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Published: December 21st 2020
This morning was our last morning in Phnom Penh and we had a couple of hours before we had to go to the airport and catch our flight to Siem Reap. After another delicious and relaxing breakfast on the rooftop, I went for a morning walk to soak in the city for one last time. I walked along the riverfront watching people starting off their day, shopkeepers sweeping and hosing the fronts of their shops, and others just out on their morning walk. It was still quite early but the nearby market just outside of our hotel was already a beehive of activity. I did a quick look around the market and wandered around the various stalls selling fruits, vegetables, animal parts, and insects. We eventually made our way to the Phnom Penh International Airport where we would catch our 45 minute flight on Cambodia Angkor Air to Siem Reap. Upon arrival in Siem Reap, we immediately headed from the airport to have lunch at a restaurant called Neary Khmer. As we walked in, it was clear that this was a restaurant that catered to the package tour groups with all the coaches and vans that were waiting outside. I immediately
knew that lunch would probably be rather sub-par but I was so grateful for the air conditioning. For lunch, I ordered the Beef Lok Lak which is basically stir fried beef strips marinated with soy sauce washed down with a few Tiger beers. My meal was rather flavorless and hilariously served with stale fries. My initial impression on a sub-par lunch turned out to be accurate but at least the beer was refreshing. After lunch we made our way over to our hotel for the next 3 nights, the Steung Siem Reap Hotel which was well located just a 2 minute walk from the main tourist area of Siem Reap. We had a few hours to rest, relax, and get settled before meeting back up with the rest of the group. After a very brief nap, I went out and ventured around the surrounding area to get my bearings and to check out the nearby markets. I then returned to the hotel where Shea and I enjoyed some poolside beers and a swim in the hotel pool before meeting back up with the rest of the group.
As a group, we walked over to Artisans Angkor which
is a Cambodian social enterprise that aims to provide jobs for young rural people and to revive Cambodian craftmanship. We spent approximately an hour touring the workshops and had a few demonstrations on how some of the wood and stone handiworks were made. After the tour, we were given time to shop in their gift shop. I wandered around their large selection of ceramics, clothing, scarves, and stone sculptures and the first thing that I noticed was that things were not cheap. I was fascinated by a few wood carvings of various Buddhist icons and kept returning to them to have an additional look but I just couldn't justify spending $250. Thankfully the sales people were helpful but not pushy and it was definitely a no pressure environment. It is places like this that I would prefer to spend my money at. You get to see how the handicrafts are made and have more confidence in the level of quality as opposed to items that you find in the outdoor markets. Although I didn't buy anything here, Artisans Angkor did have some items for sale at a gift shop at the Siem Reap airport where I purchased an Aspara wood
carving for $225 upon our departure from Cambodia. After we all made our purchases, our group had dinner but I wasn't too hungry so I settled on a small pineapple fried rice dish. After dinner, we all had the option of attending a Cambodian circus called Phare. When this option was first initially proposed, I just assumed that we would be going to a circus in the conventional sense with animals performing tricks for our amusement. Thankfully this was not the case. Phare was more like a Cambodian version of Cirque du Soleil. More than just a circus, Phare is a social enterprise that seeks to give young Cambodians an opportunity to escape poverty for careers in theater and the performing arts. When we arrived at the venue, I was actually surprised to see a large crowd of tourists gathering to watch the show. Before taking our seats, I walked around to read the signs telling the story of Phare. This is when I learned that we wouldn't be watching a traditional circus. Many shows are put on by Phare but the show that we were to watch tonight was called Khmer Metal which portrays the story of a Cambodian
rock bar and the antics of the workers and patrons as they keep their eyes open for potential romantic targets regardless of same or opposite gender. The show combined rock music with dance and high flying acrobatics and the agility, flexibility, and strength of the performers was simply amazing. Everyone in our group was captivated and kept on the edge of our seats during the show as the high flying acrobatics were performed. With the exception of the biting mosquitos, there was never a dull moment during the entire show. When the show finished, we had an opportunity to meet and take photos with some of the performers. Phare was a great experience and as we all got back into our tuk-tuks to return back to our hotel, we were all in a good mood after the amazing show and glad we were able to support a great organization. Once back at the hotel, most of us wanted to go out and have a few drinks to cap the evening. Sreymon brought us over to the bustling area known as Pub Street. Crowded with tourists and loud with music blaring from the bars, the group quickly decided that this area
Cambodia Angkor Air
Our flight from Phnom Penh to Siem Reapwas not for us. We dodged all of the touts trying to entice us into coming into their bar or restaurant and eventually Sreymon brought us to a quiet bar just off of Pub Street. Shea and I enjoyed a few watermelon mojitos tonight while sitting with and getting to know Phil and Mareid before eventually deciding to call it a night and walk back to the hotel.
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