One thing you will love about Cambodia is the Food. Khmer cuisine has it's own flavors and traditions, not overly spicy with some traditional dishes that you must try. One of our favorites was anything with Kampot pepper sauce! A must try. If your travelling with kids, you will find the food to their liking - noodle and rice dishes are always a favorite.
There are numerous eating options in Siem Reap, and courtesy of our hectic schedule we had a few meals at the hotel, so our experience was by no means expansive, but here are three restaurants we enjoyed.
Green House
Just across the road from the Sokha Angkor resort we had lunch here and it did not disappoint. A family run affair with an extensive western and Khmer menu. We all tried Khmer food, and the standout was the Khmer beef soup - my taste buds are tingling as I write this!
A Little Khmer Cafe
One of many eating options near the old market. We dropped in here after a fun but exhausting bike tour with Grasshopper adventures and were well and truly hungry. Everything was good, and the stir fried morning glory with beef was very tasty. Great value.
Cafe Indochine
A step up in the fanciness stakes, but still very reasonable prices and the food was A grade. Beautiful old building and courtyard seating out the front. This was our last dinner in Siem Reap and we could not recommend this highly enough.
Cafe Indochine
Showing posts with label siem reap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label siem reap. Show all posts
Sunday, 27 November 2016
Saturday, 26 November 2016
Floating Village on Tonle Sap lake
As you are planning your itinerary for Siem Reap, make time for the floating villages of Kompong Phluk. It is the closest thing to another world that I have seen, and is a must see!
We organised this trip on the fly with our knowledgeable Tuk Tuk driver, who directed us to Kompong Phluk ahead of other options on Tonle Sap lake.
It is about a 40 minute ride out of Siem Reap to the departure point where you need to find the ticket office and pay $US20 per person for what turned out to be a 3 hour tour. For this we got our own long boat, driver and our Tuk Tuk driver joined us our own personal tour guide and all round good guy!
It takes about 30 minutes to get the Village, and it is simply breathtaking with a whole community living on stilted houses, kids jumping in to the lake, fishing, floating gardens...the list goes on. Our next stop was the only road in town, which is underwater for 7 month of the year. This was like nothing I have ever seen - a dirt road surrounded by stilted houses, with the whole community going about their business as you walked around. I felt a little like an intruder, but we were assured it was OK and the locals don't mind particularly if you engage, smile and show some courtesy.
Our next surprise was a floating garden tour on small canoes. You get dropped off to do this and it is $US5 per person. We were paddled around by some local women, and it is a serene experience. If you get the chance make sure you do this.
If we thought this trip could not get any better it did, courtesy of a short trip on to the lake proper to see the sunset. Magical!
The trip back to our Tuk Tuk, and make sure you tip your boat driver some $US.
We organised this trip on the fly with our knowledgeable Tuk Tuk driver, who directed us to Kompong Phluk ahead of other options on Tonle Sap lake.
It is about a 40 minute ride out of Siem Reap to the departure point where you need to find the ticket office and pay $US20 per person for what turned out to be a 3 hour tour. For this we got our own long boat, driver and our Tuk Tuk driver joined us our own personal tour guide and all round good guy!
It takes about 30 minutes to get the Village, and it is simply breathtaking with a whole community living on stilted houses, kids jumping in to the lake, fishing, floating gardens...the list goes on. Our next stop was the only road in town, which is underwater for 7 month of the year. This was like nothing I have ever seen - a dirt road surrounded by stilted houses, with the whole community going about their business as you walked around. I felt a little like an intruder, but we were assured it was OK and the locals don't mind particularly if you engage, smile and show some courtesy.
Our next surprise was a floating garden tour on small canoes. You get dropped off to do this and it is $US5 per person. We were paddled around by some local women, and it is a serene experience. If you get the chance make sure you do this.
If we thought this trip could not get any better it did, courtesy of a short trip on to the lake proper to see the sunset. Magical!
The trip back to our Tuk Tuk, and make sure you tip your boat driver some $US.
In and around Siem Reap
Siem Reap is a tourist hub, and an enjoyable city to spend some time in. There is plenty of bustle but it's also laid back and characterised by the warm and welcoming nature of the Cambodian people.
As luck would have it, our time in Siem Reap coincided with the annual Water festival, a major public holiday period for the Cambodian people with markets, picnics by the river and the spectacular sight of the boat races down the Mekong.
Here are some things we enjoyed in and around Siem Reap
Guided bike tour
We spent a morning on a guided bike tour with Grasshopper adventures. This was a great way to see the country side up close and our tour included local markets, a crocodile farm, pagoda and local cafe. This was really enjoyable and I would thoroughly recommend this if you have kids 10 years of age or older.
The bikes were good, the tour was well organised and we had attentive and knowledgeable tour guides.
Local Markets
There are some interesting markets in Siem Reap, including the Old Market and the Night Market. These are definitely worth checking out, and if your after some cheap or replica clothing then you are in the right place. There is a hustle and bustle to the old market and still acts as a market for locals with some great sights and sounds.
There is also a small and upscale market behind the Hard Rock Cafe that sells and showcases some quality Cambodian products. We got some wonderful handcrafted products from Kroma House, one of the vendors in the market.
War Museum
Cambodia's sad and tragic past and the impact of the Pol Pot regime is a sobering part of the travel experience. One of these experiences is to visit the War Museum Cambodia, which is an outdoor museum displaying various armaments and history relevant to the war and regime.
The real experience here is to have one of the museum guides show you around. We found this a heartfelt and insightful experience. Our guide was in his mid 30's and was able to relay his experience and that of his family's. The Cambodian people are optimistic and honest, and our guide was able to relay history and a story that you could not get otherwise.
We would recommend this, and it's appropriate to pay a small fee of a few dollars or more to your guide at the end.
Walking by the river
It is picturesque and interesting to walk along the riverfront. Start at the Royal Gardens and stroll along until you get to the old markets. There are also a number of interesting streets to get sidetracked in and plenty of places to stop for a cold drink.
Part of the travel experience is to walk and explore, and whilst not a classic city, Siem Reap has plenty to offer if you just want to explore
As luck would have it, our time in Siem Reap coincided with the annual Water festival, a major public holiday period for the Cambodian people with markets, picnics by the river and the spectacular sight of the boat races down the Mekong.
Here are some things we enjoyed in and around Siem Reap
Guided bike tour
We spent a morning on a guided bike tour with Grasshopper adventures. This was a great way to see the country side up close and our tour included local markets, a crocodile farm, pagoda and local cafe. This was really enjoyable and I would thoroughly recommend this if you have kids 10 years of age or older.
The bikes were good, the tour was well organised and we had attentive and knowledgeable tour guides.
Local Markets
There are some interesting markets in Siem Reap, including the Old Market and the Night Market. These are definitely worth checking out, and if your after some cheap or replica clothing then you are in the right place. There is a hustle and bustle to the old market and still acts as a market for locals with some great sights and sounds.
There is also a small and upscale market behind the Hard Rock Cafe that sells and showcases some quality Cambodian products. We got some wonderful handcrafted products from Kroma House, one of the vendors in the market.
War Museum
Cambodia's sad and tragic past and the impact of the Pol Pot regime is a sobering part of the travel experience. One of these experiences is to visit the War Museum Cambodia, which is an outdoor museum displaying various armaments and history relevant to the war and regime.
The real experience here is to have one of the museum guides show you around. We found this a heartfelt and insightful experience. Our guide was in his mid 30's and was able to relay his experience and that of his family's. The Cambodian people are optimistic and honest, and our guide was able to relay history and a story that you could not get otherwise.
We would recommend this, and it's appropriate to pay a small fee of a few dollars or more to your guide at the end.
Walking by the river
It is picturesque and interesting to walk along the riverfront. Start at the Royal Gardens and stroll along until you get to the old markets. There are also a number of interesting streets to get sidetracked in and plenty of places to stop for a cold drink.
Part of the travel experience is to walk and explore, and whilst not a classic city, Siem Reap has plenty to offer if you just want to explore
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