Travel Stories : Siem Reap (Day 4 of 5)

Write up by Sir Cheapskate.

In case you need to catch up, you can read the stories from Day 1 here.

Day 4 is the lock down day. By this time most of us were already piled up with office work and just needed the day to do phone calls, text messages and get shits together. This is a problem with going for weekday trips, you cannot totally disconnect with the tasks at work.

Also at this point, we were turning 27, after a few years of study. FYI, since we study Architecture, we spend 6 to 7 years of study before we can be a Graduate Architect. But still we aren't fully Architects unless we go for another year of study and professional examination to finally be Professional Architects. Here you are sitting and thinking Architects had it easy. Just drawing shit, you thought.

By this age, most of us are finally really exposed to the intense part of the industry and it's quite a learning curve for most of us. We spent the last 3 years studying and staying abroad with countless opportunities to travel. Now that we are back home and working, it's quite a transition to go through and adjust.

This trip acted as a warning and also a hands on training on what the career as Architects bring to your personal time.

The day started quite late for us and since there were no specific itineraries set on this day, we decided to do our own thing and explore the city on our own times. We did some exploration with the hostel, specifically the rooftop pool. Quite crowded.

The Hostel (Part 2)

I mentioned in the first post (Day 1) about the atmosphere of the hostel.

We only fully explored the place in this 4th day. The pool is located at the rooftop and has a great view of the city and some Wat close to the area. It's a simple rectangular pool of 5-feet depth with deck on either sides.

The hotel lobby is less packed in the evening because guests have either checked in or checked out. But during night time it's quite lively since it's a common room, so guests would sit here for coffee and also use the computer to plan their itineraries. We played poker.

The seating area outside is designated for smokers and also loud conversations.

We used this 4th day to go around searching for souvenirs. As for me, I'm saving it for the night life.

Massage

One of us went to a massage parlor days earlier and it was total rip-off. That's how we learned that if the massage parlor or so called spa have women (hopefully) calling you, touching you and pulling you to come in, then please avoid it. They will most probably push for sex and do other cheats to pull dollars out of you.

Do opt for foot massage, where they have chairs in line and a lot of customers foreign and locals. They give great food massage in Khmer style. This is where I learned to differentiate Khmer and Thai massage; the former is much harder and tougher than the latter. Thai massage is more graceful and less painful. Khmer massage is... well... painful.

We did 1 hour foot massage for the price of USD 4.

Siem Reap Art Center Night Market

Honestly this market is a bit of a rip-off. Prices are truly "tourist-friendly" (high prices aimed for tourists) and things there are pretty much the same. Same t-shirt designs but different prices as you go around.

I'm not the kind of a shopper-traveler. I'm a Cheapskate. I don't buy souvenirs and most certainly I don't want to go home with heavier backpack than when I arrived.

But I'll write something on the market atmosphere.

It's a must for night shopping. If you are a Hard Rock Cafe tokens collector like Count Extra, you will find this area convenient. The Hard Rock Cafe Siem Reap is located adjacent to this market, at the roundabout. The market, however, is located across the river, in which you will go through this footbridge as its entrance.

Since it's an art market ,you can find quality paintings here. I remember some very impressive abstract paintings and then some quality oil paintings of the Angkor Wat. There are also various sizes of Buddhist statues for collectors. Even some jewelries and accessories for the ladies.

Bargain hard. I bought the only souvenir I got here. 1 t-shirt for just USD1. Most of them sell 3 t-shirts for USD5.

Angkor Night Market

We visited this market many times as it is located very close to our hostel. This is where cheap food is. Over the course of 3 nights, we have become a fan of this one and only Halal stall where they sell meat with bun. Not sure what it actually is but it's like kebab but not quite. Costs only USD 1.50.

Sweet tooths can find the popular rolled ice cream here, made popular by Thai hawkers.

You can also find some pubs here but there are better selection of pubs at Pub Street.

Pub Street

Oh my God! Just... oh my God!

The whole street is a pub and the whole street is the dance floor. Literally.

During the day, this street is pretty much your usual barely-existing street. No statements or whatsoever. Come night time, neon lights all over. This is where you should for your pub crawl night out.

Not enough with the pubs and clubs, there are also small makeshift bars. Basically a tuktuk which is also the bar. Best thing is, these makeshift bars will park along the street but most concentrated at the central junction. Each has their own music on loud speakers and as soon as you buy a drink, the bar tender will hand you the laptop for you to chose which song comes next. Then you will dance on the street.

It's a party street!

Expect the drinks, cocktails and mocktails to be around USD 1 to USD 2.50.

END OF DAY 4 OF 5.

- Sir Cheapskate