Cambodia

Cambodia — Siem Reap, Cambodia

Nick Morris

Nick Morris

— 4 min read

A wander around town

September 2015

As I had cut my tour of a local village short, I was back in Siem Reap early, so I wandered around town.

In my wanderings, I came across some monks out doing the shopping.

Photo by Author — monks out shopping — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — monks out shopping — Siem Reap, Cambodia

And I loved the local wiring.

Photo by Author — love the local wiring — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — love the local wiring — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — more great wiring — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — more great wiring — Siem Reap, Cambodia

At some places, for example, at the Banteay Srei Temple and around Siem Reap, I got approached by people claiming to be the police and selling souvenir police badges and patches. All very odd.

As with any place I visit, there are always a western-style coffee shops, and there were several in Siem Reap.

Photo by Author — local coffee shop — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — local coffee shop — Siem Reap, Cambodia

Besides the coffee shops, there were also many western tourist bars.

Photo by Author — one of the many western tourist bars — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — one of the many western tourist bars — Siem Reap, Cambodia

With most of them on or near Pub Street.

Photo by Author — Pub Street by day — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Pub Street by day — Siem Reap, Cambodia

As I have seen in many places, there were motorbike/scooter parks around the town.

Photo by Author — motorbike park at the local market — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — motorbike park at the local market — Siem Reap, Cambodia

I also found the local High School.

I asked a local about the school, and they explained that there were two 4-hour sessions per day, and the children only attended one. School is from Monday to Saturday, inclusive. The children start school at six years old, through to 18.

While on the road going to the temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park, I didn't see any schools in the rural areas. Do the kids get shipped into town? Are there schools in the villages?

Photo by Author — Siem Reap High School, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — Siem Reap High School, Siem Reap, Cambodia

This motorbike intrigued me. I loved how the goods sold were arranged and stacked on the bike.

Photo by Author — a seller’s motorbike — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — a seller’s motorbike — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — the same motorbike as above, but from the front — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — the same motorbike as above, but from the front — Siem Reap, Cambodia

As I travelled around the Angkor Archaeological Park, I noticed a lack of petrol stations. I wondered where the many motorbikes got their fuel.

I asked about the apparent lack of petrol stations and was told that petrol was often sold in bottles at small stalls by the side of the road. Usually, the petrol was of poor quality with a high lead content. This petrol was not bought from regular petrol stations but from other suppliers and was considerably cheaper.

Photo by Author — a local petrol station — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — a local petrol station — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — another local petrol station — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — another local petrol station — Siem Reap, Cambodia

As with everywhere I have travelled in South East Asia, there was inventive use of motorbikes in Siem Reap.

Photo by Author — a bike and trailer — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — a bike and trailer — Siem Reap, Cambodia

And as I had seen elsewhere — side-saddle riding was common.

Photo by Author — getting around town — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — getting around town — Siem Reap, Cambodia

As I returned to my hotel — Château d'Angkor La Residence — I heard a lot of noise from what appeared to be a barn.

I stopped and looked inside and saw a game of volleyball with a sizeable group of very vocal spectators watching.

Photo by Author — local game of volleyball — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo by Author — local game of volleyball — Siem Reap, Cambodia

I enjoyed my afternoon stroll around Siem Reap. It was nice to get out and explore the local neighbourhood.

Read more