Siem Reap is the forth biggest city in Cambodia. As it is located close to the Angkor Wat historical park, Siem Reap is a perfect starting point to explore the famous temple ruins. The city itself has not many sights. Nevertheless it is worth to spend some time there, especially in the day time when most of the other tourists are heading to the temples outside of the city.
The river which flows through Siem Reap is very important to local people. When the temperature drops a little bit at night and people return home from work, they meet at the river bank to have dinner together. What I liked most was to see the locals catching some fish in the river and cook it right next to it on a bonfire. Unfortunately there is many waste left behind after all those picnics but at least one or the other collects some of the waste and burns it with the next bonfire.
Although the city is relatively big only the bigger main roads are made of concrete. Some smaller roads in the city are still dirt roads. The raised dust from these roads covers the city with a fine red veil. We have never seen this before in any other city. As we have visited Cambodia in the dry season in April, it might be different in other months of the year.
Although Siem Reap itself has no real sights to visit, it is worth spending some time there and getting an insight into the daily life of the locals.
