Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 1): Old Market, Night Market and Pub Street

Day 1 (20/12/2016) : KLIA2 – Siem Reap International Airport - Oasis Capsule Hotel – Old Market - Green e-Bike – Pub Street / The Alley – Oasis Capsule Hotel

Arriving in Siem Reap

I took an early morning flight to Siem Reap from KLIA2, and landed in Siem Reap International airport at 8am. It’s a relatively small airport and since it was weekday, there wasn’t many people flying that day and the airport was not busy. I cleared immigration in no time, and got out from the airport before 8.30am. I then walked to the transport counter to get a ride to the city. A tuk tuk or a bike ride to the city costs me US$6 one way. I previously received an email from my hotel that I can book through them for only US$4. Thinking it could be cheaper if I were to get one there myself, I didn’t book in advance. Great! Extra US$2 spent. I’ll pay. I picked tuk tuk since it was the same rate as a bike. The moment I hopped on, the driver started asking about my duration of stay and my plan and transport for my upcoming trip. He tried to sell his service to me for my temple visit, but I politely declined since I’ve got plans of my own. Honestly, he doesn’t like being turned down and he did started mumbling about me not giving him business. “Really should have booked with the hotel. Really should have booked with the hotel,” I thought to myself. But it’s just the start of my holiday, and I just keep my mouth shut and suck it up. 

On a tuk-tuk ride from airport to hotel

The ride to the hotel took about 30mins but there was nothing to see along the way. As it was pretty early in the morning, the streets were quiet and empty and the quietness started to take a toll on my sleepiness. Not wanting to agitate the driver any further, I had been sitting silently at the backseat and slowly my eyes gave away and I started to doze off. Luckily the driver still sent me to the correct address instead of kidnapping me. I booked my stay at Oasis Capsule Hotel as it was the cheapest I can find online. Since I was travelling alone, I didn’t want to spend too much time walking door to door to find a cheap lodging, and I wanted to feel more secure, having booked my accommodation before I arrive. The hotel is located at the main road of Siem Reap city, within walking distance to both Pub Street and the night market. The driver dropped me off in front of the hotel, and I walked into the reception, with my 40L backpack, looking befittingly like a backpacker checking in (which of course I was). After a short exchange with the receptionist, I was brought to my room. It was a 4-bed mixed dorm with attached bathroom, and the other 2 guests had gone out to the temple, leaving the whole room to myself and another empty pod, waiting for the next guest to check in. 

Checking in

Checking out the local market

It was still early after checking in and settling down, so I walked to the Old Market for sight-seeing. The market reminded me a little of Phnom Penh’s Psah Toul Tom Poung, a.k.a. Russian Market (and many other markets in South East Asia for that matter), but smaller and quieter. Wandering around the market, one will find different kinds of fresh produce and poultry, cured sausages and other preserved meat, dried fruits and snacks, local delicacies, souvenirs, paintings and sculptures, clothing and fashions and household items.

Old Market - inner section

Old Market - outer section

Pub Street in the day

 Not particularly sure whether this market caters more to the local people or tourists, as things are not priced cheaply. I was feeling rather hungry and decided to had early lunch at one of the food stall. I skimmed through the menu and was surprised that dishes are all priced at US$2. Can the local people afford a US$2 dollar meal? I certainly doubt so. But there’s basically nothing else I can do since I had “foreigner” painted all over my face and I do not speak Khmer. I sucked it up and ordered grilled pork with rice. 

Lunch - pork chop rice for $2

A student helping out a family stall

I continued roamed around the market after lunch, but since the place is relatively small, I finished looking around in no time. I spotted a place called “Art Centre Night Market” just across the road but since it says “Night Market”, I figure it’ll only be opened at night. As food comma kicked in and I was feeling sleepy (the hot weather doesn’t help either), I went back to the hotel to have a quick nap. It’s only just 12.30pm and I seemed to still have plenty of time. I needed to purchase my temple pass not earlier than 5pm and the journey to the ticketing counter will take me about 45minutes, therefore I planned to rent an e-bike at around 3pm. Just enough time for a refreshing nap before heading out. So off to bed I went for a quick afternoon nap (yea, I’m lazy like that). I woke up at approximately 2.30pm, freshen up, then head out in search for Green e-bike. 

Important facts about temple admission:

To enjoy a free entrance into the temple area (for sunset), you may purchase your temple pass after 5pm. You can then enter the temple area without having your temple pass punched. This ensures that you would still be able to use your ticket the next day (for one-day pass) or 3 more days (for 3-days pass) or 7 days (for 7-days pass) respectively. If you enter before 5pm, your ticket will be punched and you would have used up one day off your allowed duration. So, do take note about this. 

Renting an e-Bike

Feeling fresh from a quick shower, I asked for a city map from the reception and headed to find Green e-bike. A quick glance at the map and I found the logo for “Green e-bike”. However after following the map to the location on the map, the shop was nowhere to be seen. Feeling anxious as the clock was ticking, I asked several pedestrians but no one seemed to know the place. Just as I was about to give up, I studied the map again only to realise that I had been looking at the map the wrong way. Apparently, I was looking for the charging point instead of the shop. *face palm* I looked at the map again and finally found the shop, which was just few blocks away. By the time I reached Green e-bike, it was already 3.45pm. It took me 45mins to get there instead of the supposedly 10mins walk.  

Green e-bike

About Green e-bike:

Website: http://www.greene-bike.com/

I’m sure e-bike is not a new concept for fellow travellers, but in case you are new to this, it’s an electric bike that runs on rechargeable batteries (no gas emission). It runs at a maximum of 40km/hr speed and the batteries last for several hours (depending on the speed you are riding) before you needed to charge. The rental fee is only US$10 per every 24 hours, which means it’s the cheapest mode of transportation for solo travellers like me. A tuk tuk would probably charge you around US$15 a day with an additional $5 for sunrise or sunset, which isn’t a very economical way to transport around unless you are in a group of 2 to 4 people. There are also several free charging points around Angkor Achaelogical Park. My plan was to rent the bike for 2 days, and get a tuk tuk to temples which were too far away on the third day. Remember to bring along your passport as it is needed as a deposit. 

Rent me! Rent me!

As I walked into the shop, I was greeted by a friendly female staffs. Since I already did my homework earlier on, I was fully aware of the price charged but not about other details. She was quite thorough on guiding me through on how the bike works (no cluth, just a like bicycle but runs with electricity, pedals are not useful if you ride at the safe speed of 20km/hr, when and where to charge the bike, how to charge the bike, etc etc). She then gave me an Angkor temple map (with location of charging points) and gave some recommendation on how to plan my temple tour. Her suggestion? – small circuit on Day 1 and grand circuit on Day 2, skipping sunrise on Day 1, skipping the famous Bakheng Hill for sunset but instead go for sunrise instead, sunset at Angkor Wat or Pre Rup or Sras Srang. Her suggestions were all backed with reasonable arguments of course, and I took her advice on doing small circuit first followed by the grand circuit, but I followed my own plans for sunrise and sunset. (more on that on my following post)

I'm not a scooter nor a motorbike, I'm an electric bike

Finally, I was shown the bike for inspection. Any scratches and dents are to be reported and acknowledged (signed on papers) by both parties to avoid any dispute when the bike is returned. I’ll say it is just a formality, as they didn’t inspect meticulously when I returned the bike two days later. However, it’s always wise for us to be meticulous and point out every single scratch and dent we find. Always protect your own interest. It was already 4.30pm by the time we were done but knowing that I do not cycle well, she insisted that I test ride the bike in front of her before I rode off to the ticketing counter. Agreed that it is the wise thing to do, I got onto the bike, started the engine, and started riding it. NOT THAT GOOD. I felt embarrassed that I couldn’t handle the bike and that I was so clumsy with it. Seeing how clumsy I was, she was not confident to let me go (although I wanted to go to the ticketing counter asap) and insisted to have me keep practising until I’m better at it. Not recognising defeat, I keep practising along the narrow street and only after about 30 minutes later that I’m finally able to handle the bike properly. However, it was already close to 5pm and there’s no way I would be able to make it to the ticketing counter and for the free entrance for sunset. I had no choice but to change my plan and get my ticket tomorrow (before sunrise) instead. One missed sunset opportunity, two more left.  

What’s for dinner?

With a change in plan in place, I rode the bike back to the hotel and headed out for dinner to fill my constantly-growling tummy. Since Pub Street is situated just within walking distance from the hotel, I decided not to ride my e-bike, but to go on foot instead. After all, I was still clumsy with the bike and the road was jam-packed with locals heading home from work. There’s basically bikes, bikes and bikes everywhere. I’d better not risk the lives of myself and others.

Walking to Pub Street

After parking my bike in front of the hotel and locking it, I walked over to Pub Street, in search for some local Khmer food as dinner. As the name suggests, the entire street is lined with countless pubs and restaurants where the Caucasians patron for the cheap beer they offer (draft beer at US$0.50).

Pub Street at night

On the street itself are food carts selling local food and snacks. You may even find fried scorpions and snakes. Photography however is not allowed unless you make a purchase of these exotic food. After surveying the entire street, I settled for a local food cart selling amok, khmer curry, fried noodles and fried rice. Wanting to try new things, I settled for amok chicken with white rice which costs me US$3. 

Amok Chicken for $3

Amok is thick soup cooked with meat (normally either fish, beef or chicken), vegetables, eggs and coconut milk, a common national dish of Cambodia. Portion was a little too small for a US$3 dish but overall it was a delicious meal. 

Siem Reap Art Center Night Market

Siem Reap Art Center Night Market

After dinner, I walked towards the “Art Center Night Market” which I saw earlier in the day. It was already opened by then and the place was lit up with colourful lights.

Beautifully lit up bridge

Some of the stuff sold in the market

Most items sold were decorative items, souvenirs, handcrafts, shawls, clothing and paintings. Truly “art center” as the name suggests. However, it’s quite a repetitive of what is already offered in the Old Market and the prices weren’t that appealing to me. I left the place after a short 10 minutes visit.

Buddha statues

Elephants decorations

 The night was still young and I dropped by “Angkor Night Market” on my way back to the hotel. A little less happening than Pub Street, this place is like a mini version of “Art Center Night Market” with similar offering but at smaller scale and in open-air space instead. Nothing came to my particular interests and once again, my visit was rather a short one.

Angkor Night Market

One my way home to the hotel, I dropped by a convenient store to purchase some mineral water and biscuits for the next day. It’s a known fact that the food within the temple complex is on a higher end. I’m not willing to be slaughtered, so I decided to bring my own food and water instead.

Street food, souvenirs and T-shirst along the Night Market

Lost Soul Fish Incident

(Remark: In Cantonese, “lost soul fish” is used to describe a scatterbrain, whom carelessness and forgetfulness causes a series of misfortune to oneself or probably others)

While digging my wallet to pay for my purchase in the convenient store, I realised that I’m short of cash. I did have enough to pay for the things I bought but a quick glance into my wallet revealed that I’m short of cash for the temple pass and expenses for the next few days. Immediately, I panicked. After making payment I rushed back to the hotel room and hid in my pod to recalculate the US Dollars I had with me. Turned out, I’ve only brought the balance from previous trips but left the newly changed currency at home. Thankfully, I had some Malaysia Ringgit with me which I withdrew while I was stopped over at Malaysia, with the intention of depositing into my parents’ account. Unfortunately (or rather fortunately), I forgot to deposit the money and had them with me while I depart for Siem Reap. It’s such a blessing in disguise in a way, since I did not carry any ATM card or credit card with me. With the Ringgit I had, I walked to a nearby money changer to get some US Dollars. Not a very good rate, but I had no other choice. Having solved my problem, I returned to the hotel and went to bed early, in preparation for a long day tomorrow. 

Lesson learnt: Always double and triple check your essentials before you leave for a backpacking trip.   

Epilogue:

Day 1 in Siem Reap is relatively the most relaxing day (and the entire trip wasn’t at all tiring). As I took a rather early flight, I didn’t sleep much the night before, so I purposely didn’t plan anything on Day 1. The only plan was to rent the bike at 3pm, then to ride to the ticketing counter to get my Temple Pass, then to enter Angkor Wat for sunset. And with that in mind, I was pretty lazy the entire day. What I did not foresee was for me to get lost finding my way to Green e-bike, missing the sunset, and not having my US Dollars with me. With my previous two solo travel experience, I thought I was well prepared for any trips and I was lazy to keep my stuffs in check prior to boarding my flight. I was a little over-confident and reckless in a way. The whole ordeal of leaving my cash at home was a wake-up call for me, to remind myself that I should never let my guard down, and that it’s only wise to always be well prepared. I’m lucky for having sufficient Ringgit with me, but I won’t be that lucky every single time. 

Always stay in focus

Read more about my Siem Reap trip:

• 4 Days Siem Reap Itinerary In Less Than USD160
• Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 2): Angkor Small Circuit
• Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 3): Angkor Grand Circuit
• Lost Soul Fish in Siem Reap (Day 4 & 5): Banteay Srei & Beng Mealea