Skip to main content

Seen in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Some travellers dismiss Siem Reap, Cambodia as touristy. Others say that temples (think Angkor Wat) are its only attraction. But I recommend Siem Reap as the perfect getaway for those with four or five stays to spare and are looking to see something of Cambodia. You will notice that some parts look like Langkawi in Malaysia.

If you only concentrate on the places designed to attract a lot of tourists you are likely to be disappointed. Siem Reap will forever be in my heart because of its people.

The Muslim F&B manager at Royal Angkor Resort, where I stayed, is very helpful; the young woman who helps out at a scarf stall at the Angkor Night Market is sweet ; and the tuk-tuk drivers are polite and chatty.

I have not been to Phnom Penh so I cannot compare the people there with those in Siem Reap but many in Siem Reap smile easily. What a welcome!

They awaken memories of people in Malaysia some 50 years ago when we too smiled a lot. The photos below remind me why Siem Reap is special.



The preferred mode of transport: tuk-tuk. It is quick and fun!

A friendly tuk-tuk driver. He is very polite.

The famous Pub Street in Siem Reap city.

Pubs and cafes on Pub Street.

This was a first for me and I did not dare try it!

Good bargains at the Angkor Night Market. Be prepared to haggle.

Cambodian dancers entertain guests at a private party. Love their costumes.

Young workers take a break from work at a beauty and massage salon.

Comments

Popular Posts

Buah Tarap: A chance encounter

You learn something new everyday. My friend Alina is very fond of repeating this. And I agree with her. Today I tasted the Buah Tarap (Tarap Fruit) which is said to be unique to Sabah/Borneo. My colleagues and I arrived in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah this afternoon; we are here for the RHB New Straits Times Spell-It-Right Challenge which will take place at the Suria Mall over the weekend. After checking into the Beverly Hotel we walked to a nearby eatery for a spot of tea. It was then that I chanced upon the Buah Tarap and began snapping away. My colleague, who had eaten the fruit in Bandung, Indonesia, was excited to see it. He bought one for us to try. The stall vendor split the fruit into two and we bit into its flesh. Everyone liked it but describing its flavour remains a challenge. The fruit, which looks like nangka (jackfruit) or chempedak,  has an unusual combination of tastes: it is sweet but not as sweet as the jackfruit nor as chunky. Words fail me. It feels so lig...

Why Shamsul Amri dislikes Facebook

Professor Shamsul Amri Baharuddin People who do not use Facebook fall into three broad categories. The first group is completely indifferent to it, the second finds it mildly irritating and the third dislikes it intensely. Malaysia's prominent sociologist Professor Shamsul Amri Baharuddin is of the last type. I made the mistake of asking Shamsul, who is director of the Institute of Ethnic Studies at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, if he was on Facebook, the social network which was hatched up in the dormitories of Harvard six years ago. "I have a face and I keep thousands of books. Why do I need Facebook?" How do you react to that reply? I didn't. I meekly invited him to elaborate on his reasons. "Facebook will take away my soul and I won't allow that to happen because I am a believer," says Shamsul fiercely, who launched into a tirade of accusations against Facebook. Ninety per cent of the things you read on Facebook are either p...

Dealing with death of a loved one

Today marks the end of Rabiaa's mourning period. She had completed four months and 10 days or 130 days of grieving, the stipulated period for expressing sorrow for Muslim widows.  The death of her husband on Dec 30, 2020 was expected  but it still came as a huge shock to her. It was too sudden, she felt. Yet  observers would not agree. Her husband became bedridden in mid-November after a collision between his big bike and a car which had come from the opposite direction after taking an illegal turn.  In addition to being bedridden, Anwar, lost his voice which was the direct result of the  brain injury he had suffered after the accident. He was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. How does Rabiaa feel now? The pain is bearable but the memories remain as vivid as ever. She is still unwilling to clear up all of her husband's things and some items remain in their original positions as before he became bound to the bed. His belongings connect Rabiaa to Anwar and sh...