Phumi Siem Reab Things to Do

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Aspara Dancing is a traditional Khmer art and there are several places to experience it in Siem Reap. If you’re looking for a touristy, but free way to see this Cambodian custom check out the free show upstairs at the Temple Bar. This place gets packed, especially with the $5 US dinner buffet. If you’re not hungry you’re still welcome to grab a table and watch the show, daily 7:30 to 9:30 pm.

There are other places in the city to see this art form, but this one is free!

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I recommend you to attend a Shadow Puppet show at La Noria Restuarant. Shows are on Wednesday's at 1930hrs at a cost of $12 including a meal. The shows are given by street children trained by Krousar Thmey. They operate the puppets and provide the voices for the characters. Programmes include folk tales and extracts from the Ramayana. Your enjoyment will be enhanced if you can go along with a local who can guide you through the nuanves of the plot.
An interesting daytime visit is to the workshop where you can see the children making the Puppets and meet the Puppet Master. You can buy a puppet of your favourite character which makes an unusual souvenir. Unfortunately the belligerent Water Buffaloes are very popular and supplies had run out when I visited

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Take a car or tuk tuk to the boat landing on Tonle Sap lake. The road journey gives a flavour of rural Cambodia with palm thatched houses on stilts and rice paddies. The boat trip ( about $10)takes you out onto Tonle Sap where the fishermen live on floating houses which are moved to follow the water as the lake shrinks during the dry season to one quarter of it's wet season size. Everything floats, houses, schools, a church, pigs and vegetable patches on their own little rafts and Vietnamese children paddling frantically in bathtubs!
My own preference is to take a local guide and driver so that you can combine the boat trip with other visits such as the silk farm.

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The Siem Reap River runs through Siem Reap town, and there are walkways, parks and benches along the river for you to walk around and relax. This is a nice way to relax after spending the day visiting the ancient Angkor monuments and other attractions around Siem Reap.

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National Highway 55 is the main road that links Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, and this road also links the Siem Reap airport to the town itself. This road is usually busy with traffic, and there are lots of hotels and restaurants along the way from the airport to Siem Reap.

This is also the road from Siem Reap to the Rulous group of ancient monuments.

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Sivutha Street is one of the main streets in Siem Reap, and there are many shops, restaurants/eateries, convenient stores, hotels etc which are located here.

Siem Reap is a relatively safe and small town, so it is nice to walk around especially along Sivutha Street. When you walk around here, you will notice that with tourism, the town of Siem Reap itself is now getting modernised (with all the new and colouful buildings and shops), and the standard of living has gone up which will mean things will get more expensive unfortunately.

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Other than the usual souvenir shops, there is another section of the Old Market which is truely a local market. Here, you can find the local people selling vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, food etc and it is crowded.

It is nice to walk around here to experience the local way of life, but do be careful because it is rather slippery. Also, watch your belongings even though Siem Reap is overall a safe town.

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There are several markets at Siem Reap, of which the Old Market is perhaps the most famous. At this market, you can find many shops selling souvenirs, clothings, jeweleries etc. Many tourists come here for the souvenir, and always remember to shop around and bargain.

Also, the Old Market is located just next to the Pub Street area, where there are many restaurants and pubs to hang out at night. More information and photos are at part 2 of this tip.