Angkor Essentials - The Journey Starts ....

It was a good weekend away from home and let me warn you that there will be lots of photos for the next few posts from my trip. Usually for long weekends, I would either be vegging out at home or head off to Kuala Lumpur for a vegging out session *laughs*. But for last weekend it was quite a 'workout' trip because I was in Cambodia, more specifically Siem Reap, with Mag to explore .... *drum roll* Angkor Wat and the many temples in the area.

Day I: Singapore - Siem Reap
We got there in the afternoon on 4 July and was impressed by the small but modern airport in Siem Reap (Above: Me at the Siem Reap Airport runaway). After we checked-in, we met up with our tour coordinator, Mr Sok Chea. We managed to arrange for a guide and agree on the itinerary before we left Singapore as we didn't want to waste time finding a guide once in Siem Reap, and then having to negotiate places and price. So for USD125, it included everything from English-speaking guide, airport transfers, air-conditioned transportation, meals, temple passes, traditional Apsara cultural show and dinner and drinks on board. But what we paid didn't include Airport Tax for when we were flying home (USD25 per pax) and Angkor Balloon Ride (USD15).

We had some time before dinner so we went to the Night Market. Now, there's a reason why it's called a Night Market. Yes, most of the stalls only open after the sun sets, so if you go as early as we did, you would only find a handful of stalls open so don't bother buying too many things just then. Also, bear in mind that the Night Market exists basically for us tourists so be prepared to bargain bargain bargain. Will suggest to you later in another post where you can go for better deals instead of the Night Market. We managed to grab a couple of t-hirts (they weren't great quality but had some nice designs for USD6 each) and headed off for the Traditional Apsara Cultural Show and Dinner (see photograph below).

Also known as the Khmer classical dance, this dance form shares some similarities to the classical dance form in Thailand. More information about the Apsara Dance can be found on wiki.

My apologies for the 'blurness' of the two photographs above but the place was pretty dark and with a compact camera, these were the 'better' shots I could get. Dinner was buffet style and it was basically mixed of Asian and Western meals. If you want traditional Khmer food, this won't be the best place as they basically cater to the taste buds of the tourists. Didn't really enjoy the food there (except for the noodles) but the dance was entertaining enough *grins*.

After dinner, we made our way back to the Night Market and stumbled upon Pub Street. I read about this street before the trip so was glad we passed it. It's basically the place to be for tourists and you can get all sorts of restaurants and cheap beer (see the sign below - 50 cents for a glass of beer) there. Pub Street was closed up so it was safe for tourists to walk on the street while deciding which eatery to patronise.

There are two sections at the Night Market. One is slightly newer than the other but both packed with stalls pretty much selling the same stuff. And because prices are in USD, I found it rather pricey (exchange rate was USD1 = S$1.50). You can ask them in Riel (Khmer currency) but it's just too confusing to figure out so I stuck to USD. Also, be prepared that you will get change back in Riel so try and round up/down for items you're buying.

What stuff can you expect to find at the Night Market? There's the usual t-shirts, colourful Khmer cotton/silk scarves (see photograph below), traditional puppets (see photograph above), silk purses, silver jewellery and many more souveniors for family and friends back home. I got a couple of traditional Khmer scarves (checked design), silk purses, t-shirts and some silver charms of Angkor Wat and an Apsara for my charm bracelet *grins* Nice!

After walking off dinner at the Night Market, we headed back to the hotel and slept early as we had a super early start the next day ....