Back to Cambodia

I always end up in Siem Reap. I'm not sure why. It's not like it's my favorite place I've ever traveled. Whenever I go there I think something like, "ok, Siem Reap is an ok city. Pub Street is ok during the daytime. Angkor Wat is cool, I guess... but I'll really have to go somewhere else next time, or see another part of Cambodia."

Siem Reap is nothing like Bangkok. It's fairly rural, and in a way, I suppose, it still has the feelings of East Asian romanticism written about in pre-1960-70's travelogues. In any case, I never really plan on returning, but somehow I end up in Siem Reap at least once a year. Maybe it's just its proximity to Bangkok (45-minutes by air) and the ease, convenience, and cheapness of going there. In any case, this October, I once again found myself sweltering in a dusty outdoor café on Pub Street in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

colonial French neighborhood, Siem Reap

Ok, that's maybe a little dramatic. My friend Brenna had never been to Cambodia, and didn't feel comfortable traveling there alone, so I offered to go along for a short three-day visit. We arrived late at night, just two days after my return from Myanmar, so I had hardly had time to wash my laundry before packing it all up again. We were met at the airport by our host, Sovong. On this trip, we had booked rooms through Airbnb, a website that allows locals to host visitors in their own home bed and breakfast guesthouses. Sovong was a very talented artist, and had painted the rooms of his guesthouse with murals depicting the temples of Angkor Wat. As he drove us to the guesthouse, Sovong told us that he would be willing to take us around for some local food one night, and suggested that October was the perfect time of year to go out on Tonle Sap Lake to visit the floating villages.

Pub Street, Siem Reap

We spent the first morning relaxing at a cafe on Pub Street, and in the afternoon, Sovong drove us about half an hour out of town to the river, where we boarded a small boat with an Argentinian couple also staying at the guesthouse.

houses in the floating village

church in the floating village

Sailing through the floating village was a very interesting experience. The village had homes, a police station, a small school, and even a church, all built up on stilts. There was a small temple on the riverbank. The village was built along the river, but we soon passed through it and came to a wetland. Suddenly, we were in the biggest lake I had ever seen! I guess I need to review my Southeast Asian geography. I had no idea that there was such a large lake in Cambodia, but when I looked at a map, sure enough. Tonle Sap Lake is massive, the largest in Southeast Asia!

Tonle Sap Lake

We stayed on the lake for a few hours to watch the sunset. After a while, we returned back down the river to Siem Reap.

One of the reasons that we had for going to Cambodia was to see Phare, the Cambodian circus. To be honest, I almost didn't feel like going to Cambodia again this year, especially after still being exhausted from my trip to Burma, just two days before. Brenna convinced me to go, however, by suggesting that we go see one of the world's most famous shows. In the end, I was very glad that I went, because I got to do a lot of things I hadn't seen before.

Pub Street at night - I really prefer it during its quiet daytime hours

The circus was really amazing! It was unlike any other circus I had seen before. The performance, which incorporated a number of traditional Cambodian acrobatic moves, told a mythical story with a contemporary twist. Although the single tent setup was really small, they showed a number of the feats which were completely amazing. The circus originated from a small school. It operates in the very poor rural areas of Cambodia, teaching children performance arts for free, helping them to break out of the cycle of poverty. Many of the performers have gone on to be famous throughout the world, and the troupe we saw had just returned from a tour in France. The proceeds from the show go to keep the school running. It's really cool.

the Cambodian Circus

We would spend the next full day at Angkor Wat Historical Park. I had been there once before, but I was glad to have the chance to visit again. In the evening, Sovong took us to a market to try some local Cambodian food. One of the big benefits of staying at a local guesthouse is getting the chance to interact a bit more with people and participate in the local culture.

Sovong teaches me how to eat a fresh lotus pod

I'm sure I'll go back to Cambodia again sometime. Siem Reap holds its own charm for me. Something about its proximity to where I live in Thailand, and the visa-on-arrival available to most visitors makes it fairly easy destination to visit for two or three days from Bangkok. Although the culture is similar to that of Thailand, the country is much more rural and traditional, and the modern history of the two countries are vastly different. Maybe one reason I like Siem Reap is that it has a more "authentic" feel than Bangkok does. I think I still prefer living in Bangkok though, by a large margin. Nevertheless, I like Cambodia more and more each time I travel there.

picnic with food from the market