Our previous visit to Siem Reap was too short. Today we want to spend time in town, get the feel of the place, and see the real Siem Reap. We didn’t know it when we set out, but we were going to get a personal guided tour of Siem Reap. Nice!
Earlier this morning, I got my “massage like no other.” Two hours later, my shoulder still hurt, but I was happy just to know my arm was still attached. I hoped Miss Cheng knew what she was doing. (She did). Now we get to spend the rest of the day in Siem Reap.
Let’s Go
We got to town the usual way: tuk tuk pick-up at the hotel. Five dollars U.S. for a round trip. The driver takes you, then waits for you for as long as it takes, even if you take all day.
Of course we started on Pub Street. As far as we knew, Siem Reap is Pub Street. It’s a happening place at night, but it’s fun to explore during the daytime, too.
Souvenir shops on Pub Street are more interesting and fun than your garden-variety souvenir shops. Merchandise for sale is unusual, prices are unbelievably low, and shop owners are super-friendly.
We passed the massage place where our friends got massages yesterday. $10 for an hour-long massage. They said the massages were great. And we passed one of the places where you pay to have fish nibble on your feet. Our feet felt fine. No feet-nibbling fish for us today.
Cambodian-Mexican Food?
We had lunch at a Cambodian-Mexican restaurant. I know. We were surprised, too. I once had a memorable “Hanoi Martini.” What would a Cambodian Margarita be like? My thirsty Better Half ordered one. I had an ice-cold Anchor beer. The margarita was unique – a little margarita volcano in a glass. The food was interesting and tasty.
After lunch we took a detour through Siem Reap’s Central Market. In this part of the world, “markets” aren’t grocery stores. They’re like our farmers’ markets, with a few twists.
Siem Reap’s Central Market is a Southeast Asian market on steroids. It’s indoors. Aisles are skinny. Goods are piled high everywhere. Fruit and vegetables abound, of course. And so much fish – mostly still alive, as far as I could tell. There’s no AC, of course, but there are plenty of fans blowing the hot air around. The smells inside are, shall we say, abundant!
After the market, we found our tuk tuk driver. He asked us if we’d like to “take the long way” back to the hotel, so we could see a bit more of the city. Absolutely!
A Personal Guided Tour…
Just a few blocks away from Pub Street, we entered a whole other Siem Reap – one that looked like a city anywhere. Nice stores, banks, hotels, a modern shopping mall – we were surprised. Little Siem Reap wasn’t so little. Of course it wasn’t!
He took us to a Buddhist compound and suggested that we get out and take a look around. What a hidden gem this place was.
Then we took a break at a park shaded by huge trees. We looked on as kids left an elementary school, headed for home. These Cambodian kids were extra-cute. So fun to watch.
At our trusty driver’s request, the last stop would be at a store close to the hotel where we could buy some nice Cambodian things. We said OK.
… With a Catch
When we arrived, I remembered the store. We’d been there on our previous trip. It was a REALLY nice store with beautiful, but expensive Cambodian furnishings, art, and clothes. We weren’t interested.
Two salespeople stood in the window, salivating, motioning for us to come on in. I told our driver, “No thanks. Just take us back to the hotel.”
By this time, we had established something of a bond with our driver. He could be honest with us. He said, “If you don’t buy anything here, I won’t get any commission for bringing you here.”
Well, of course! That’s the way of the world over here. We got it. He didn’t spend half the day taking us on a tour because he had nothing better to do. He had a family to feed.
I told him not to worry. We’d make up for him losing his commission. In my mind, he’d already earned it anyway.
To be continued…
