SummaryAirport Rating N/A Reception of locals *****
It was a couple of weeks into my cross Cambodia road trip that I finally reached Siem Reap. I had specifically gone with a tour group to ensure I understood the history and meaning of the Angkor Temples, however, even if you go on your own, you can hire tour guides at the temples, something I would definitely recommend.
The first thing I noticed about the city was it was much smaller than some of the larger cities in SE Asia such as Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok. The city it most reminded me of was Chiang Mai with its small roads and large tourist population. The first night I had a walk around the night market, which is pretty large considering the size of the city and seems to stretch forever. As with other night markets in Cambodia, you can find anything from clothes, to paintings, little souvenirs and food stalls. The night market here is relatively cheap and you can haggle prices at pretty much every stand. I was told to begin at a third of the price and work my way up, which seemed to work well. Massages are very cheap throughout Cambodia, and it was no different here, a 30 minute foot massage costing less than GBP 2. You can get all sorts from a back massage to head massages (which I couldn't really have with a patka/dastaar). SummaryAirport Rating N/A Reception of locals ***** Cost: £
The drive from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap is about 7/8 hours long, taking you through the beautiful Cambodian countryside. During the reign of the Khmer Rouge, government officials forced an urban depopulation, moving city dwelling Cambodians to work manual labour in the countryside, This had the inevitable consequence of causing large famines and many deaths. However, today, the countryside is full of farmers, ploughing their fields and tending to their crops. There was a lot of greenery during my trip and the vivid colours painted an amazing backdrop to this beautiful country.
Summary
It's wedding seasonMy mid twenties have coincided with a large number of my friends beginning to settle down and get married, and where there are weddings there are stag do's. Depending on the friend, and the friendship group, this can range from stag do's in English cities, European cities and further afield, however this post will concentrate on just trips to Europe.
The one thing that England and Panjab have in common is a big drinking culture but this post will not glorify drinking in any manner. I have seen the damage alcohol can do, especially in English and Panjabi families. The UK suffers from approximately 10,000 alcohol related deaths per year while Panjab has one of the highest per capita alcohol consumption rates in the world. There are certain things that straddle the line of good and bad, for me, alcohol is one of the most dangerous and addictive substances on the planet. That being said I spent 3 years working in a club during my university years and me giving a long winded lecture is a little hypocritical. I am a firm believer that you can have fun without drinking alcohol and this extends to stag do's too. |
AuthorBritish Sikh, born in the Midlands, based in London, travelling the world seeing new cultures. Categories
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