Siem Reap

Annually, October brings me my greatest adventures. Previous years, I've been to Hong Kong, Cambodia, Singapore, Myanmar, and Cambodia again. And this year, I went to Cambodia.

Ok, fine. I'll admit it now. I love Cambodia. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that I've been quite a few times before. It's a quick and cheap flight from Bangkok, and the visa-on-arrival process is super painless. I started going to Cambodia because it was convenient. But along the way, I guess I fell in love with the country. I don't think I could live there, but there is something about the charming French colonial feel of Siem Reap and the mysterious and ancient stories hidden deep in the jungle ruins at Angkor that keep drawing me back.

here we go!

Cambodia is relaxed and beautiful, and after a long semester at work, that's just what I needed. And this time, I brought my girlfriend along with me. At first, she was a little skeptical. We had planned to go on some amazing exotic holiday this October, but now with me as a broke grad student, we had to stay more local. She didn't understand why I liked Cambodia so much, but by the time we returned to Bangkok, she told me that she gets it now.

exploring the town

We planned nine days in Cambodia. For years I've been wanting to see more of the country, and I finally got my chance! Of course, every trip to Cambodia from Thailand should start in the same place: Siem Reap, the sleepy and charming gateway to the magnificent ruins of Angkor Wat. Also, the site of the original Blue Pumpkin cafe, home of some of the greatest ice cream in Southeast Asia!

at the Blue Pumpkin Cafe!

Our trip got off to a fairly lazy start, a pace we weren't able to shake for the remainder of our time in the country. When we arrived in Siem Reap we were both exhausted from a long year at work, and Pinky was a little sick. We arrived late at night, and when our alarms woke us up at 4am to go see Angkor Wat, we took one look at the pouring monsoon rains out the window, and went right back to sleep. Oh well. We saved $100 on entry fees and a driver. It turns out there is plenty to do in Siem Reap besides visiting Angkor again, namely taking it easy on Pub Street and writing postcards home over a glass of $0.25 draught beer, visiting the wonderful Angkor National Museum, and attending a performance by Phare, the Cambodian Circus.

Pub Street

$0.25 

I discovered Phare the last time I visited Siem Reap. In fact, that was one of the main reasons that we visited Cambodia that time.  Phare is an incredible organization that does wonderful work in Cambodia. The organization runs a school that teaches young people from impoverished provinces acrobatic and performance arts. The school gives training to talented Cambodians, and in return, proceeds from the shows go on to support the school. It works to break the cycle of poverty, while also restoring some of the traditional Cambodian acrobatics that the Khmer Rouge tried to stamp out.

This show told the story of Phare's founder. It was an incredibly moving and meaningful work, showing her life as she fled the Khmer Rouge as a young girl and used her acrobatics to fight her nightmares and memories of the terrible things that had happened. As the show went on, an artist at one side of the stage continuously painted beautiful canvasses which were meaningful to the story. Absolutely unforgettable.

In the end, with just one day in Siem Reap, we didn't do so much. But soon it was time to go on to our next destination: Sihanoukville! It would be the first time for me to see a new part of Cambodia, and I was excited to be heading to the south for a much-needed beach getaway!