Eat, Drink and be Merry

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More from Siem Reap

We are having a great time in Siem Reap and it certainly has a lot more to offer than just the temples. It is a great spot for eating, sight seeing, massage, day spas, shopping, walking and generally relaxing. When we can drag the kids out of the pool we have managed to get out and about a bit, and apart from Mitchy suffering from ‘spasmodic, episodic tuk tuk fever’ (also known as wanting to tell the more incessant ones to ‘bugger off’ occasionally) all is well!

Food has been one of the best things about our stay in Siem Reap and one of the highlights so far has been lunch at ‘Butterflies’ in Siem Reap, It is a restaurant that provides further training for disadvantaged youth in the hospitality industry. There is a netting canopy over the garden which encloses various species of butterflies flying through the garden. The kids loved it, naming butterflies that they found and caring for the ones that were injured. Their favourite was a beautiful yellow butterfly, affectionately named ‘Daffodil’. Armed with a book, they tried to find out the species names of the butterflies. They also found a couple of frogs and a toad, and looked at the huge fish in the pond. Food was delicious and the setting is a real treat.
(Unfortunately Grace had to break the news to us over lunch that Daffodil ‘has died in my arms’ , and Olivia said that she was put in the ‘death area’ with the other poor unfortunate butterflies that the kids found.)

We have found a great restaurant in ‘The Alley’ right in the centre of town, a small alleyway that has restaurants and cafes all the way along, very swish. We ate at the Khmer kitchen; Mitchy reports that the bible (Lonely Planet) said that Mick Jagger ate there. Anyway whether he did or not (and we choose to believe that he did) the food was magnificent! So good that we went back two nights in a row. The shrimp lab was spicy but absolutely delicious, and the kids enjoyed it too. There was a lovely waitress called Ara who played with the kids for most of the night on both visits, teaching them some games where the ‘loser’ had to do a ‘challenge‘, usually running into the kitchen to ‘say hello to the cook!’ there were squeals of delight not only from the kids but from the kitchen staff as well.

We also ate lunch at The Red Piano which was listed as one of the best and where Angelina had a cocktail named after her Tomb Raider character as she had also been there. We think that Mick was on the money though and while it was a good meal we will be heading back to the Khmer Kitchen.

We also visited the Angkor Artisans near the centre of town which is a training school for traditional crafts of Cambodia, you get a free guided tour through the centre which may sound a bit ‘school excursion’ but was actually brief, interesting (and free). Luckily we are on a big trip as we may have spent quite a bit of money buying their wares and trying to transport them home.

We have had a great time riding the tuk tuks in Siem Reap, Mitchy arranged a tuk tuk driver months ago through a guy in Holland. Leonard met Saveth, a tuk tuk driver on a trip to Siem Reap and has since set up a website (below) to help Saveth obtain bookings.

Mitchy booked Saveth through Leonard to pick us up from the bus station and then take us around for two days. We actually had Saveth drive us in one tuk tuk and Paul in another. They have been really great to us and we (especially the kids) now look out for them in town and the kids run into their arms when we see them. Mackie now answers the other drivers ‘no tuk tuk , we have our own tuk tuk’. In addition to the tuk tuk hire we booked to go to Saveth’s home and had lunch cooked for us which was a lovely experience. Saveth also has four children and lives a little out of the city. The food was delicious and there was ‘entertainment’ next door. Mitchy turned down the offer to go to the cock fighting although we did peek through the kitchen window and it looked like it was a fairly well accepted and organised event.

We have also done the obligatory markets since we have been here, the old market which is the main town market and sells tourist curios and clothes as well as fruit, sausages and gizzards. The Night Market was quite lovely, featuring ‘Dr Fish’ a big tank of small fish that give you a ‘massage and pedicure’ just by putting your feet in and having the fish nibble at them. It was pretty tempting when you watched other people dip their feet in and giggle for 15 minutes, surely we all need a little bit of ‘Dr Fish’ in our lives.

We also went to a traditional dance show of ‘Aspara’ which was great to see, the children really enjoyed it and it was free if you bought drinks or food, always a bonus!

I have just finished a book called ‘First they Killed My Father’ about the experience of a child living through the Pol Pot regime. You often hear the term ‘harrowing’ and don’t really connect to the emotion but this was an amazingly harrowing book. I am not sure if it was intensified because I am very close to the age of the author, or that I have young children but it was so, so sad. It really illustrates the agony of all who lived under Pol Pot.

While the history is difficult to accept it does make us appreciate how far Cambodia has come in a relatively short time as a country and as a people.
More from Battambang as we try and work out how to cross a border!

Tourist Tid Bits

Transport
The Mekong Express was a six hour trip from Phnom Penh with a stop on the way, clean and comfortable although maybe a little cosy or maybe that was sharing seats with as many children as could sneak into my seat..
Tuk Tuk’s are on every corner but Saveth and Paul are great, Have a look at the website below and from there you can book Saveth
www.angkortuktuk.net


Food
Don’t miss the ‘Khmer Kitchen’! A must try is the lab, especially good with shrimp.

‘Butterflies’ is definitely worth a visit, especially if you have children. Meals are a little more expensive than at other places but are delicious and you are supporting a great cause while having a great ‘up close and personal’ natural experience.

The Red Piano and the Angkor Palm are also great spots to eat.

There are supermarkets dotted about the place, we have even discovered (and bought) vegemite and cornflakes. They are not as cheap as Australia for these items, in fact lots of the prices at supermarkets seem comparable to home. Buying healthy is just like it is at home, more expensive! Some bread products seem to have a lot of sugar in and strangely enough this turns the children off them?

Shop where the locals go, not only is it a more true to life experience but it is also cheaper! There aren’t any grumpy looking tourists and not so many people trying to sell postcards, trinkets etc, while this is part of the fun it is exhausting at times. We found a great local market close by our hotel just by heading out for a wander, much cheaper and more relaxing.

Activities
Grab a copy of “Stay Another Day” a free booklet on quality Cambodian initiatives that tourists can visit, experience or buy from, all of which support local industry, disadvantaged people or the environment. There is a website: www.stay-another-day.org

Free Apsara dancing show at “The Temple Club” one of the restaurants along Pub Street from 07.30 to 08.30 if you buy food or drinks.
The Night Market is definitely worth a visit, Central Market is much like others in Cambodia.
Artisans Angkor is definitely worth a visit, allow an hour and that will be heaps, you might want to allow some spending money too.

Okay, I admit it, we went back yesterday to visit ‘Dr Fish’, Grace thought it was ‘weird but cool’, Olivia ‘tickly and fun’, Finn ‘it doesn’t tickle’ (although he laughed the whole time) and Mac ‘they were biting there and there and there and there’. It definitely made us laugh and although I don’t think it was the ’pedicure’ that was promised it did soothe our tired feet.



Temples
We loved them, one day was great for us, we could possibly do this again with a few days break in between with children. We would love to come back again for another perspective when the kids are older. If you had time it would be great to have a guide, we are not sure of the cost. Our waitress Ara from the Khmer Kitchen does take people out to the temples her email address is [e-mail] she speaks good English and especially if you had kids she would be great! Ara can also put you in touch with cooking lessons and day trips to the lake.
Be aware that there are lots of shrines within the temples where incense is burned and while this is inherently a lovely experience especially for the children, you will need to offer some money even if you don’t initiate it. One guy gave us burning sticks and then asked for $10 USD.
The temples are truly amazing and if you are interested in visiting them please don’t wait too long before they become exclusive or excessively expensive…





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Comments

[the votes]

hi guys, sounds like you are having an amazing time! sorry we missed your farewell party too..... take care and glad to hear you are all having such a great time! love the votes xxxx ps. happy 40th mitchy!