Cambodia Travel Diary: Day 4 at Siem Reap

Day 4 was our last day in Cambodia! This day was a very relaxing one since we had no activity scheduled. It's our last chance to shop for souvenirs and some food to bring home from the supermarkets.
 

We walked around shops near the Old Market and saw a couple of interesting ones. I chanced upon a Tous les Jours store there and got curious on how different it was with the ones in Manila. The store itself had a similar look, but they have this cute fresh fruit cake we don't have here.

For our last lunch, we went back to The Brothers Bar & Restaurant! It's a new bar and restaurant in a traditional Khmer wooden house. They serve an extensive range of Asian, Western, and Khmer cuisine. They have free WIFI that actually works, and live music during the evening.

 

European Set II ($5.00)

Greek salad served with Samosas

Blue Fettuccini: Fettuccini pasta with creamy blue cheese sauce

Dessert of seasonal fruits platter

This time, I ordered a different European Set. Samosas weren't available, so they had me trade it with Royal Spring Roll (fried mixed vegetables and minced beef in rice wrapper with spicy sauce). I'm not complaining at all. :D The Royal Spring Roll was good, the pasta had a sharp cheese taste, and I also liked the fresh fruit platter. This meal costs just P236 when converted to PHP as of press time. OA sa sulit! ♥

Spanish omelet ($2.00)

Omelet with fried potatoes and onions served with bread
 

The rest of the dishes I wasn't able to note the names and prices, but everyone was happy with their orders.
 

Tall glasses of shakes range from $1.20 to $2.00 only.

The Brothers Restaurant
Telephone no.: 012-460097, 093-811810
Address: King’s Road Angkor, Old Market area
Open: 9:00AM - 12:00PM 
 

While walking around, Panda and I saw this Manulife clock and we just had to take a photo. I used to work for them before I went back to school this year.

 

Before heading back to the airport, we thought of having a quick dinner to combat hunger during our 3-hour flight. I remember Siem Reap International Airport having limited food choices, so we dropped by Pub Street again for the last time. Not everyone in our group has tried Khmer Family Restaurant, so we had dinner here. It was a wrong decision since their service was extremely slow, they got our orders mixed up, and the staff weren't even nice. Also, the WIFI was creeping at a glacial pace. After dining at The Brothers twice, this restaurant was already pushed towards the expensive category, since they don't give value for your money. It's the same price or even a bit pricier than my European Set meal above! Not recommended. So much for being our last dinner, we should have gone to The Brothers or Blue Pumpkin again instead. :/

 

Goodbye, Pub Street!
 

This trip has gave me a lot of realizations. Here are my honest feelings, and I don't mean to offend:

• I'm not really into temples/ruins. They're almost all the same to me. LOL
• Siem Reap is ideal only as a stopover during your Asian tour, 1-2 days tops.
• Four full days at Siem Reap is more than enough. It's the provincial side of Cambodia, so there's nothing much to do here. I've already seen what I intended to, so it's very unlikely that I'll go back there.
• During the trip, I've encountered few very kind people, particularly in host in King Boutique Hotel and the waiter in The Brother's Bar and Restaurant. Some were normal and okay, but there were a lot of shopkeepers whom I felt were rude and were just after my USDs. Once you ask the price, they'd assume you're going to buy and some would get angry when you don't purchase.
• Break your USDs into small denominations, so there will be less chance of you getting change in Cambodian Riel. It's very hard to use and manage because USD 1.00 = 4027.71 Cambodian Riel.
• There's nothing much to buy here. Case in point: Pashminas and scarves excited me while I was at Siem Reap, and I don't even care about here in Manila.
• Next time, I'll think before I book a plane ticket.
• I enjoyed last year's trip to Bangkok, Thailand last year more.
 

So this ends my Cambodia Travel Diary series. I've got #TopeTravelandTours to thank for arranging our trip and itinerary!

Love,
Helen
 

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Cambodia Travel Diary: Day 3 at Siem Reap

Day 3 was chill day! We only had a short visit to 2 temples before lunch, but it was worthwhile. We woke up extra early to witness the sunrise at Angkor Wat. 

We thought weather wasn't cooperating that day, because the sky was so cloudy, and it was already past the forecasted sunrise schedule. A lot of people (including us) gave up on ever seeing the sun rise in its full glory, we headed back to the van to go to our next destination. Lo and behold, we saw the red sunrise while on the road. Fail. Haha! >.<

The last temple in our ininerary was Bayon Temple. It's the "Temple of Many Faces" built in dedication to Buddha during the 12th century. This one's just near the Angkor Wat and is way less crowded. We rushed here right after sunrise, which is the perfect timing since it's not yet hot and we had the place almost all to ourselves.
 

This temple has withstood the test of time really well. It's famous for the giant stone-carved Buddha faces, and they're all smiling! :)

We returned to the hotel early, so we had the luxury of time to visit commercial centers and supermarkets. Panda and I had lunch at Lucky Burger, but it was so-so, hence no picture. There's no McDonald's here, which was sad.

After lunch, we went to The Great Escape. I've never been to one here in Manila, so it's my first time to do an "escape hunt" kind of game. They have a 5-star rating at TripAdvisor, and I didn't bother stalking their Facebook page because I didn't want any potential spoilers.

We chose the room "John Monroe's Detective Office" for our mystery challenge.
 

It's so fun because they took our photos via the CCTV cameras inside the room. We weren't able to solve the mystery, though! We weren't satisfied with our performance, so we asked if we could have an additional discount for the next room, and they obliged! :D

The other room we tried was "The Lost Room of Jack Travis". It's way more challenging. We had our game face on and strategy, hence the lack of photos. LOL! No spoilers, but this was super FUN! The staff were nice, but the only thing I didn't like were the mosquitoes present in every room. Just arm yourself with a mosquito repellent, and go to The Great Escape!
 

WE WON!
 

Happy group shot :D

We wandered across King's Road Angkor, near the Old Market. There were a lot of restaurants, and we stumbled upon The Brothers Bar & Restaurant. At first, we were hesitant because there were only a few clients dining there; the place was mainly for drinking, or so we thought. The menu had a wide selection of food and drinks at very affordable prices so we tried it.

European Set III ($6.00)

Pumpkin Soup served with bread

Fried fish fillet with lemon butter and creamy sauce served with vegetables

Home fried dessert of seasonal fruits platter

I ordered the European Set III. Pumpkin Soup wasn't available that day, so they replaced it with a soup of my choice (Minestrone Soup, not in the photo). This was the last night we're spending in Cambodia, how come it's just now that we discovered The Brothers! T_T I thought this deal of a meal might be too good to be true, but it isn't! The servings were big and the taste was excellent. I know I can't get a meal this complete and fancy at this price (approximately P288) here in Manila. The Brothers deserve more buzz and recognition. Go visit them! The waiter was very kind as well, so it's great food and great service in one.

Our last activity for the day was the Phare, The Cambodian Circus. The actors here are scholars of Phare Ponleu Selpak Association's performing arts school, and their shows are comprised of acrobatics, dance, music, and theater.

 

Each show is unique and the performers give touching representations of Cambodian history and culture. By going to one of the shows, you're also helping the Cambodian youth develop their skills even more. Poverty is no hindrance to them. The social businesses I've encountered here in Cambodia are geared towards their youth and education; they are all meaningful, and they provide a real positive impact on the world.

Stay tuned for Day 4 of my Cambodia Travel Diary - the last chapter!

Love,

Helen

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