli, basil leaves and red onion. Just like the one at Lerk Thai, the Khmer version is also savoury and bursting with flavour.
And now, for the yummiest omelette I’ve ever had in my life, I present the omelette español!
US$2.50
Rating:
When you cut open the omelette you would see the little diced cubes of potato and onion. I don’t know what condiments they used to make it taste somewhat sweet, but it’s simply de-leee-cious!
For our first experience of authentic Khmer cuisine, we certainly enjoyed it very much. The prices at the restaurant are pretty fair, and the food is lip smacking good. It’s even recommended by Mick Jagger!
Pub Street
Siem Reap, Cambodia
One thing that I noticed at Pub Street was that the eating establishments tend to be very colourful and creatively-decorated. Our Singapore restaurateurs should totally take a leaf out of their book!
Done with our first Khmer meal, we hit the streets to walk off the calories. Aside from restaurants and bars, this area is also filled with bookstores, massage parlours and souvenir shops.
We did some window-shopping at the Old Market (Phsar Chas). The vendors sold mainly paintings, handicrafts, textiles, Buddha statues and hammocks. Yes, hammocks. I contemplated buying one for snowy but they had it only in human sizes. Bummer.
The only thing that caught my fancy was these wall ornaments. They feature the comic book covers of tintin, my childhood hero. Of course, you would also find the pirated versions of non-existent titles, such as “Tintin in Angkor Wat”. Cute :)
When walking along the streets or even whilst dining in restaurants, we were frequently approached by street peddlers, mostly young children, selling bangles, postcards, shawls, tourist guidebooks and the likes. It’s sad to see that instead of being in school, they are out selling stuff on the streets. But boy can they speak excellent English! Most frequently heard sentence: “please buy this from me so that I can go to school.” when you say no, they would persist and ask “whyyyyy?” aww.
When we were done with exploring the Old Market, Mr. Sohmat drove us back to our hotel for desserts and afternoon tea by the pool. One of the new computer platforms of Microsoft is Windows, so Viber Media could not but release a special version of Viber for this operating system. The developers did a good job and took into account all the technical and system characteristics for the correct operation of the Viber mobile application on Windows . The interface of the PC version is no different from the mobile version, so it won’t be difficult to figure it out.
US$5
Buffet rating:
Buffet hours: 2 – 6pm
There’s an all-you-can-eat dessert buffet at just US$5! It seemed like a very good deal. Diners can have their pick from both Western and traditional bite-sized desserts, as well as free-flowing coffee and tea.
Unfortunately though, most of the desserts were not up to par. Okay, I know it’s no ritz-carlton. But the only desserts that I found somewhat decent were the cheesecake and the chocolate spiral thing.
What really piqued my interest was the brightly-coloured ice kacang machine. Before that day, I had seen this antique only in museums and the Singapore sitcom Phua Chu Kang.
I got to operate it, too! See those tiny sharp spokes? They are the little guys that would grind the big ice block into fine shavings. The machine probably needs some greasing though; it takes a really strong man to turn it. The waiter, in our case.
After all the hard work of grinding the ice, the strong man can reward himself with various types of ice kacang toppings and syrups.
National Road 6
0369 Banteay Chas, Slorkram
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Tel: +855 63 964 406
Book online
That night, determined to get at least some shopping done, we went to the Angkor Night Market. While riding the tuk-tuk also means that you are breathing in polluted air, sometimes you do get to spot some rather amusing sights, such as this:
The guy was riding with a whole bunch of colourful balloons. They were bobbing in the wind! What a cheerful sight :)
The Angkor Night Market is situated near Pub Street.
Like the Old Market that we visited earlier in the day, the vendors mostly sell the same kind of stuff too.
This little pouch with a pink lizard sewn on looks really adorable!
You have to give credit to the Khmer people. From beautifully decorated restaurants to artfully done acrylic paintings such as these, there’s no doubting their creativity.
Within the night market, there are also a couple of pubs and even a fish therapy spa!
Khum Svay Dangkum
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Tel: +855 92 654 315
www.angkornightmarket.com
We then had our dinner at Traditional Khmer Food, a nice little restaurant situated at an alley behind Pub Street.
US$3.25
Rating:
Like I said, we were game to try amok again. This time round, it is semi-solid, less gravy-like, and served in a banana leaf cup. Somehow this seems more authentic. Don’t you think?
US$3.25
Rating:
Another traditional Khmer dish that we had was the lok lak. The stir-fried meat comes with a little bowl of sauce, a sourish mixture of lime juice and black pepper that teases the palate.
While this dish is usually served with beef, we requested for chicken instead. When it comes to ordering meat dishes in most of the restaurants, you can indicate whether you prefer fish, chicken, pork or beef. I really loved having that option.
Khmer curry with chickenUS$3.25
Rating:
The Khmer curry, not to be confused with amok, comes with a small dollop of coconut cream on top. The curry flavour is nice and strong, although it still isn’t very spicy. Is Khmer food just not meant to be too spicy?
Midway through the meal, a group of children in wigs and costumes came in to play music in exchange for money. Like I mentioned earlier, tourists in Siem Reap would have to get used to this.
Then there’s another group of visitors that will not ask you for money. This little feline friend accompanied us throughout our entire meal. We saw him sneaking into the kitchen once, and checked to make sure he came back out. Meow.
Pub Street
Siem Reap, Cambodia
That’s it for the day. Back at our hotel, we arranged with Mr. Sohmat to pick us up the following morning at 5am. We’re going to see the magnificent Angkor Wat at sunrise! Wahoo!
May 26, 2009
1
loooove your site! second time here and I’m reading through all the food posts. :D And I couldn’t get past the bathtub pic. I mean, heck. I’ve never seen a bathroom looking that lavish and fabulous.
May 26, 2009
3472
My thoughts exactly! I half expected the taps and shower to be plated in gold. Haha :D
May 26, 2009
9
Veron, my parents and i stayed at a guesthouse instead of a hotel / resort. it’s not as lavish as urs, but it was really clean and comfortable, with nice huge beds too. we got a 3-bedded room with 3 super single beds, for USD 27 per nite. :)
tuk-tuk rides were cheaper at these guest houses. a ride into town nearby cost USD 1 for all 3 of us.
i loved pub street. i had some of the best meals in my life there. and i just adore amok. there was this place we found that served fantastic food, PLUS they gave u free beer or a free coconut or soft drink with each food item ordered. my parents enjoyed the beer under the sweltering cambodian heat, and i had way too many young coconuts in my 6 day stay there.
i spent 3 days in angkor. got completely over-templed but really enjoyed it anyway. it would’ve been better had it not been so hot. the ruins were a marvellous sight, weren’t they? i look forward to ur other posts! heh. now i must step on it and churn out my blog posts faster too!!
:P
May 28, 2009
3472
You are spot on about Pub Street. I loved it there too! Despite having already visited all the temples that I wanted, I’m thinking I might visit Siem Reap again for the sake of Pub Street alone! lol does that sound wrong? But the food and the atmosphere were so fabulous!
May 29, 2009
9
you know what. i would do that too. haha! i’ll go again to eat amok at pub street, when the weather is less harsh! gosh. those 6 days i spent in siem reap were the worst, meteorologically speaking! haha! i don’t think i’ve ever experienced such heat, anywhere on earth before. not even in singapore, which is, u know, sitting on the equator!
Jun 1, 2009
3472
In that case you would definitely want to stay away from Japan in summer. During my trip there in August ’07, the temperatures shot past 40 degrees Celsius everyday! People died of heatstroke! Gosh! The most important thing to do in such heat is to *always* keep yourself hydrated.
May 26, 2009
72
wow, awesome first review! What better way than to combine your love of food with travelling.
How much did you pay per night at the Borei Angkor Resort & Spa?
Looking forward to part 2, which i presume will have pics (and food) from the temples :)
May 28, 2009
3472
The room for two cost US$50 per night. Having stayed in a really lousy hotel during the Bangkok trip back in January, we were willing to pay a bit more for a (much) better room.
May 27, 2009
1
Your blog really amazes me, not for anything but for the quality of your reviews, and maintaining them refined even if your writing style is so casual and sporadic.
BTW, have an ñ Ñ, replace it for the Espanol thing, where it should go a Español.
May 28, 2009
3472
Thank you! I do my best to give a decent and honest review, especially since I fall short when it comes to writing beautifully.
Thanks for the ñ too!
May 27, 2009
1
Great pics! I’ve been living in Cambodia for three years now and the best food places are actually not in the guidebooks. There is a great little restaurant in the alley NORTH of pub street called “For Life” where the Khmer (actually pronounced Kh-MAI, not Kh Mair) food is all cooked by the family’s mom. The Amok is the best I’ve had and is authentic (i.e., steamed, not stir-fried). Also, all meals (between USD2.50 to USD3.50) come with a free beer!
As for guesthouse, at U-Dara Inn behind the Center market you can get a room with bathtub for USD15 or less during the low season (now till Oct).
May 28, 2009
3472
Grrreat!
Most of the places we dined at were frequently mentioned on websites and in guidebooks. We were a little apprehensive when it came to eating at a place we hadn’t heard of. Your recommendations (both guesthouse and restaurant) are exactly what I need should I ever visit Siem Reap again (likely to be on tighter purse strings then).
One of the staff at our hotel recommended a certain “Woman’s Restaurant”. Have you heard of it?
Thanks for the tips!
May 27, 2009
1
wow thats a really nice photo of the sky. can you send the original pic to my email? TIA
May 28, 2009
3
Hey… Wanna check with you… how much did you pay for your hotel in total? And also for how many days???
May 28, 2009
3472
It was US$50 a night for 2 persons, 3 nights in a row :)
Jun 5, 2009
2
it is really nice and beautiful…..
Jun 9, 2009
2
hi veron, i was wondering how much the tuktuk drive cost on day 2 and 3 when you visited the temples for almost the whole days and seeing as how the drives were so long.
was it a daily charge, and how much?
thanks!
Jun 11, 2009
3472
We paid US$15 for the whole of day 2, inclusive of all the trips around the ruins, the museum, Pub Street, trips from our hotel (and back). Basically everything! For day 3 it was US$20 because Banteay Srei is much further off.
Oct 13, 2009
1
hey veron thank you alot, you are the best am telling you, excellent reviews like yours are rare to find, i am really impressed. Anyway i will be going to siem reap next friday and i am wondering which currency they prefer to use down there USD or their local currency?. Thank you and keep up the good work.
Oct 13, 2009
3472
You are most welcome! They use USD, but for small amounts and amounts under $1, the local currency is used. You would find that on restaurant menus, tickets to places of attraction, shops, etc, prices are often quoted in USD.
Oct 20, 2009
72
Your review’s coming in really handy! I’ve just booked my hotel and flight to Siem Reap for Dec 09.. might change my mind and book the Ree Hotel.
The Borei Angkor Resort is abit pricey at USD84/night, considering we’ll be out almost the whole day and just be using the hotel to sleep at night.
Oct 20, 2009
9
If price of accommodation is a concern, try guest houses. I stayed at the Babel Siem Reap (booked from hostelworld.com) and the prices were really reasonable. plus the rooms were very clean, comfortable, and even had a tub. USD 9 nett per person per night, for a room that had 3 beds in it. they have rooms of other sizes too. it’s quiet and the people running the place are very friendly!
i really enjoyed staying there… :)
Oct 21, 2009
72
Thanks Daphne, will check out your suggestion.
It’s my 1st trip there so it’s all about getting the experience and being familiar with the place.
Oct 21, 2009
9
a tip about tuk-tuks: u don’t really need to book one for the entire day unless u’re going to Angkor and the temples. if u’re just going around town, u can easily hop on one just outside ur guesthouse / hotel, n get another one from town, to other places. trips around town generally cost USD 1 for short trips. tuk-tuks and walking are the best ways to go around siem reap and u really get to see a lot more this way. :) u can always ask sparklette or i on other tips. she had a more luxurious trip, while mine’s more of a backpacker’s trip, so see which suits u! ;)
Nov 4, 2010
1
How much is it to book a tuk tuk for the whole day to go to angkor wat? Do we have to walk alot to visit different temples or can we rent a bicycle?
Nov 5, 2010
3472
You can ask the tuk tuk driver to drive you from temple to temple. Most of the temples are too far apart for you to make your way on foot. Some visitors rent their own bicycles. Most rent tuk tuks.
Feb 1, 2010
1
i like khmer food
Sep 30, 2010
1
Hi,
Do you have Mr Somart contact info? Would like to see if he does airport pick up?
Thanks!
Oct 4, 2010
3472
I’m sorry, I don’t have his number. If he is still stationed at the same hotel, you may have some luck checking with the hotel staff?
Nov 7, 2010
1
Wow, just reading the blog, and the questions and answers have given us so much information. My wife and I plan to leave on the comming 17th for a three day trip, and i hope that the restaurants and places are all there and operating….
Dec 28, 2010
2
Love your Siem Reap entries and photos! Especially the last photo with the kitty cat. :) Btw, what did you do when you were approached by the kids in the streets and in the restaurants?
Dec 30, 2010
3472
If I remember correctly, most of them approached me to sell their wares like scarves, drinks and such. I would politely decline. If you have a hard time saying no to people, perhaps you can bring some sweets with you and give them away to the children when they approach you.
May 17, 2011
2
HI Ms Veron,
i saw your blog when i was searching for a hotel in siem reap. Your infos were very detailed and we might follow your tours as well. we are from the Phils and planning to visit siem reap on dec 26-29. since we are travelling from Philippines, we will be flying via bangkok or vietnam airlines and then transfer again going to siem reap. for our day 1, (dec.26) our one day is already consumed with the trip. we will start our journey on dec 27 and 28 for the trips that you mentioned and leave on the 29th. am planning to stay in Prince D’ANgkor hotel which is near the Old market and the pub street. any other tours recommended that we might add to our plan trip? how about the shopping areas? THank you and have a great day. BTW, when did you visit the siem reap.
thanks,
abby
May 18, 2011
3472
Hi Abby, I visited Siem Reap in 2009. You picked an excellent spot to stay in because you would be spending a fair bit of time in Pub Street, where all the pubs and restaurants are. Shopping areas are quite limited. Apart from Old Market and Night Market, I don’t remember having many shopping options.
You can check out my friend Yahya’s blog. He just visited Siem Reap this year and his blog may offer you some fresh ideas on where to go.
May 19, 2011
2
Hi Ms Veron,
Thank you for the reply and saw your friend’s blog and it is very informative too. may we find a good and reliable, knowledgeable guide and tuktuk driver during the trip. i also read in the net, that the fishing village tour did not have some good reviews e.g. the river is dirty and the tour is expensive. once again, thank you and have a nice day.
abby
Oct 8, 2011
1
Anyway although i do not say anything due to I never been there so far, but enjoy your site so much hope to stay at your site reason, may leave my foot here heh, thanks for your nice blog
Feb 22, 2012
1
Hi!
I love your photos. What camera did you use? =)
Mar 18, 2013
3
Hello,
I really liked reading your blog. I have some questions you might know. Can you answer them? I am going to Cambodia on September this year. Besides Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam are also listed to be visited. But still I have a question about a hotel you might have seen during your visit in Siem Reap. I booked the following hotel: Tara Angkor Hotel. You know if it is a good hotel? I heard good stories about it. What are the best attractions to visit in Siem Reap and in the surrounding?
Apr 9, 2013
3
Hello Emma,
The Angkor Wat temples is a must. You can spend 3 days or more there. It is advisable to buy a 3 day card and go by tuc tuc or by bike into the complex. Besides the Angkor Wat temples you can visit the Bayon temple as well. But if you don’t want to spend too much time there, than you can visit a museum or the markets. They have the day and night markets. Another perfect attraction would be to see the Tonle Mekong Lake. According to my sources, it is a perfect hotel with good reviews. If you want to go there, I would say it is a yes!