Siem Reap

A stop-off on the way to the Capital of Cambodia. Siam Reap is a large town which, when OTRC last paid a visit, had dusty-red clay -like roads . During rainfall the road would become a mush which would cling to your footware, bike tyres and fairing.

For exchanging your money to US $ this is the place if you didn't have chance while in Poi Pet or Arantha Prathet.

Siem Reap is a good place if you want to check out the nearby Ankor Wat temple complex. This is a 5 minute bike ride from Siem Reap and is well sign posted. The last report we got from here was back in the day in 2000 when the entry fee was $5. It's probably more like $30 now...

Accommodation is varied. For the budget hounds a few dollars you can get a dingy guesthouse room with communal bathroom and toilet. For the strutting samsonites upwards of $25 you can get something approaching a 3 to 4 star hotel.

The Nightlife is 'different' to what many farang expats in LOS are used to.

For a start the French expats are fairly well entrenched on the bar scene here. In fact as Cambodia was a french colony until recently french is still a recognised language. However the english language is now pretty much the second language that young folk speak.
Which is probably why, among other reasons, the OTRC crew got a frosty reception at the bars we went in.
The draft beer tasted foul at those places so it's best to stick to the bottled stuff.
The only nightclub/disco in town is a strange place with hostesses flitting about in and out of there. Cheap polyprop chairs and tables are the furnishings around a medium-sized circular dance-floor.
A bizzare and surreal waltz dance performed by pairs of hostesses occasionally takes place. Worth a look if nothing else.