Cambodia, Siem Reap (2011, Mar 14-16)

Siem Reap (see-am ree-ep), a bustling northern Cambodian town perched on Siem Reap River 4 km/ 10 minutes drive to the Angkor Archeological Park. Literally Siam Defeated, commemorates the victory of Khmer Empire over the neighboring kingdom of Thailand, Siem Reap serves as the gateway to the millennium-old ruins of the Angkorian-era Khmer Empire.

Visa on Arrival can be obtained at Visa Counter upon arrival at Siem Reap International Airport. VOA for Indonesian passport holder is USD20. Bring a recent color passport photo (4cmx6cm) with white background, fill in the visa application form and watch your application whizzes along a line of about 10 crisply uniformed officials. I was all set for any hanky-panky deal that may occurred as Cambodia is a thriving country, still struggling to fight corruption. To my surprise, my passport was returned to me in a blink of eye and the officer even said "Terima kasih" with a broad smile. A nice welcoming to the country.

My driver was there to pick me up. We drove along the smooth National Route no. 6, lined with large upscale hotels, and later slided through a few small dusty streets which led to Angkor Night Market and the Red Piano Guesthouse, giving me a thorough introduction to this small town :)

After checking in the Red Piano Guesthouse and bought my bus ticket to Phnom Penh, I was ready to hit downtown on foot. Siem Reap is easy to navigate in an hour or two. The center is around Old Market (Phsar Chas). Old French shop houses, shady tree-lined boulevards and gentle winding river are remnants of the past, while 5 star hotel and international restaurants are pointers to the future. Some common public transport frequently used by both locals and tourists are bicycle, motodup (moto-taxi) or remorque-moto (tuk-tuk). I finally opted for the latter. The heat was killing me and after half a day walk around Old Market, I thought I should give my feet a rest. The tuk-tuk driver charged me USD2 for a short trip to Wat Preah Prom Rath, Angkor National Museum and a few stops along the Siem Reap River.

Cambodia informally runs on US dollars with an exchange rate to Cambodian riels of USD1~KHR4,070. Keep plenty of USD1 bills on you and don't bother to change money into riels. Small change less than USD1 is returned in local currency, so you will accumulate enough of those in return change. All Cambodian currency is in the form of paper notes. Currently the country doesn't employ coins. Notes range in denominations from 50 to 100,000 riel. 500, 1000, 5000 and 10,000 riel notes are the most common denominations.

Siem Reap International Airport

The Siem Reap International Airport is a short 6 km, 10 minute ride to the center of town. Most hotels offer free transportation from the airport with advance reservations. (cf: Siem Reap, the Red Piano Guesthouse & Resto)

Siem Reap International Airport

Siem Reap International Airport

For an airport in a third world country, Siem Reap Intl Airport is extremely modern and well-organized.

2 Thnou Street

Siem Reap's street foods are easily found around Phsar Chas and on 2 Thnou Street at the end of Pub Street. I ended up at a small local eatery along Street 9, packed with locals. The food is cheap, just USD1 for a complete meal and my pick is steamed rice topped with pork sausage, broccoli saute, served with a bowl of boiling soup and a glass of drinking water... for free. In a typical Khmer meal, people usually have rice accompanied by 3 or 4 dishes in separate plates.

Phsar Chas, meaning Old Market is both a tourist market and a functioning local market. Shops along edge of the market complex, on the busiest main street are almost exclusively tourist shops. But if you venture in or around the corner, you'll see shops still catering to locals. Here bargaining is the norm and all sellers at the market will quote a price with room for discounts.

Phsar Chas is located south of the Old French Quarter. The architecture around Phsar Chas is distinctly colonial with a touch of French influences. Many of the townhouses have been restored into establishments catering to foreign tourist.

2 Thnou Street

Viva Mexica Cafe (www.ivivasiemreap.com/restaurant.html) and The Warehouse (www.thewarehousesiemreap.com) are two of the many modern eating and entertainment establishments along 2 Thnou Street.

Wat Preah Prohm Rath

In front of the complex is a statue of a long boat.

Wat Preah Prohm Rath

The entrance gate of the wat, from inside looking out.

Wat Preah Prohm Rath

Situated on the river in the center of town, Wat Preah Phrom Rath is the oldest monastery in Siem Reap and the main vihear was constructed in 1945.

Preah (Khmer) 'Sacred'
Vihear (Khmer) 'Main temple building of a Buddhist pagoda or temple group. Houses the Buddha image.

Wat Preah Prohm Rath

Wat Preah Prohm Rath

Wat Preah Prohm Rath

Wat Preah Prohm Rath

Preah Prohm Rath Monastery

Wat Preah Prohm Rath

Wat Preah Phrom Rath is very well-maintained, full with colorful buildings and surrounded by lush garden.

Wat Preah Prohm Rath

The gray six-tiered Wat contains broken pieces of a golden statue of Buddha. At each of its four side, there is a carved statue to guard its contents. Further above are Apsara dancers.

Wat Preah Prohm Rath

Remorque-moto

Remorque-motos (aka tuk-tuk) are the most popular form of transportation as the covered and semi-enclosed trailer offers seating for 2 and protection from sun and rain. For short trips around town, try for USD1 though drivers may charge USD2 for trip to the edges of town at night. Prices rise if you pile in more people. Motodups -motorcycles on which passengers ride pillion- are half as expensive as tuk-tuk. Full day rates for transportation to tour the temples.

Car Taxi: USD20-25/day; Remorque-moto: USD12-15/day; Motodup: USD8-10/day; Bicycle: USD2-3.

Expect to receive almost constant offers for motodup and tuk-tuk rides. I got more than 15 offers a day that I quickly developed tuk-tuk fatigue.

Siem Reap River

Stung Siem Reap (Siem Reap River) flows north to south through the center of town and have enough bridges that you don't have to worry about being on the wrong side.

Post Office

Stung Siem Reap

Stung Siem Reap St.

Stung Siem Reap St.

Stung Siem Reap St.

Angkor National Museum

Angkor National Museum is quite a new museum in Siem Reap. Opened on 2007, the museum reveals the royal historical path of the Golden Era of the Khmer Kingdom through the state of the art multimedia technology in an easy understanding way. A walk along the 20,000 m2 compound will be joyful for both visitors who have a good understanding of the ancient Khmer civilization and visitors who don't have previous knowledge of the ancient Khmer Empire.

Upon entering the modern museum, you are ushered to deposit your personal belongings at the deposit box where you will receive a deposit card and deposit bag.

Next you will obtain the passport to the Angkor National Museum at the information counter, then proceed to the ticket booth where you will be provided with a fast ticketing system. Should you wish to take a photo or acquire for an audio tour set, just inform the ticketing staff.

Opening Time: 09.00-20.00 everyday.
Pets, smoking, food and drink are not permitted in the museum.
Entrance Fare: Foreigner USD12, Cambodian USD3, Children with height less than 1,2m will obtain 50% discount.

Photography Pass USD2.
Authorized for outside exhibited galleries only, with a certified camera pass.

Audio Tour Guide USD3
Headset is provided in 7 languages: Khmer, Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Korean and Thai. However individual tour guides are available in 6 languages: English, Korean, Japanese, French, Chinese and Thai.

Angkor National Museum

Prior to exploring the galleries, visitors are invited to proceed to The 80-seat Briefing Hall for an orientation to the museum and its amenities. Show times are scheduled for every 15 minutes and are available in 7 languages: Khmer, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, English, French and Thai.

The museum covers Khmer history, civilization and cultural heritage in 8 galleries:

Exclusive Gallery: 1,000 Buddha Images. "A gallery of Cambodian Buddhism Reflections"
Buddhism is spiritually linked to the ancient Khmer civilization to the present-day in Cambodia. The gallery of 1,000 Buddha exhibits one of the most prestigious collections of 1,000 Buddha statues and relics ever assembled.

Gallery A: Pre-Angkor Period: Khmer Civilization. "The Origin of Khmer Empires Story"
One of the mysteries is how the Khmer Empire was established. Learn what drove an ancient Khmer civilization to create one of the world's most colossal structures ever. Explore the Khmer peoples' faith in their great kings and delve into the stories of ancient wars that once ravaged these tranquil lands.

Gallery B: Religion and Beliefs. "The Reflection of Khmer's Beliefs"
Religion in Khmer Empire had both direct and indirect effects on all aspects of Khmer civilization, including literary works, sculptures, architecture and even daily life. Visitors will learn the legends and folk tales that motivated the civilization of Angkor for centuries.

Gallery C: The Great Khmer Kings. "The Great Investors"
History shows there were 4 particularly notable Khmer kings who made the Khmer Empire one of the world's greatest civilizations.
- King Jayavarman II, who united the two kingdoms of Tchen-La during the year 802-850.
- King Yasovarman I, who established Angkor as the capital between the years 889-900.
- King Soryavarman II, who built Angkor Wat between the years 1113-1150.
- King Jayavarman VII, who built Angkor Thom between the years 1181-1218.

Gallery D: Angkor Wat. "The Heaven on Earth"
A visit to the museum will bring visitors closer to Angkor Wat and learn how the gigantic city was constructed, thus maximizing the splendor that visitors feel the next time they visit the real Angkor Wat.

Gallery E: Angkor Thom. "The Pantheons of Spirit"
Explore Angkor Thom, the great capital, an architectural masterpiece of sophisticated technology combined with precious artworks created over many generations. The changes in religious beliefs are seen throughout the design ang artwork in this splendid city. Learn about astonishing ancient engineering plans of public utilities, such as large scale irrigation projects to support the cities population.

Gallery F: Story from Stones. "The Evidences of the Past"
The stone inscriptions, found throughout Angkor, record important historical events and serve as a proof that such a grand world once existed. Such inscriptions provide us with a window back int ime to the lives, beliefs, and various legends of the ancient Khmer Empire. Just as importantm the stone inscriptions provide evidence of the ancient language of the region and offer opportunities for linguists to preserve the language.

Gallery G: Ancient Costume. "The Fascination of Apsara"
Ancient garbs denoted status in society as did the beautiful jewelry and accessories worn by the people of the kingdom.

The Museum Co. Ltd.
No. 968 Vithei Charles de Gaulle, Phoum Salakanseng,
Khom Svaydangum, Siem reap District, Siem Reap Province, Kingdom of Cambodia.
Phone: 855 63 966 601
Fax: 855 63 966 600
Email: info@the-anm.com
Website: www.angkornationalmuseum.com

Khmer Fried Chicken ???

I'm not an avid fan of KFC, but I found myself winding down at the one and only KFC outlet in Siem Reap. This "Finger Licking Good" joint at Sivatha Boulevard did offer high power AC which saved me from dehydration. It was my first day in Cambodia and my body metabolism was working hard to cope with the dry weather.

Cambodia has four seasons:
December-February, cool/dry.
March-May, hot/dry.
June-August, hot/rain.
September-November, cold/diminishing rain.
During the hot season, the hottest day rarely climb above 35C and the cool season may be as low as 18C.

Street Baguette

Baguettes are common in Indochina Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos thanks to the French influence from colonial times. 

Street Baguette

The outer cover of baguette is hard, but the center is soft. This is how the baguette stall looks like. A bit of locally made paste, pork mince, slices of cucumber pickles, hams, tomatoes and chillies make up a yummy Siem Reap baguette. And it's cheap too... just cost me USD1.

Sometimes baguette is eaten with jam or butter (cf. Siem Reap, the Red Piano Guesthouse & Resto).