Exploring Siem Reap

Siem Reap River 

 Our last day in Siem Reap with nothing planned. We spent the morning lazing around our hotel swimming pool and then walked to the local coffee shop. This is a town which has benefited from the investment the Angkor ancient temple tourism has attracted. We sat outside the coffee shop with our middle class cappuccinos and cake, and contemplated that we could be in any city in the world. No idea if this is a good thing, but it shows how Cambodia is changing.

 

We headed towards a new palace which has just been completed for the Cambodian king. This will be his new residence in Siem Reap. A Tuk Tuk driver persuaded us to go on a guided tour of the city. For $3 for an hour we could not refuse. Our drivers name was Paul and he was excellent, whizzing us around the streets and sites of Siem Reap. We declined to visit to another Killing Fields site, but it highlighted the scale of what happened under the Khmer Rouge regime. Tuk Tuk drivers have struggled since covid so we tipped him nicely at the end of the journey.

 

Raffles Siem Reap is part of the Raffles hotel chain, built in 1932. We started the evening by visiting their cocktail bar. Raffles Singapore is famous for the Singapore sling, in Siem Reap it is the Grand D'Angkor Sling, their own variation and signature drink, which uses local Angkor Gin. A nice way to end our time in Siem Reap. 

This is a city which dates back over a thousand years, which is both modernising and holding on to its history. It looks like it will continue to thrive and evolve. We will miss you Siem Reap.