Siem Reap, Cambodia

Our next adventure is again in Asia - our first time in Cambodia, accompanied by our friends Lorraine and Bill who have also travelled to Thailand and Vietnam with us.  We left Canberra on 5 November flying Malaysian Airlines and arrived in Kuala Lumpur for a 7-hour layover at 3.00am next morning.  KL airport has an airside hotel, so we booked in to have a decent sleep, shower and breakfast before the 2-hour flight to Siem Reap.  It cost around $48 but was well worth it for the few hours of sleep after a long flight.

We arrived in Siem Reap and were transferred to the Frangipani Hotel ... we'd booked deluxe poolview rooms, but didn't know that we'd be on the 3rd floor, with no lift!  That's 64 stairs at least 3 times a day up and down for 10 days - do the maths, that's a lot of stairs.  We all should be super-skinny by the time we get home.  

 
 Our first day was spent just getting our bearings, having a drink or two by the pool, then joining other guests for a set Khmer dinner and Apsara Dancing Show performed by a group of children from a local orphanage which the Frangipani Hotel supports. 

Next morning we took a walk into town across the river for a wander around.  We came across a 'Dr Fish' spa - I'd heard about these from Ann & Stew, so I was keen to try one.  It's a big tank of fish surrounded by bench seats, and you sit on the bench after having your legs and feet washed, stick your feet in and the fish all swarm around and clean your feet for you - it's a very weird feeling, quite ticklish until you get used to it, and is obviously very entertaining for all the passersby!

Lorraine and I did it first while Trev and Bill took photos, then we talked them into trying it too.  Well, Bill was quite impressed but Trev was not a fan at all!  I'll probably have another one before I return home.  After our fish spa we had lunch at the restaurant opposite and I think it cost less than $20 for food, a couple of beers and drinks for 4 people - not bad at all.

Next up was the old markets.  Not as much of a 'hard sell' as in Thailand, and there was an interesting array of items for sale. Lorraine and I both bought some jewellery, then we wandered into the 'fresh food' section.  

Well, Lorraine lasted about 5 mins before finding a way out - couldn't handle the sight and smell of meat and fish in such an enclosed area, and it can be very confronting seeing it all laid out on the floors and benches.  Trev went with Lorraine, while Bill and I went through taking photos - we both found it fascinating and certainly very colourful.



We headed back to the hotel and had a very long (and hot) walk back - someone took a wrong turn, perhaps?  Well, I was in charge of the map at that stage, so I have to take responsibility.  But we definitely saw some interesting sights, lots of little back roads, potholes and dust and Cambodian people just going about their daily lives, so it wasn't all bad.  


We desperately needed a shower, swim and drinks when we got back so we congregated around the pool and planned important things like where we going to go for dinner and what we were going to do the next day.  We ended up having dinner at a little Thai restaurant called 'Beaches' just down the road where we again spent around $20 for a really lovely meal including drinks.  We planned to go to Angkor Wat the next day.