Outside the Temples in Siem Reap

After every temple run, I get the chance to explore what Siem Reap has to offer outside the confines of ancient ruins and temples. Siem Reap has an artistic and cultural vibe that I came to love unexpectedly. There was the typical backpacker restaurants, bars, and night markets, but there were also small, intimate family-owned restaurants and stalls that have endeared me to Siem Reap.

Pub Street

Pub Street is a popular place for tourists who visit Siem Reap. The street is teeming with restaurants, shops, and bars. The hostel I stayed in was a mere 5 minute walk from Pub Street which made the restaurants and shops accessible to me.
For a third world country I found Siem Reap's restaurants a bit pricey compared to Kota Kinabalu's and Thailand's.

Lok Lak

For $6 up this meal was pretty steep for a budget traveler. This restaurant was right out side Angkor Wat, the meals were mostly $3.50 up, unless you just want to eat dessert. The serving was rather big for one person which to an extent justified its steep price.

Lok Lak

Lok Lak was the only Cambodian dish I ate during my stay. It had 3 variations which were pork, chicken, and beef. I'm no food critic but I liked how it was a bit spicy and flavorful, and reminded me of beef steak back home. This Lok Lak dish was from a restaurant near the hostel I stayed in, this meal was only $3.50 and the serving, depending on appetite, was good enough for 2. I found one fast food chain in Siem Reap, no it was not McDonald's, it was KFC. 
There are also lots of markets in Siem Reap, finding a souvenir is not hard to do in this charming town.


The markets sell a variety of things from trinkets, scarves, sculptures, shirts, dresses, paintings, and other things.


The prices of the items you buy will depend on your ability to bargain with the store owners. I got 6 key chains for $3 and two scarves for $6, I'm sure you can do better. Other items like the hand crafted wooden sculptures fetched for more than $100 per item, and there were also jewelry stores that sold rings, bracelets, and earrings for more than $100 also.