10 crazy facts about Siem Reap

Siem Reap is a great city in the north of Cambodia, full of poverty but also of tourism.

It is a very calm city compared to Phnom Phen or Hanoi, but very alive and full of markets and smiley people (and people trying to scam you).

The tourism in the city is concentrated in the center so called Pub Street, full of bars selling beers for $0.50 and cocktails for $2, spas that give you amazing back massage for $4 and tuk tuk drivers stopping you every meter to offer you a ride.

A part from the center, a must for a tourist is Angkor Wat temple and the fishing villages in Tonle Sap Lake.

I wish I could spend more days in Cambodia, as I missed the traditional dancing show and I wouldn’t have minded watching a wrestling match (a very popular sport in the city), but nevertheless I think I spend my 5 days there visiting the main attractions that Siem Rep has to offer.

Here you can find some funny/shocking facts I learned during this time:

1.USD everywhere: Even tough Cambodia has its own currency (Cambodian Riel), this is rarely used and it has been replaced by the USD. Restaurants, hotels and shops will actually give you the bill to pay in dollars. But as the Riel has many notes of small value, anything below $1 must be paid in Cambodian currency (no USD coins present).

2. Fake monks danger: The population of Cambodia is for the 98% Buddhist and this means that men can become monks. Monks get education, food and a roof for free, this is why many poor families from the villages decide to let their sons become monks. One of a monk's main activities is to walk around cities and villages collecting donations from people, but some lazy people suddenly started to shave their head and wear a monk dress pretending to be a Buddhist priest just to get easy money and food. This is why now monks carry an ID on their necks to show they are the real deal.

3.Bat tree: In the heart of the city there is a very special tree where many bats love hanging on. Even though there are plenty of trees, these little animals seem to love only one of them.

4.BK b4 MC: I was actually very surprised when I found out that Burger King made it to Siem Reap while McDonalds did not yet (but if you fancy a burger in Siem Reap, better go for a crocodile one in a local restaurant).

5.Kids on scooters: In theory people can drive scooters at 16 years old but practically none cares. I saw kids of very small age driving a scooter (around 10yrs) and while passing in front of a school, almost everybody had one.

6.Education is not mandatory: From primary school to high school, parents can decide if enroll their kids or not. This is the reason why many kids work at a very young age or beg for money in the street.

7.No middle class: Economical differences between classes are big, creating a situation where only low and high class exist. The average monthly salary of a low class worker is 180USD, while for an higher class one it can be around 400USD.

8.No high buildings: Every building in Siem Reap must be lower than Angkor Wat, the majestic temple symbol of this country.

9.Floating villages: Near Siem Reap there is Tonle Sap Lake, the biggest lake in southeast Asia. On this lake many people live, making their floating little houses on top of bamboo canes or huge plastic containers. But during the wet season the level of the lake can grow fro 1m to 12m, this is why families are forced to fleed with their houses in the middle of the forest, where they can be safer then to be in open water.

10.Power of the snake: Cambodian eats lot of rice and noodles together with chicken, beef, pork, fish, frogs and crocodile meat. A part from these dishes, people eat also snakes, spiders, scorpions, crickets and locusts.

The snake blood is considered to make men strong, that is why it is drunk. In the city center markets it is very common to find a traditional alcoholic drink bottled with a real snake inside.