Exploring Kampuchea

DAY 1: Siem Reap Night Life

Siem Reap International Airport

Our flight for Siem Reap was actually one miracle. It's because it nearly got cancelled because of the arrival of Pope Francis in the Philippines; there were too many delayed flights because the terminals were trying to accommodate the rescheduled flights cancelled due to the Pontiff's arrival. So, yeah, you could say it was a miracle this flight didn't get delayed or such.

Pubstreet Street Food

Insects and Meat

We touched down at Siem Reap International Airport at around 930 pm. My first impression of a country sometimes depend on the things I see through the windows of the plane. And compared to the usual scenic views one might see when arriving at night at a city, what I saw was darkness. Sure, there were some areas with flicks of lights, but they don't even equate to the lights of one barangay in the Philippines. Siem Reap, thus, gave me the idea that I was in a remote province of the Philippines. And this was actually confirmed when we took a 13-dollar taxi for 6 pax towards our hostel. The airport taxi has a kiosk at the exit of arrivals area and the staff are fluent in the English language and are very friendly as well. To save some bucks, our group of four joined a pair to rent a big taxi, instead of renting a small taxi worth 10 dollars.

Khmer Kebab

Khmer Burger and fries

Almost all of the establishments were already closed. And there isn't much activity going on even at the airport. We booked one night at Tanei Guesthouse for only 10 USD/person/night. This charming guesthouse is just walking distance from the nightlife of Siem Reap, both night markets and restaurants/bars. So after settling down, we walked towards Pubstreet for dinner and to have a glimpse of their night life.

Dinner Place

After dinner, we walked around to explore Pubstreet, but during this time, almost all of the establishments were starting to close. There were some bars with rooftop seating with live band performing throughout the night, while other restaurants were good for just chill dinner. The streets are lined with kiosks selling fruit shakes, or some street food. There isn't much to do anymore but to go back to the hotel and retire for the night.

Siem Reap Night Market

Costs of the day:

> Taxi for 6 pax (2 stops): 13 USD/6 = ~2 USD

> Dinner: 8 USD/2 = ~4 USD

> Guesthouse (1D1N): 40 USD/4 = 10 USD

Total = ~16 USD