Cambodia???

Yes. That’s right……Cambodia. We were now in Cambodia, and for why? Well, it seemed like a good passage through to Vietnam. And also there was Angkor Wat too, but I’ll get to that in good time. We had spent a relaxing night in our almost-lavish hotel, and we were ready to explore. It was a strange experience to see our local surroundings in the daylight, and almost a little scary. It was fair to say that the standard of living had been decreasing since we left Singapore, and it was pretty ropey down some local alleys. But we managed to find the main drag and set about getting some supplies in to sustain us through our visit.

The rocky road outside the hotel

Thailand had been cheap. We assumed that Cambodia would be even cheaper, but it didn’t feel it. With everything being priced in US dollars (but with change being given in dollars and Cambodian Riel) it got a little confusing at times. But we soon got the hang of the exchange rates (4030 Riel to the US dollar) and wandered through the markets down by the river. The bartering with the Cambodians was a lot more peaceful and civilised than with the Thai’s, but sometimes it seemed like they got upset when we asked the price and didn’t end up buying the item. After a few little purchases we headed over the river to the Art Market on the other side, and it was much the same. T-shirts, carvings and sunglasses; if you ever need some then get to Cambodia! Oh, and massages too. For a dollar, apparently.

Market traders

After the Art Market we wandered down by the river and hit the main park. It was quiet and cool down there, with some festival or ritual going on, we assumed that it was relating to the death of the Cambodian king on the previous Monday. We found our way back to the hotel and then went out for some grub. The place to be in town, or the “Bourbon Street” of Siem Reap, is Pub Street. This is where all the foreigners go for eats and drinks so we thought we would join them, as it seemed the liveliest place to be, and there was no grotty picnic furniture in sight! Great food and 50 cent beers later we wandered back through the Night Market and made a few more purchases – which we probably wouldn’t have done normally, but those 50 cent beers had obviously done their work!