Phumi Siem Reab Local Customs

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The Apsara Dance is the most famous traditional dance in Cambodia, and not to be missed when you are at Siem Reap. The beautiful and colourful traditional costumes, and the graceful dance movements of the female dancers make this dance a joy to watch.

You can catch Apsara dance performances in Siem Reap, especially in some of the famous buffet restaurants that come with a stage and performance show during the night. I have a chance to watch the Apsara Dance when I was at a meeting in Sokha Angkor Hotel in Siem Reap (see photos here as well as travelogue section of this VT page).

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Overall, the people of Siem Reap are very nice, friendly and helpful. They always put on a smile, and the customer service is very good especially at the hotels, transportation, tour guides etc. I have a good impression of the local people of Siem Reap!

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The lotus plants and flowers can be seen in many restaurant and places at Siem Reap, as well as the water areas around the various Angkor monuments. Lotus plants thrive in Cambodia due to the tropical hot and sunny weather. The lotus is an important plant in Buddhism, which is the main religion in Cambodia.

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Besides the famous Angkor monuments, you can visit the various local temples located at different locations at Siem Reap. These temples include the followings:

- Wat Preah Prom Rath (near to the old market)
- Wat Kesaram (along National Road No. 6, next to Sokha Angkor Hotel)
- Wat Damnak
- Wat Bo
- Wat Po Lanka
- Wat Thmey (near to Hotel Le Meridien)

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Ankor Wat is the big place to have wedding photos taken by cambodians.
If you come there in february when most people get married in Cambodia then you will usually find several wedding parties out there taking photos.
they do not take the photos on the wedding day though, but usually 2-3 days before the wedding.
And they are very pretty and colorful indeed.

There was a burning question that was running in my mind. So I asked my driver about it. In Asia, we do not generally use fork and spoon as this comes from the western culture.

The traditional Malays use their hands, while the chopsticks are used by Chinese. So what do the Cambodians use? My driver, Thara explained that farmers use their hands to eat their meals. They would wrap their food in lotus leaf and bring it along with them to their farms and padi fields.

Other Cambodians usually make use of a spoon or chopsticks, while the fork was only a recent addition to their cutlery set.

It's been a couple of days that I'd noticed the service staff pouring drinks. They have never poured it to the brim and I wondered why.

So I asked my driver and wahlah! I got the answer. One of the reasons is that they do this to ensure that the drinks does not spill over when the guest brings the cup to the mouth. It is also out of courtesy.

No wonder when a waitress accidentally spilled my drinks, she was totally apologetic to a point where it felt that this incident should not have happened at all.

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Throughout the ages, people of all faiths have benefited from the use of different types of good luck charms and lucky symbols. Although there is no definitive explanation for their workings, but people believe they really work.

In Siem Reap, people believe that the colourful stars will bring good luck and fortune for them. First, I noticed this inside the car that picked me up from Siem Reap airport. I even noticed more when I strolled around the town to look for lunch. Mr Kunn (the host of Jasminelodge) told me that they even hang these lucky stars inside every corner of their houses during Cambodian New Year (in April) and some other festivals. Some people also use it just for decoration purpose.