Cambodia's Tourist Town

REY and I were joined by University of Baguio officials on a sponsored trip to SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA. We arrived early afternoon and checked in at Hotel Angkor Miracle Resort and Spa, which is conveniently located by the Airport Road.

CAMBODIA is a land of low plains and forested hills. Most of Cambodia’s population live in farming villages and work in rice paddies. Nine out of ten Cambodians belong to the Khmer peoples. Between the 800s and the 1300s, the Khmer built up a great empire across much of Southeast Asia, with its capital at ANGKOR. Cambodia was ruled by the Thais, French, Japanese and Vietnamese. The Khmer Rouge, a political party led by Pol Pot, seized power in 1975. The dictatorship forced town dwellers to farm the land, and millions of people died of hunger and disease or were murdered. The Khmer Rouge rule was very brutal and only ended recently when Pol Pot died in 1998.

SIEM REAP (pronounced See-um Ree-up) is Cambodia’s most touristy town. Western luxuries are freely available. There are plenty of English-speaking locals and the selection of bars and restaurants seems infinite. The first time I arrived was in the late 1990s and until now, despite a new hotel seemingly under construction on every corner, it remains sleepy and traditional.

After a quick Khmer lunch at a local restaurant, we proceeded to the Angkor National Museum – a world-class exhibition museum that enhances the cultural heritage of the Golden Era of Khmer Kingdom. I enjoyed the interactive multimedia technology used with full picturesque legendary stories which was made easy in an understanding way.

Dinner was at the RED PIANO on PUB STREET where rows of restaurants and bars, lines of tuktuks all lively, and US dollars changing hands (the main currency here instead of the Cambodian Riel). It seemed like all the weary travelers, locals and foreigners descended on this lively street, and by mid-evening a party atmosphere pervaded.

While the gentlemen enjoyed drinking, the ladies walked to the Angkor Night Market where popular souvenirs of hand-woven Cambodian silks, colored gems, statues, carvings, and silver areca (betel) containers were bought at reasonable prices.

Our tour the next day was a boat ride on Tonle Sap LAKE – the largest fresh-water lake in South East Asia. We passed floating village communities, towering stilted houses, and huge fish traps. They are built on stilts because flooding is common across Cambodia. A lunch of grilled fish, shrimp omelets, and chicken curry at a fisherman’s restaurant was simple yet tasty. The breezy boat ride back to town lulled everyone to sleep.

Source - sunstar.com.ph