Siem Reap - Ankor Wat Report
Nov 5th, 2008, 01:34 AM
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Siem Reap - Ankor Wat Report
Siem Reap Trip Report
I will put the important things we learned first in this trip report:
1. Use dollars in Siem Reap! We were told to use dollars in Laos...so we did and that was a mistake. So when we arrived in Siem Reap we changed dollars at the airport--MAJOR MISTAKE. EVERYONE...and I mean everyone uses dollars. The ATM's give dollars. The prices are posted in dollars; the shops take dollars; everyone wants dollars! We exchanged dollars at the airport.....stupid us! The exchange rate was not good ....and then we found that everyone preferred US money. So bring dollars---especially $5 and $1 notes. I brought $100 in $1 bills and they have been flying out of my wallet!
Second bit of news: Bring NEW DOLLARS. We had plenty of money and paid Dara (our guide) at the end of our trip in $100s and other assorted bills. Several had minor rips and tears. The $100 notes had been folded and the ink around the eyes of Ben Franklin was faded. The edge of one of the $50 bills we paid Dara with had some tears. Sadly, he said the banks wouldn't take them!!! Folks, we brought this cash from the US specifically to pay Dara ...and now we were at the airport saying goodbye and suddenly a problem. Luckily the airport had a bank and ATMs...and luckily we had not maxed out our withdrawl rate that day...so we were able to get "good money" from the ATM and pay Dara. It really was an eye opening experience. So if you are coming to Siem Reap and bringing cash...make sure your bills HAVE NO RIPS OR DAMAGE. One day I bought some silk scarves from a young girl at one of the temples for $5. When we were leaving the temple she was waiting for us and asked if we could replace the $5 bill I gave her because a small corner was torn. I replaced it for her. Also....when we left Siem Reap we tried to pay our exit fees ($50 for two) with a $50 with a small jagged piece out of the edge. They would not take that bill. They did take the $100 bill with the worn "eyes" of ol' Ben. So....... an interesting twist on a perfect visit to Siem Reap!
Our Trip Report!
We flew on Vietnam Airlines from Luang Prabang direct to Siem Reap The flight left on time and took about 90 minutes. We were sitting at the front of the plane, so we were one of the first people off the plane when we landed. We were handed visa applications as we entered the airport. We filled them out quickly and were the first ones in line for our visas. I can't quite remember, but I think the cost of the visa was $20 and one picture. They processed our paperwork quickly and we picked up our passports....bang...bang...they stamped them at the immigration booth, we picked up our baggage and were out the door! I don't think it took us 15 minutes.
Happily I saw someone holding a card with my name on it. It was Dara and his driver. We loaded up our luggage and headed to our hotel......the Ankor Holiday Hotel. After we arrived at the hotel we spent about 20 minutes talking with Dara. He wanted to know our preferences for touring....things such as starting times; how to divide up our day....and other essential items for our stay in Siem Reap. After settling on a schedule, Dara left and we we were taken to our room. We had the rest of the day on our own and used it to walk around the town and get our bearings. We were to start our touring of the temples the next morning!
HOTEL - Ankor Holiday Hotel
I checked a variety of hotels online using TripAdvisor and really couldn't make up my mind on where to stay. When I contacted Ponhearny, she said she could make reservations for us at the Ankor Holiday Hotel for $50 per night. I checked the hotel's rating online and it looked fine. So we are now into day five of six days here. We found this hotel to be perfectly adequate for our stay. It is clean, very quiet and the staff is very pleasant and helpful. What we like best about this hotel is its location. It is located directly in Siem Reap. We can easily walk down to the old quarter of town and pub street. We did this the first night and were able to look at the shops and places along the "main drag" down to the quarter where many restaurants are located. So location is a big plus for this hotel.
The hotel seems to cater to large tour groups. We have seen groups of Japanese, Malaysians and French while here. We have had no problems with any of the groups.....probably because we eat breakfast early and don't really "hang out" at the hotel. People visiting here all seem to be intent on viewing the temples and are either coming or going in the lobby.
The hotel provides breakfast--and the choice of food shows that it caters primarily to Asian tourists. It took me two days to discover that they were making omelets outside by the pool (Yes! They do have a nice swimming pool!). But overall the breakfast is so-so. The first morning we had fresh papaya...but that disappeared and now the fruit selection is only watermelon, dragon fruit and bananas. The coffee is passable. The orange juice is plentiful. And they do have corn flakes with bowls of peanuts, cashews or almonds to put on top of it. Also whole milk for the cereal. The majority of the breakfast buffet is rice, salads and other things we typically associate with lunch or dinner. The food is ok....not great, but you can eat as much as you want.
When you walk out of the hotel there always are a group of friendly tuk-tuk drivers who are ready to take you anywhere. The first night we walked downtown and were going to walk home after dinner, but a tuk-tuk driver said he would deliver us to our hotel doorstep for $1. Since it had been raining and the streets were flooded, that seemed like a great deal. Now we typically use tuk-tuks to get back and forth to dinner. It is cheap....and an easy and very pleasant way to move around town. The drivers are very, very nice and it is fun to banter with them.
We also discovered a new small shopping area called 'Lucky Plaza" almost directly across from the hotel. It has a great grocery store with good prices on wine, beer and hard liquor. A big bottle of Bombay Sapphire was only $13. We loaded up on beer and doritos for our after temple-pre dinner snacking at this store. Lucky plaza also has a good little coffee shop and bakery which we stop at each afternoon before we head out temple touring at 3pm. And after several days we were hot and pooped and just ate lunch at the local pizza and burger joint in the plaza. There are many other restaurants around, but hunger and heat dampened our enthusiasm for going further for food. The entry way to the plaza has 5-6 ATM machines that give US dollars in $20 notes. The other fun thing to do there is to watch the children ride the escalators up and down. I guess these are the first escalators in Siem Reap and the kids don't know how to "ride" them. It is pretty amusing to watch them leap on the stairs. Some little ones refuse to use them.
So....our hotel is fine. You can find cheaper and more expensive. There are many, many choices in the city. If you want the freedom to get down to the old quarter easily, then you might want to look for a place "in town".
Next installment coming soon! Honest....! Stay tuned for DARA REPORT and RESTAURANT REPORT in Siem Reap.
I will put the important things we learned first in this trip report:
1. Use dollars in Siem Reap! We were told to use dollars in Laos...so we did and that was a mistake. So when we arrived in Siem Reap we changed dollars at the airport--MAJOR MISTAKE. EVERYONE...and I mean everyone uses dollars. The ATM's give dollars. The prices are posted in dollars; the shops take dollars; everyone wants dollars! We exchanged dollars at the airport.....stupid us! The exchange rate was not good ....and then we found that everyone preferred US money. So bring dollars---especially $5 and $1 notes. I brought $100 in $1 bills and they have been flying out of my wallet!
Second bit of news: Bring NEW DOLLARS. We had plenty of money and paid Dara (our guide) at the end of our trip in $100s and other assorted bills. Several had minor rips and tears. The $100 notes had been folded and the ink around the eyes of Ben Franklin was faded. The edge of one of the $50 bills we paid Dara with had some tears. Sadly, he said the banks wouldn't take them!!! Folks, we brought this cash from the US specifically to pay Dara ...and now we were at the airport saying goodbye and suddenly a problem. Luckily the airport had a bank and ATMs...and luckily we had not maxed out our withdrawl rate that day...so we were able to get "good money" from the ATM and pay Dara. It really was an eye opening experience. So if you are coming to Siem Reap and bringing cash...make sure your bills HAVE NO RIPS OR DAMAGE. One day I bought some silk scarves from a young girl at one of the temples for $5. When we were leaving the temple she was waiting for us and asked if we could replace the $5 bill I gave her because a small corner was torn. I replaced it for her. Also....when we left Siem Reap we tried to pay our exit fees ($50 for two) with a $50 with a small jagged piece out of the edge. They would not take that bill. They did take the $100 bill with the worn "eyes" of ol' Ben. So....... an interesting twist on a perfect visit to Siem Reap!
Our Trip Report!
We flew on Vietnam Airlines from Luang Prabang direct to Siem Reap The flight left on time and took about 90 minutes. We were sitting at the front of the plane, so we were one of the first people off the plane when we landed. We were handed visa applications as we entered the airport. We filled them out quickly and were the first ones in line for our visas. I can't quite remember, but I think the cost of the visa was $20 and one picture. They processed our paperwork quickly and we picked up our passports....bang...bang...they stamped them at the immigration booth, we picked up our baggage and were out the door! I don't think it took us 15 minutes.
Happily I saw someone holding a card with my name on it. It was Dara and his driver. We loaded up our luggage and headed to our hotel......the Ankor Holiday Hotel. After we arrived at the hotel we spent about 20 minutes talking with Dara. He wanted to know our preferences for touring....things such as starting times; how to divide up our day....and other essential items for our stay in Siem Reap. After settling on a schedule, Dara left and we we were taken to our room. We had the rest of the day on our own and used it to walk around the town and get our bearings. We were to start our touring of the temples the next morning!
HOTEL - Ankor Holiday Hotel
I checked a variety of hotels online using TripAdvisor and really couldn't make up my mind on where to stay. When I contacted Ponhearny, she said she could make reservations for us at the Ankor Holiday Hotel for $50 per night. I checked the hotel's rating online and it looked fine. So we are now into day five of six days here. We found this hotel to be perfectly adequate for our stay. It is clean, very quiet and the staff is very pleasant and helpful. What we like best about this hotel is its location. It is located directly in Siem Reap. We can easily walk down to the old quarter of town and pub street. We did this the first night and were able to look at the shops and places along the "main drag" down to the quarter where many restaurants are located. So location is a big plus for this hotel.
The hotel seems to cater to large tour groups. We have seen groups of Japanese, Malaysians and French while here. We have had no problems with any of the groups.....probably because we eat breakfast early and don't really "hang out" at the hotel. People visiting here all seem to be intent on viewing the temples and are either coming or going in the lobby.
The hotel provides breakfast--and the choice of food shows that it caters primarily to Asian tourists. It took me two days to discover that they were making omelets outside by the pool (Yes! They do have a nice swimming pool!). But overall the breakfast is so-so. The first morning we had fresh papaya...but that disappeared and now the fruit selection is only watermelon, dragon fruit and bananas. The coffee is passable. The orange juice is plentiful. And they do have corn flakes with bowls of peanuts, cashews or almonds to put on top of it. Also whole milk for the cereal. The majority of the breakfast buffet is rice, salads and other things we typically associate with lunch or dinner. The food is ok....not great, but you can eat as much as you want.
When you walk out of the hotel there always are a group of friendly tuk-tuk drivers who are ready to take you anywhere. The first night we walked downtown and were going to walk home after dinner, but a tuk-tuk driver said he would deliver us to our hotel doorstep for $1. Since it had been raining and the streets were flooded, that seemed like a great deal. Now we typically use tuk-tuks to get back and forth to dinner. It is cheap....and an easy and very pleasant way to move around town. The drivers are very, very nice and it is fun to banter with them.
We also discovered a new small shopping area called 'Lucky Plaza" almost directly across from the hotel. It has a great grocery store with good prices on wine, beer and hard liquor. A big bottle of Bombay Sapphire was only $13. We loaded up on beer and doritos for our after temple-pre dinner snacking at this store. Lucky plaza also has a good little coffee shop and bakery which we stop at each afternoon before we head out temple touring at 3pm. And after several days we were hot and pooped and just ate lunch at the local pizza and burger joint in the plaza. There are many other restaurants around, but hunger and heat dampened our enthusiasm for going further for food. The entry way to the plaza has 5-6 ATM machines that give US dollars in $20 notes. The other fun thing to do there is to watch the children ride the escalators up and down. I guess these are the first escalators in Siem Reap and the kids don't know how to "ride" them. It is pretty amusing to watch them leap on the stairs. Some little ones refuse to use them.
So....our hotel is fine. You can find cheaper and more expensive. There are many, many choices in the city. If you want the freedom to get down to the old quarter easily, then you might want to look for a place "in town".
Next installment coming soon! Honest....! Stay tuned for DARA REPORT and RESTAURANT REPORT in Siem Reap.
Nov 5th, 2008, 04:47 AM
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Ankor Wat- Temples- Dara Report!
We spent six full days working with Dara, Ponhearny's brother. He is EXCELLENT! If you are looking for a quiet, introspective, thoughtful and very bright guide, than Dara is your man. From the moment he picked us up at the airport to the end of our stay when we were wrestling with trying to find crisp, clean and perfect US bills to pay him, he was a gentleman and a master of the Ankor Wat temples.
After hearing all the laudatory remarks from others, I expected more of an extrovert type of person (like me!). What I found was a very quiet, introspective and thoughtful individual who really values the history, geography, culture and people of Cambodia. My husband and I felt blessed to have him all to ourselves during the six days he spirited us around the Ankor Wat area. I watched the large tour groups with one guide being led from site to site and the glazed eyes of many of the people in those packs of people. My husband and I spent six days wandering the ruins of Ankor Wat with Dara and driver. We never got tired of seeing temples. Dara would walk us through the area and then often we would sit and just look, listen and suck up the atmosphere like thirsty sponges. Those times sitting and talking with him were the tiny jewels of our week. Discussing not only the history of the country, but the culture, educational system and his family and background really set the stage for us to learn about the wonder Ankor Wat and the people and culture of Cambodia.
Having extra days in Siem Reap (six full days of touring) meant that besides doing all the "must see" temples, we were able to visit more of the "lesser" temples....which for us was really a treat. These temples were nestled in villages and had active Wats next to them. Dara walked us through the temples and then we migrated to the Wats.... watched the buddhist nuns preparing vegetables and helping cook meals for the monks. We found a group of 5-8 monks learning English in a classroom and spent time talking with them. We learned how to prepare water lily stems (not the beautiful blossoms) for cooking at a Wat next to a temple.
Dara also is a master at scheduling....basically all of my pictures have no people milling about. Why? Because we started early (7am) and were at the busy temples before anyone else. He also was able to schedule us so that each temple we visited was at its best for photography...either in the morning or in the late afternoons. Our typical day was to start at 7am and finish the morning by 11am when we would be dropped back at our hotel. Then Dara would pick us up at 3pm visit more temples and finally finish the day watching the sun slide below the horizon at a temple. He knew when to visit particular temples and when not to visit them. As has been discussed many times on this forum, he also is a wonderful photographer. He would show me the best location for a shot...and often I laughed because he would tell me that my zoom was too narrow or too wide. We would banter back and forth about the pros and cons of open or tight shots....flash or no flash....black and white or color. He really is an excellent photographer and I thought it was great to have someone with his expertise!
The last night i wanted to go back to Ankor Wat and catch the sunset again at that site. I requested monks for my parting shot. I told Dara that he was soooo good he should be able to arrange this for me too! We laughed.....but minutes later I almost fell over because 3-4 monks emerged from the trees as the sun was setting at Ankor Wat. I have the most amazing and beautiful shots with two monks....flowing robes....setting sun....pink sky....walking in front of the temple as the sun set. How can it get much better? Granted, Dara didn't arrange this...but while we were with him things just happened. Magic? could be...but I tend to think it was more the experience and professionalism of our fantastic guide. So, if you want excellence, thoughtful commentary and someone with the ability to know where and when with a touch of how...then Dara is be the right person for you!
We spent six full days working with Dara, Ponhearny's brother. He is EXCELLENT! If you are looking for a quiet, introspective, thoughtful and very bright guide, than Dara is your man. From the moment he picked us up at the airport to the end of our stay when we were wrestling with trying to find crisp, clean and perfect US bills to pay him, he was a gentleman and a master of the Ankor Wat temples.
After hearing all the laudatory remarks from others, I expected more of an extrovert type of person (like me!). What I found was a very quiet, introspective and thoughtful individual who really values the history, geography, culture and people of Cambodia. My husband and I felt blessed to have him all to ourselves during the six days he spirited us around the Ankor Wat area. I watched the large tour groups with one guide being led from site to site and the glazed eyes of many of the people in those packs of people. My husband and I spent six days wandering the ruins of Ankor Wat with Dara and driver. We never got tired of seeing temples. Dara would walk us through the area and then often we would sit and just look, listen and suck up the atmosphere like thirsty sponges. Those times sitting and talking with him were the tiny jewels of our week. Discussing not only the history of the country, but the culture, educational system and his family and background really set the stage for us to learn about the wonder Ankor Wat and the people and culture of Cambodia.
Having extra days in Siem Reap (six full days of touring) meant that besides doing all the "must see" temples, we were able to visit more of the "lesser" temples....which for us was really a treat. These temples were nestled in villages and had active Wats next to them. Dara walked us through the temples and then we migrated to the Wats.... watched the buddhist nuns preparing vegetables and helping cook meals for the monks. We found a group of 5-8 monks learning English in a classroom and spent time talking with them. We learned how to prepare water lily stems (not the beautiful blossoms) for cooking at a Wat next to a temple.
Dara also is a master at scheduling....basically all of my pictures have no people milling about. Why? Because we started early (7am) and were at the busy temples before anyone else. He also was able to schedule us so that each temple we visited was at its best for photography...either in the morning or in the late afternoons. Our typical day was to start at 7am and finish the morning by 11am when we would be dropped back at our hotel. Then Dara would pick us up at 3pm visit more temples and finally finish the day watching the sun slide below the horizon at a temple. He knew when to visit particular temples and when not to visit them. As has been discussed many times on this forum, he also is a wonderful photographer. He would show me the best location for a shot...and often I laughed because he would tell me that my zoom was too narrow or too wide. We would banter back and forth about the pros and cons of open or tight shots....flash or no flash....black and white or color. He really is an excellent photographer and I thought it was great to have someone with his expertise!
The last night i wanted to go back to Ankor Wat and catch the sunset again at that site. I requested monks for my parting shot. I told Dara that he was soooo good he should be able to arrange this for me too! We laughed.....but minutes later I almost fell over because 3-4 monks emerged from the trees as the sun was setting at Ankor Wat. I have the most amazing and beautiful shots with two monks....flowing robes....setting sun....pink sky....walking in front of the temple as the sun set. How can it get much better? Granted, Dara didn't arrange this...but while we were with him things just happened. Magic? could be...but I tend to think it was more the experience and professionalism of our fantastic guide. So, if you want excellence, thoughtful commentary and someone with the ability to know where and when with a touch of how...then Dara is be the right person for you!
Nov 5th, 2008, 01:15 PM
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Hi Gailmo
I'm glad you've reiterated the tip about the money. I still don't understand WHY the banks there won't accept torn bills, but it's a pretty serious problem as the people there can't do much with torn money...the bank there will exchange it for them, but they charge 20%!
Lately every time I'm about to return to the states, all my cambodian tour guide friends turn up with all the torn money they've been passed so I can bring it to the states and exchange it for them.
Finally, don't bring home any Cambodian money. You can't exchange it once out of the country.
Glad you are enjoying your stay, and your time with Dara. He's a jewel. And don't let that introspection fool you, he's got a pretty wicked sense of humor.
I'm glad you've reiterated the tip about the money. I still don't understand WHY the banks there won't accept torn bills, but it's a pretty serious problem as the people there can't do much with torn money...the bank there will exchange it for them, but they charge 20%!
Lately every time I'm about to return to the states, all my cambodian tour guide friends turn up with all the torn money they've been passed so I can bring it to the states and exchange it for them.
Finally, don't bring home any Cambodian money. You can't exchange it once out of the country.
Glad you are enjoying your stay, and your time with Dara. He's a jewel. And don't let that introspection fool you, he's got a pretty wicked sense of humor.
Nov 5th, 2008, 02:08 PM
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People don't accept torn money in India either, so I always check my paper money when the clerk or whoever is making change. Refuse torn bills right then and there and then you won't be stuck with them!
Nov 6th, 2008, 02:22 AM
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I had a tuk tuk driver in Phnom Penh ask me to change a slightly worn $5 note for a clean one. He said that shops, restaurants etc would take it from me (westerner) and not from a Khmer. He was right as I had no problem using the note.
While I am not sure I suspect that he had bought the note at a discount from another tuk tuk driver!
Also the Banks may be more likely to accept the notes from westerners than locals!
I also found that the acceptance of dollars in Laos diminished markedly between July 2007 and July 2008.
While I am not sure I suspect that he had bought the note at a discount from another tuk tuk driver!
Also the Banks may be more likely to accept the notes from westerners than locals!
I also found that the acceptance of dollars in Laos diminished markedly between July 2007 and July 2008.
Nov 6th, 2008, 04:36 PM
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Shandy you can contact Dara at
[email protected]
Jasper, yes bring one passport size photo for your visa on arrival.
http://www.embassy.org/cambodia/faq.html#visaq1
Or get an evisa, even easier
http://evisa.mfaic.gov.kh/e-visa/vindex.aspx
Looking forward to the rest of the report. Sorry for the hijack.
[email protected]
Jasper, yes bring one passport size photo for your visa on arrival.
http://www.embassy.org/cambodia/faq.html#visaq1
Or get an evisa, even easier
http://evisa.mfaic.gov.kh/e-visa/vindex.aspx
Looking forward to the rest of the report. Sorry for the hijack.
Nov 6th, 2008, 07:24 PM
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HI There Gailmo,
I am finding this all very interesting as we will be in Siem Reap ( Ponheary is our guide) in a few weeks. I went to the bank today for bills to bring with me, but there were no brand new ones in the house. My cashier sorted through them, no rips or missing corners, but a few have bent corners that I straightened - will that be ok?
Now I just have to figure out if I can take a bottle of some Bombayish product from Seim Reap to Phuket where our resort charges an arm and a leg for drinks.....
I am finding this all very interesting as we will be in Siem Reap ( Ponheary is our guide) in a few weeks. I went to the bank today for bills to bring with me, but there were no brand new ones in the house. My cashier sorted through them, no rips or missing corners, but a few have bent corners that I straightened - will that be ok?
Now I just have to figure out if I can take a bottle of some Bombayish product from Seim Reap to Phuket where our resort charges an arm and a leg for drinks.....
Nov 6th, 2008, 10:51 PM
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If you are flying from Siem Reap --they have a good duty free shop at the airport. The Bombay Sapphire was $20 a bottle. I bought one to bring back to Hanoi with me. It is in the freezer getting ready for tonight's martini!
And as Offwego says, bent corners are ok. But our $100 bills had perfect corners and no rips--but they had been folded in half and along the fold the colors of ol' Ben's eyes were faded and gone. Dara said that would be a problem. So try to get new bills if possible. As I said earlier, we were able to pass on the $100 bills with faded eyes and face area, but EVERYONE rejected our torn $50 bills and some other $5 bills we had.
And as Offwego says, bent corners are ok. But our $100 bills had perfect corners and no rips--but they had been folded in half and along the fold the colors of ol' Ben's eyes were faded and gone. Dara said that would be a problem. So try to get new bills if possible. As I said earlier, we were able to pass on the $100 bills with faded eyes and face area, but EVERYONE rejected our torn $50 bills and some other $5 bills we had.
Nov 6th, 2008, 10:57 PM
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I am keeping a blog for family and friends this fall. You don't need to read it....but I just replaced the opening photo with the picture of Ankor Wat with monks. Dara was in the background chuckling because I was dancing with joy when these three appeared!
http://geoasian.blogspot.com/
http://geoasian.blogspot.com/
Nov 7th, 2008, 12:11 AM
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Restaurant Report for Siem Reap
We ate very well in Siem Reap! The first day we wandered down the main street into the "old quarter" of town. We stumbled upon "Pub Street" and found many, many good places to eat. We tried the Red Piano the first night. The ambiance of the place was great -- the food was ok. We had our usual appetizer --selecting Samosas. Not a good choice and we decided picking Indian food in a non-Indian restaurant was not a great idea. Our main course was chicken and cashew nuts with a side of rice. It was fine. The beer was cold and it was happy hour, so we enjoyed our first evening in Siem Reap. We took a tuk-tuk ($1) back to our hotel and crashed for the evening.
The next night we looked at some reviews I had downloaded and decided to eat at the Soup Dragon. We ate upstairs along the rail and had a great view of Pub Street and all the antics that go on there. While eating the sky opened and the rain poured down. We were very happy to be under an awning. I had a banana daiquiri and was delighted to discover that it was two-for one! We ordered green mango salad for our starter and it was excellent. We followed that with amok with fish....Wow! Again excellent. We were too full for desert. As I mentioned in a previous entry, we discovered that ordering one appetizer and one main dish easily fed the two of us. We did this each and every night of our trip. Some nights we had room for dessert, but most nights we were way to full to even think about it.
The third night we were wandering around the area and discovered that an alley that ran parallel to Pub Street also had some wonderful restaurants. So we ate at Amok the next night. MMMMMMM... it was wonderful. We started with a banana flower salad and then had vegetables-fish curry for our main dish. We followed that with pumpkin custard for dessert. I was expecting custard in a little dish. We were served a huge "slice" of pumpkin with custard baked inside. It was very, very good.
Fourth night found us at the Khmer Kitchen. This probably was our least favorite dinner. We had Khmer Dumplings for our starter. Not so good. They reminded me of dim sum stuffed with spinach. That would have been ok..but the dumpling dough was like jelly and really had a weird "mouth feel" to it. Both my husband and I can't remember what we ate for our main course and that probably sums up our feeling for the place.....we were not terribly impressed.
The next night we had Dara and driver drop us off in town instead of our hotel. We had been at the floating village and our return path took us directly through town....and I wanted BEER badly...so we were dropped off at the Dead Fish. I remember Dogster or someone writing an entry from that place and I wanted to see it. Yup....it is really a weird place! Think of a mixture of many, many different levels (at least 4!) all connected by ladders and steps. Some levels had you sitting on the floor...other levels had tables....other levels couches and stuffed chairs. The food was delivered via a system of pulleys. They have a pool of live crocodiles at ground level....Why? Don't know...but they really are there! They also had the best coffee machine and burr coffee grinder I have seen in Asia. It was magnificent...I was only sorry I didn't have a chance to check out their coffee and espresso.
We had a few beers there and some egg rolls. The food was ok.....but we decided to move to a fancier place called Champs just next door to Amok. We spied it several nights earlier and wanted to try it out. It was a very classy place and we were hot and sweaty--didn't have a chance to clean up before dinner so I felt a bit uncomfortable because this was a pretty nice place. But a few more cold beers wiped out those feelings and we happily dug into another banana flower salad and Amok for a main course. This Amok was much thicker than the first one we had at the Soup Dragon. We both liked the Soup Dragon Amok best, but this one was still pretty darn good.
Our last night in Siem Reap found us at the Sugar Palm Restaurant. It was an easy walk from our hotel and raining, so we decided that it would be a good choice. This really is a beautiful restaurant. It is on the second level of a building and the decor is stunning. We didn't have reservations and found that most of the choice tables were reserved. No problem....we still had a nice table! We started with mango salad and had a roasted, very smoky flavored eggplant and pork dish with a side of rice for our main course. Wow.....the smoky flavor of the eggplant was absolutely wonderful. The only downside was that we wanted something sweet for dessert and they only had fresh fruit. We solved that problem by stopping for ice cream on the way home.
I won't report much on our lunches in Siem Reap because we mostly just focused on getting some food and hitting the internet cafe for our daily email fix. We then hit the hotel for a short nap waking in time to walk across the street to Lucky Plaza for a good cup of coffee and a pastry before heading out for our afternoon of touring. So it was Thai food, street food and yes, (I am hanging my head in shame) pizza one day and burgers the next for lunch.
A FINAL WORD
We had a wonderful time in Siem Reap. The previous week in Luang Prabang we were able to really get a feel for the town and the people who live there. It was a unique experience. We didn’t really get the same feeling for Siem Reap because we were gone most days seeing temples, Wats and the countryside. Our time was spent outside of Siem Reap and not seeing what the town had to offer. We did some shopping at the night market in Siem Reap. We both agreed that the shopping in Luang Prabang was much better and we were glad we did most of our Christmas shopping there. But, we did the local economy well in both places and now we are wondering how we are going to get all our purchases home.
At the far back end of the night market we stumbled across a place that gave pedicures. But this was not the typical pedicure….this was one that used flesh eating fish!!!! How can you pass up an opportunity to get your feet cleaned up by fish? My husband was totally disgusted and stomped off when I suggested we plunk down $3 each for 15 minutes. Me? I merrily pulled out my wallet and stuck my feet into this pool filled with thousands of fish. These were not large fish…but rather small minnows that were about 3-4 inches long. Boy…..they really thought my poor old feet must have been a food feast for them. They swarmed my feet immediately. It felt totally weird. It tickled—LOTS. When you looked and saw these things frolicking around your toes and ankles and going crazy you freak out a bit. I was laughing and yelling –which of course made the market scene even more bizarre. Did it improve the look of my feet? Nah….but it was tons of fun and even more laughs when I show people the pictures and talk about it. Well worth the $3 investment!!!
So……we are now back in Hanoi. My one new installment on this forum will be on using the public bus system to get around town. Hopefully I will get that finished in the next couple of weeks.
Before I end this saga, I must again say THANKS to everyone for being so helpful in the planning of our trip. Your advice and prodding to forgo travel agents and pull our trip together ourselves was key to our having a wonderful time. Every time I saw a large tour group I shook my head and thanked the (Fodor) gods for giving us the information and guidance to make our trip absolutely perfect. Hopefully my reports will help others in their planning.
We ate very well in Siem Reap! The first day we wandered down the main street into the "old quarter" of town. We stumbled upon "Pub Street" and found many, many good places to eat. We tried the Red Piano the first night. The ambiance of the place was great -- the food was ok. We had our usual appetizer --selecting Samosas. Not a good choice and we decided picking Indian food in a non-Indian restaurant was not a great idea. Our main course was chicken and cashew nuts with a side of rice. It was fine. The beer was cold and it was happy hour, so we enjoyed our first evening in Siem Reap. We took a tuk-tuk ($1) back to our hotel and crashed for the evening.
The next night we looked at some reviews I had downloaded and decided to eat at the Soup Dragon. We ate upstairs along the rail and had a great view of Pub Street and all the antics that go on there. While eating the sky opened and the rain poured down. We were very happy to be under an awning. I had a banana daiquiri and was delighted to discover that it was two-for one! We ordered green mango salad for our starter and it was excellent. We followed that with amok with fish....Wow! Again excellent. We were too full for desert. As I mentioned in a previous entry, we discovered that ordering one appetizer and one main dish easily fed the two of us. We did this each and every night of our trip. Some nights we had room for dessert, but most nights we were way to full to even think about it.
The third night we were wandering around the area and discovered that an alley that ran parallel to Pub Street also had some wonderful restaurants. So we ate at Amok the next night. MMMMMMM... it was wonderful. We started with a banana flower salad and then had vegetables-fish curry for our main dish. We followed that with pumpkin custard for dessert. I was expecting custard in a little dish. We were served a huge "slice" of pumpkin with custard baked inside. It was very, very good.
Fourth night found us at the Khmer Kitchen. This probably was our least favorite dinner. We had Khmer Dumplings for our starter. Not so good. They reminded me of dim sum stuffed with spinach. That would have been ok..but the dumpling dough was like jelly and really had a weird "mouth feel" to it. Both my husband and I can't remember what we ate for our main course and that probably sums up our feeling for the place.....we were not terribly impressed.
The next night we had Dara and driver drop us off in town instead of our hotel. We had been at the floating village and our return path took us directly through town....and I wanted BEER badly...so we were dropped off at the Dead Fish. I remember Dogster or someone writing an entry from that place and I wanted to see it. Yup....it is really a weird place! Think of a mixture of many, many different levels (at least 4!) all connected by ladders and steps. Some levels had you sitting on the floor...other levels had tables....other levels couches and stuffed chairs. The food was delivered via a system of pulleys. They have a pool of live crocodiles at ground level....Why? Don't know...but they really are there! They also had the best coffee machine and burr coffee grinder I have seen in Asia. It was magnificent...I was only sorry I didn't have a chance to check out their coffee and espresso.
We had a few beers there and some egg rolls. The food was ok.....but we decided to move to a fancier place called Champs just next door to Amok. We spied it several nights earlier and wanted to try it out. It was a very classy place and we were hot and sweaty--didn't have a chance to clean up before dinner so I felt a bit uncomfortable because this was a pretty nice place. But a few more cold beers wiped out those feelings and we happily dug into another banana flower salad and Amok for a main course. This Amok was much thicker than the first one we had at the Soup Dragon. We both liked the Soup Dragon Amok best, but this one was still pretty darn good.
Our last night in Siem Reap found us at the Sugar Palm Restaurant. It was an easy walk from our hotel and raining, so we decided that it would be a good choice. This really is a beautiful restaurant. It is on the second level of a building and the decor is stunning. We didn't have reservations and found that most of the choice tables were reserved. No problem....we still had a nice table! We started with mango salad and had a roasted, very smoky flavored eggplant and pork dish with a side of rice for our main course. Wow.....the smoky flavor of the eggplant was absolutely wonderful. The only downside was that we wanted something sweet for dessert and they only had fresh fruit. We solved that problem by stopping for ice cream on the way home.
I won't report much on our lunches in Siem Reap because we mostly just focused on getting some food and hitting the internet cafe for our daily email fix. We then hit the hotel for a short nap waking in time to walk across the street to Lucky Plaza for a good cup of coffee and a pastry before heading out for our afternoon of touring. So it was Thai food, street food and yes, (I am hanging my head in shame) pizza one day and burgers the next for lunch.
A FINAL WORD
We had a wonderful time in Siem Reap. The previous week in Luang Prabang we were able to really get a feel for the town and the people who live there. It was a unique experience. We didn’t really get the same feeling for Siem Reap because we were gone most days seeing temples, Wats and the countryside. Our time was spent outside of Siem Reap and not seeing what the town had to offer. We did some shopping at the night market in Siem Reap. We both agreed that the shopping in Luang Prabang was much better and we were glad we did most of our Christmas shopping there. But, we did the local economy well in both places and now we are wondering how we are going to get all our purchases home.
At the far back end of the night market we stumbled across a place that gave pedicures. But this was not the typical pedicure….this was one that used flesh eating fish!!!! How can you pass up an opportunity to get your feet cleaned up by fish? My husband was totally disgusted and stomped off when I suggested we plunk down $3 each for 15 minutes. Me? I merrily pulled out my wallet and stuck my feet into this pool filled with thousands of fish. These were not large fish…but rather small minnows that were about 3-4 inches long. Boy…..they really thought my poor old feet must have been a food feast for them. They swarmed my feet immediately. It felt totally weird. It tickled—LOTS. When you looked and saw these things frolicking around your toes and ankles and going crazy you freak out a bit. I was laughing and yelling –which of course made the market scene even more bizarre. Did it improve the look of my feet? Nah….but it was tons of fun and even more laughs when I show people the pictures and talk about it. Well worth the $3 investment!!!
So……we are now back in Hanoi. My one new installment on this forum will be on using the public bus system to get around town. Hopefully I will get that finished in the next couple of weeks.
Before I end this saga, I must again say THANKS to everyone for being so helpful in the planning of our trip. Your advice and prodding to forgo travel agents and pull our trip together ourselves was key to our having a wonderful time. Every time I saw a large tour group I shook my head and thanked the (Fodor) gods for giving us the information and guidance to make our trip absolutely perfect. Hopefully my reports will help others in their planning.
Nov 7th, 2008, 07:31 PM
#17
Join Date: Jan 2003
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Oh my dogster, NOTHING could be close to your live posts. I do believe you inhabit a different dimension when you travel. Most of us cannot get a passport to go there so we just enjoy your reporting!
Gailmo, super report and very helpful to me. I did not realize how important the bills were. Lori - I have them in the press getting them ready. I don't want to wash them, however - not willing to let my dollar shrink anymore than it has
Gailmo, super report and very helpful to me. I did not realize how important the bills were. Lori - I have them in the press getting them ready. I don't want to wash them, however - not willing to let my dollar shrink anymore than it has
Nov 8th, 2008, 09:29 AM
#18
I thoroughly enjoyed your report - and relived my own! We, too, used Dara and thought he was wonderful. Here's my favorite picture of him (in a lighter moment) -
http://kbutler1122.zenfolio.com/p609...98452#ha498452
Karen
http://kbutler1122.zenfolio.com/p609...98452#ha498452
Karen
