7 Other Things to do in Siem Reap

Other things worth doing aside from visiting Angkor Wat:

1)      Try Khmer food and Khmer Brew

so happy he finally gets to drink!

After a long day’s traveling, Mike and I had to reward ourselves with the local brew (Cambodia Lager) and some Khmer curry. 

I found it light and refreshing, best drank cold. A bit similar to Indo’s Bintang although with a slight bitter after-taste. Still a good go-to brew. Mike was just happy to be drinking.

Similar to the lightness in flavor is the curry. Great-smelling but lacks the punch that the Thai or Indian ones have.









However, the best salad I’ve ever had was the Cambodian-style salad. I regret not asking the ingredients before and on my second trip, I couldn’t find the little local restaurant that served it anymore.

2)      Try Khmer / Cambodia-style Massage

Kind of a caressing style massage. Not too much pressure. More like your mother rubbing your back or chest when you’re sick. Nothing exemplary or special like the Balinese Traditional Massage or the Shiatsu. But, for $5 with complimentary tea, very friendly masseuses, a clean and relaxing ambiance, it's not a bad way to end a tiring travel day!

3)      Visit the Night market

A small yet attractive space to find traditional Khmer handicrafts -- paintings to carving; gorgeous silk products; contemporary fashion and jewelry, and all things Cambodian.

Mike and I are crazy about the ‘Rice Paper Rubbings’ of the temples bas-reliefs.

4.)      Hang out on Pub Street, eat dinner, listen to music and have a beer or two or three.

5)      Visit the Silk Farm and contribute to its dwindling economy.

6)      Visit the Chong Knea floating Village on Tonle Sap Lake.

The Chong Kneas floating village is located about 20-30 minutes from the center of Siem Reap, on the edge of the lake. You can go there by cab or tuk-tuk. There's a small booth at the entrance where you pay for the tour. We didn't get the expensive private tours and opted for the shared boats. We paid $12/ person. 

This is for the entrance fee and boat.

At the entrance, you'll see rows of tourist boats docked together. The boats are medium-sized covered boats that can hold 12-15 passengers. Some are double-deckers and you can even sit on the roof.

You'll notice the fishy smell is very strong and the water is murky and unclean. You wonder how they live and bathe and wash their things in this. But, they do. it's the village people's life.

Personal Experience:  As I was wondering about where the toilet was in their small shanty-like boats, the boathouse we were nearest to had an extended box-like portion to it with a small window. Suddenly, something dropped into the water from the bottom of the box. As we continued to watch, we realized it was the boat's toilet area and someone was taking a dump! 

So that pretty much answered my question. The toilet is the lake.

About 30 minutes into the ride, you will be taken to a very disappointing snake and crocodile farm. Most of the animals were either asleep or the containers empty. It was such a sad sight. I hate seeing animals in such environments. 

After this, you will continue on through more boathouse and witness village people going about their business. The whole trip took a little more than an hour. Nothing too exciting but still an enjoyable learning experience.

What I liked about the tour:

There really isn't much to the place but, basically witnessing the local fishing village life. Fishermen and their families doing their usual daily routines, the humility of living in such accommodations and environments. Seeing how other cultures live is fascinating to me.

During the ride, some young boys on styrofoam floaties would come up to our boat and say hello and do backflips. I realized despite their reality, these children are still having fun and making joy of the situation. I was humbled.

Another I liked was the "floating school." As a teacher, I just had to go down and see the children. A class had just finished and the teacher was dismissing the students. I had a short chat with her and she told me that since it was the only school there, all children of various ages are crammed in one class! My heart broke but I guess this is only what they could manage.

gotta love this kid's fringe!

7)     And of course, what you came to Siem Reap for, visit the Angkor Wat Complex.

     How to do it?

-    We had the hotel clerk arrange a tuk-tuk for us.

-    Cost:  $15  for a half-day travel tour (5:30 AM to 1:30PM). 
      This is the standard tour standard price.

-    He picked us up early because we decided on doing the Sunrise at Angkor Wat.

     Options: Sunrise or Sunset at a certain spot. The most popular is Sunrise at Angkor                
     and Sunset at Ta Keo as they’re the most scenic but other temples can work as well. 
     Others do the Lake too.

-    Pass by the main entrance on the road to Angkor Wat and purchase a PASS.

     There are 1, 2, 3, and 7 – day passes. We just got the 1-day for $20. 
      You need your passport for this.

The complex is huge and although all the temples are accessible. I suggest you just visit 4 or 5 temples as these will already take up the whole morning. Expect a lot of walking around the complex. You can either do the most touristy spots or venture out to the less popular East side of the complex. Take your pick, either way, you’ll surely enjoy!

For a map of the complex and more info, Check out Canby Publications

But, want to know the best experience Mike and I had in Cambodia?