If you only have two days in Siem Reap and you wish to get the best out of your Siem Reap holidays, here are the five things you must do.
- Taste the mouth-watering Khmer Food
- Shop till you drop at the Night Market
- Feel the vibrant Siem Reap Nighlife
- Watch the spectacular Angkor Wat Sunrise
- Relax and enjoy SPA and Massage
Delicious Khmer Food
Khmer food is largely influenced by Thai, Vietnamese cooking style, so if you like Thai cuisine, you’ll probably crave over the authentic Cambodian food too.
Amok, Cambodia’s national dish, is a curried fish steamed in a cup made of banana leaves. This signature dish can be found in any Khmer restaurants. The challenge is to find the best fish amok at a reasonable price.
The best fish amok we tasted was at the Father’s Restaurant and reasonably priced at USD3.
Shopping at Night Market
After a heavy meal, it’s shopping time! Angkor Night Market is located off Sivatha Blvd, about 10-min walk from Center Market. If you are lazy to walk, a Tuk-Tuk ride will only cost you USD1 to get there.
Travel Tips:
1. Do prepare small notes to pay for the Tuk-Tuk ride as the drivers normally do not have small change.
2. If you are on a shoe-string budget, there are guesthouses and cheap hotels in Siem Reap at USD15 or lower per room.
Siem Reap Night Market opens from 5pm to mid-night, selling Cambodian souvenirs, T-shirt like GAP, Polo Ralph Lauren, silk shawls and handicrafts. As it is a market especially for tourists, the prices are marked up at least 100%. But if you hanger the prices hard enough, you can get good and cheap local souvenirs there.
Siem Reap Nightlife
Chilling out at Pub Street has become one of the popular night activities in Siem Reap. At Pub Street, there are two rolls of bars and restaurants facing each other awaiting you to patronize. Too many dinning choices with fabulous “happy hour” deals like Angkor Draft Beer going at 50 cents(USD), Vodka Red Bull at USD1.50. Difficult to make a decision? Just hop from one pub to another since happy hour starts as early as 6pm!
Pub Street is filled with tourists and hot music in the night. It is hassle free to walk through the street as Police blocked all vehicles from entering Pub Street in the evening.
Angkor Wat Sunrise
Waking up at 4.30am is a little sacrifice you need to do to catch the sunrise of Angkor Wat. A small price to pay as riding on a Tuk-Tuk at pre-dawn hours is quite enjoyable. And if you are lucky enough to get a good spot to mount your tripod, you get to capture that significant moment: how the sky transforms from inky navy blue to pink to red when the sun claims over the horizon.
SPA and Massage in Siem Reap
After waking up early at 4.30am to catch the sunrise and climbing hundreds of stairs at Angkor Wat, the best way to pamper your feet is to get a foot reflexology. Foot reflexology is very affordable at USD5 for an hour. They are several clean and reputable massage parlours and SPA like Lotus Dream in Siem Reap and you can get a relaxing one-hour body massage at merely USD8.
Another massage craze that you may want to experience is Fish Massage. Soak your feet into a pool of water and hundreds of fishes will nibble your feet to remove your dead skin. And there is only one-word to describe the experience – Ticklish!
