Around Siem Reap

Oh God…how many beers did I have last night? It was a very good thing that we didn’t have a JP wake-up call today, but we were awake by 8:30 despite touching our heads on our pillows not 6 hours earlier. It was a free day today and there were a list of things that I had on my To-Do/See list. Lucy and I wanted to check out the Artisans d’Angkor which was a facility that trained local young people to be skilled in woodworking, stone sculpturing and lacquer work. It was fascinating to see the process for how these items were created. The center enrolls some 500 students at a time and separates them into levels of apprentice and advanced, each working on different types of artwork. They are responsible for many of the souvenirs people buy at local markets, however, if you purchase items from their on-site shop, the proceeds go directly to the further development of their center.

Siem Reap also has some sprawling markets. Central Market is more modern and sells mainly food. Old Market is a hodge-podge of stalls that at the center of it all sells food stuff (fresh meat, fish and vegetables) but as it expands outwards, provides every type of household item you can imagine from motorbike parts to cheesy plastic shoes (complete with plastic feet). It is on the outer perimeter that you can purchase souvenirs of all shapes and sizes from silk wraps and bags to temple rubbings and fake plaster replicas of Angkor Wat that contain glowing red light bulbs. Every stall you venture into carries the same thing and that sparked a new local saying that we adopted – “Same Same But Different”

Totally Tacky! What better way to model plastic shoes than with plastic feet!

Before I left Seattle, a colleague told me of a local man who was commissioned to draw the Angkor complex for historical reference in case the civil war destroyed any of the ancient structures. This man translated his drawings into concrete miniatures. Somewhere in Siem Reap, these miniatures were still about and I had to find them. I found a map which marked their location, but in my walking I noticed that I was getting into more rural areas. I had clearly left the town limits. As I looked around me, I noticed the glaring disparity between rich and poor. Three-walled shanty houses were clumsily built on rotting stilts in a river that flowed right across from the glittering Grand Angkor Hotel. Children were playing in deep rain-filled potholes outside beautiful ceramic-tiled homes. I was filled with a feeling of uncertainty around how these Cambodians must feel about the economic and societal shifts in their country. They clearly see the wealth that the outside world represents, but with worn-out clothes and no shoes, do they contemplate if that wealth can ever become their own? After getting lost down some small residential roads, I found the Angkor miniatures in the backyard of a small house. The lady of the house graciously let me view them for $1. She showed me to the displays and pointed towards the raised platform where I could get a birds-eye view of the complex. It was amazing. These replicas were incredibly detailed and reflected a patient hand. A few photos later, I thanked my host and made my way back to town.

Found: Miniature of the Angkor Wat Complex

Once my mission was accomplished, I rewarded myself with some much needed relaxation. The Body Tune Spa was right across from the Soup Dragon and emanated a welcome and soothing aura. I chose a package which consisted of a one-hour foot massage with reflexology and a one-hour aromatic body massage. The best part was that these two hours of bliss would cost me a whopping $13. Can you believe it? I would spend another week here in Siem Reap in utter heaven if my schedule could afford it.