Day 10 (1/12) - Siem Reap (Old Market)

When we arrived at Siem Reap, there was a designated Tuk Tuk driver despatched from MotherHome Guest House to bring us back to our accom. The Tuk Tuk driver was very friendly and efficient... helping us with our luggage and bringing us out of the "war" zone hastily.

You see, everytime a local transport brings you to some place, there is bound to have a horde of Tuk Tuk drivers waiting at the end point, hounding you the minute you step out. We were immediately "rescued" by the guy in sky blue polo-tee, MotherHome's very own superhero attire. 

The staff at MotherHome greeted us with a cold towel and with great hospitality. When we thought it was all over when we went to our room... wa lah! They had specially decorated our bed with towel cranes, jasmine flowers and rose petals. It was as if we were on our honeymoon! The little surprise won many brownie points from me and the tray of complimentary fruits, with the transparent price list of the local tours and shows set on the dressing table is what every tourist hopes for on their holiday! Honesty and hospitality! We were even given a cup of complimentary fruit juice nicely decorated with an orchid!

Before you think that they paid me to say all these nice things about them, I only wish it was true. Cos either way, whether they pay me or not, I would still sing praises of it. By the way, if you haven't already noticed, I have posted photos of the prices for the benefit of the patient reader who has tahaned reading my blog thus far. Disclaimer though, the prices are as of Nov-Dec 2011 and may vary in years to come.









We had our breakfast over there, buffet style, with milk, cereals, porridge, bread, fried rice, mee, you know, the usual happy breakfast type. Spoke to the friendly staff over there who taught us how to say the numbers 1-10 and a few other common words in Cambodian (all of which I left in Cambodia). We taught them a little Mandarin as well. 

We didn't have much time to hang around in Siem Reap so we quickly headed over to the Old Market, and wondered around aimlessly (don't worry, there's lotsa of Tuk Tuk drivers waiting to get your business). 

It was during that time that we went on a massive shopping spree, a productive one I may add. Oh, before I forget, we also paid for a Khmer massage session at MotherHome but I can't recall which came first... the shopping spree or the massage... *irrelevant* 

We walked out of the main area of Old Market and crossed a bridge built over what seemed like a lake. It isn't too far away from the main area, but you'll have to get your bearings right. Anyways, after crossing the bridge, that's where the good stuff were. You can almost find all of the best Cambodian souvenirs at this cluster of stalls which are lined in a square, think of the place like bugis street shaped in a square, and being more spacious. I think that place is a "hidden gem" because there weren't a lot of tourists there, and the good thing about it is that the shop owners are desperate to make some business so you can really bargain your way to have the best deals, provided you know what the "market rate" is. 

The Tuk Tuk driver which we engaged to send us back to the hotel wanted to get our business so bad that he lowered his price, below market rate for us when he realised we wanted to get to the airport that day. So when we went back to the hotel, we told the receptionist that we would not be taking their Tuk Tuk (who actually left us at Old Market and advised us to take our own Tuk Tuk back as it was difficult to coordinate, no fault of his though as it's true cos we had no idea where we would be walking to).

However, when our Tuk Tuk driver sent us to the airport, lo and behold, he dropped us at the entrance as he wanted to save on the entrance fee! As a result we had to walk a good 200-400m into the airport lugging our baggage with us. It seems the agreement was just to send us to the airport, but not "inside the airport". What the ****. Well, now you know. We should have trusted MotherHome's Tuk Tuk driver, which I definitely did regret. The moral of the story is, when you're at MotherHome, or a guest of MotherHome, you can let your defences down and trust them. 

That wasn't the only bad experience before leaving for Siem Reap back to Singapore... for on the plane, I starting feeling unwell... went back to Singapore, had food poisoning and recovered only a week after. 

Despite the bad experiences I encountered over there, and a high possibility that I will never step foot back in Cambodia, it wasn't actually such a bad trip there. Cambodia pissed me off with all the "cheating" and the dishonesty of the locals, sanitation and the food hygiene. However, it also exposed me to the delicious cuisines (ironic based on my previous statement) and opened my eyes to the floating villages, finally awing me with the beauty of the country, the temple structures and the gorgeous beach of Saracen Bay.

If I were to compare which weighs more, the pros or the cons, I would with a little hesitation, say that Cambodia is worth going on a Holiday to. Just be prepared, and with a little luck, you might find Cambodia to be more beautiful than it already is.