Siem Reap 2015 Part I

I've been meaning to post this since forever ago, but I get "dizzy" whenever I looked through pictures and videos taken of the trip because there are TOO MANY of them. But I've finally sorted them, and my word, looking through them brought back wonderful memories. This was the first trip my entire family has taken together in 8 years! Between school and missions, all five members of my family have not lived under one roof for those many years, and so my mother decided that we should do a family trip in August 2015. Since my parents and I had a wonderful time in Siem Reap in 2014 (you can read about my first trip HERE), we decided to take my sisters there.

Here is a quick summary of the trip.

ACCOMMODATION
August is a good month to visit because it is off-peak season, although it is still hot. Like hell-hot. Thankfully we checked into Laysung Angkor Boutique Hotel (review on tripadvisor HERE), an off-the-beaten path hotel that some tuk tuk drivers had never heard of. It is located right next to a village, and you are greeted by the crowing of the rooster every morning. But oh man, the hotel was beautiful, had a nice pool, good air-conditioning, the rooms were cheap (about $60/night), and the service was #1!!! It is located near the major tourist destinations, and had GOOD food :) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED once you have a map of where it is. That is a picture of my room on the right, and below is a picture of the small pool. Nice huh?

So lets talk FOOD because it's one of my favorite subjects. Cambodians love their lemongrass, a distinct flavor that my family is "meh" with. Guess we are too used to our strong coconut milk-flavored curries. But you have to try other food. I believe most restaurants are catered to tourists, so the food is not 100% authentic, but like my tour guide said, "the bacteria in our stomach" is different from the Cambodians so eat authentic food with caution. For one, locals are used to a different standard of hygiene. I totally get that because I'm sure some tourists in Singapore are appalled by the hygiene of our famous hawker centers. Same thing, different country.

Anyway,
 From left to right, top to bottom: 
- At Khmer Kitchen near Pub Street, eating Khmer food that was DELICIOUS! Two different curries, Asian egg omelette and a green mango salad. My sisters fell in love with the famous Cambodian amok curry.
- You MUST try their cheap and (mostly) fresh fruit/ nut shakes.

- Authentic Cambodian-style corn on the cob in husk-- I loved this!

- Me trying my hand at stirring palm sugar over fire. 

- Roasted palm husks containing sweetened rice and beans-- this is 100% authentic Cambodian. Reminded me to Chinese glutinous rice. 

- Fresh coconut juice and flesh.

Some food might be more questionable, such as "chicken breath" and "pineattle" but overall, sooooooo good!

And of course you have to try insects. Cambodians, driven by starvation under the brutal Pol Pot regime, began catching insects to eat in the 1970s. Now, they catch and sell insects along on the roadside as "normal" food. Once again, its fun to try but non-locals can't eat too much because (once again) "different bacteria." Our guide stopped to buy some along a random roadside store. I believe the insects pictured on the right are crickets, and two different types of beetles and larvae. 

 I made a video documenting my experience, which I uploaded on YouTube. This is the URL link to the whole "Siem Reap 2015" playlist, while the link to this particular video of me eating a beetle for the first time in my life is at: https://youtu.be/qQjFYzRur0w (in case the video doesn't appear below since its "unlisted"). 

TRAVEL

This is not mandatory but I highly recommend getting a local tour guide because they are better able to explain the significance of the Angkor temple ruins, and will enhance the experience x1000. Sure, it costs more but think of it as contributing to the local economy. Our tour guide, Mardy, grew up in Siem Reap, and spoke fluent English. He was knowledgeable, friendly and very accommodating, and I definitely recommend him. He charged a reasonable fee for the 3.5 days we spent with him, and included in his fee was a private van and driver. Believe me, it is worth every penny to have the air-conditioned private van once you see how hot and crowded it is. 

Our hotel also provided FREE transportation to and from the major tourist shopping areas (Old Market, etc.), which is another reason why I say this hotel's service was #1. 

Finally, you HAVE TO sit on the famous Cambodian tuk tuk. I wrote about my first time sitting a tuk tuk, and this second time, I was more prepared for the "chaotic order" of Siem Reap traffic. What I was caught off-guard by was the uneven, pot-hole-laden, short off-road to get to the hotel from the main road. I promise you that I did not purposely shake my hands-- it was all caused by the pot holes. 

URL Link: https://youtu.be/dZCMSzp40F8 

BACKSTREET ACADEMY

If you are ever touring my side of the world, you have to participate in Backstreet Academy, a NGO that organizes "local" activities for tourists to participate in. Sign up for a stone carving class, a dance class, or learn a musical instrument-- each city has 20-60 options for visitors to choose from! My sisters and I decided to make purses from tire scraps. 

I made that bag (with lots of help)-- pretty proud of myself.

Read my review of the experience HERE (don't know why the system allocated me to Senegal). As you can tell, we had a great time, and I HIGHLY recommend these activities to visitors. Besides, it helps the local people, so it's a win-win for everyone :)  

Now, on to the famous temple ruins of Angkor and other sightseeing activities, which I will write more about in the next post!