Phare, the Cambodian Circus - Siem Reap

One of the many things Mel had found for us to do in Siem Reap (asides from visiting many, many temples) was a night at the Phare, the Cambodian Circus. Phare has a company in Battambang and in Siem Reap, and the Siem Reap company puts on nightly shows that attract quite a few visitors, even in what was a quiet time for tourists in Cambodia.

Spohorn dropped us off and picked us up when we went to Phare Circus, however it is only a short tuk tuk ride from town if you don't have a driver and there were a few waiting to pick up patrons when we were heading home.

Phare Circus' performances all tell a story, apparently there are a number of different stories depending on the night, keeping the show fresh for return visitors.

Phare is an acrobatic circus, no animals involved here, just an awesome show.

There is some serious skill involved in putting this show together, we were all in awe of the talent on display at Phare, the Cambodian Circus.

The story this night involved a young girl, removed from her family at birth during the Khmer Rouge era, returning to her village, where two men fought for her affection via feats of acrobatic endeavour.

Phare, the Cambodian Circus, hold a Guinness world record for the longest continuous circus performance, with a non-stop performance that lasted over 24 hours.

The show at Phare also includes a few feats of strength and will keep you riveted throughout the whole performance.

In the background here you can see three paintings that were painted by one of the performers during the course of the show and you have the opportunity after the show to purchase these if you wish.

As with many of the places we visited in Cambodia, Phare, the Cambodian Circus operates as a social enterprise, that is, they are run as a for-profit business that dedicates it's profits to a social cause. In the case of Phare Circus, the profits from their business operations go towards funding their non-profit school, Phare Ponleu Selpak, in Battambang. Phare Ponleu Selpak provides education for student from kindergarten age and has a performing arts program as well as regular schooling for students from Battambang and surrounding communities. Phare's Siem Reap Circus also has quite an extensive gift shop selling locally made goods which in turn supports a number of local artists and suppliers.

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Siem Reap Road Trip to Phnom Krom Area

After lunch, we hopped into Sophorns van for a little road trip. Sophorn took us out to a small village near Phnom Krom, on the outskirts of Siem Reap. We didn't want to go somewhere were there was just a constant flow of voyeuristic tourists crowding the locals, and this village appeared, at least, to be happy to see us arrive.

Driving past some road side stalls on the way out of town. While we didn't see rooftop solar systems on anywhere near the scale we see in Australia, it was quite common to see street vendors set up with a solar panel or two, presumably to charge phones and other small electrical devices.

The water level can rise dramatically here, so the houses are built up on stilts, lifting them a couple of metres off the ground and placing the entry at road level.

Many of the locals have little roadside restaurants on their front balconies, or next to their houses.

Another view of the same roadside restaurant as above.

This little store was selling snacks and drinks.

So much food on offer at these stalls, and a huge variety, I really do wish we'd tried some of it.

These were barbecued rats on skewers, caught fresh in the fields and cooked up for passers by.

I could never work out how, with so many together, these stall owners were able to make a living, but they lined the roads here. Mind you, there is a temple not far away, so maybe they get busy at certain times of the day.

The gate at the entry to Phnom Krom, the stalls here seemed to be quite busy when we visited.

A pond full of lotus, these flowers are farmed around Siem Reap and Phnom Krom and are in constant demand from businesses and also sold to be used as offerings at the many temples in Cambodia.

Street scene near Phnom Krom, on the outskirts of Siem Reap, Cambodia.

This house looked like it was available for sale, although it does need a fair bit of work.

Sophorn explained that due to the lotus farms here, this was an area Siem Reap locals would visit for special occasions, buying food from the stalls and heading out to picnic in some little huts with a view of the lotus ponds.

These smaller villages are a great place to visit and if we'd been staying longer, I reckon I would have taken a few more chances with the roadside food and bought a few things to try here. As it was, it would be another couple of days before I got my next roadside food fix here in Cambodia.

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Lunch at Crep' Italy

A lot of Siem Reap tourist culture centres around Pub Street. Right or wrong, this is often the first place tourists find in Siem Reap, and we were no exception. Like moths to a flame, we're drawn to the bright lights we've all heard about before we arrive. That's not all bad though, because there are some good restaurants around pub street, like Crep' Italy, located in a laneway behind Pub Street.

Crep' Italy was quiet when we arrived, so we parked ourselves in front of the bar.

Some of our entree's, spring rolls and croquettes.

The rest of the Griswalds, clowning around as usual.

I'm pretty sure this was Mel's Caesar salad and I'm kicking myself for not taking a photo of the bill to remind me.

This alleyway leads through to Pub Street was a little reminiscent of an Italian laneway, Vespas and all.

A few limoncellos to go with our dessert.

It's usually a safe bet to accume that Mikah's dessert is the one with ice cream.

Lori and I shared a creme brulee.

Crep' Italy has a mix of Italian and Cambodian food on offer along with quite an extensive wine list.

The view down the laneway from Crep' Italy.

We enjoyed our meal here at Crep' Italy. While we have a rule of not returning to any restaurants while we're abroad, like many places we ate in Cambodia, we could have happily eaten here again.

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Taking a Break from Temples to Explore Siem Reap

After two straight days exploring the ancient secrets of the Angkor region, we decided to have a day off from exploring temples. Following our breakfast at the hotel, we headed out to check out The Little Red Fox Espresso in Siem Reap, then a little drive around town before we ended up at the Old Market for a spot of shopping.

The Old Market is down by the river in the middle of Siem Reap, and after shopping we grabbed some coconut waffles from one of the food carts that line the side of the road between the market and the river. These food carts are everywhere over here, and while we've been pretty cautious so far, there's a huge variety of food on offer from them. The whole time we were in Cambodia, I was advocating for more food cart food in our lives, while some of the other Griswalds were urging caution.

The Little Red Fox Espresso Cafe is a little cafe in Mondul 1 Village in Siem Reap.

Lori was particularly excited, as no matter how good the hotel coffee is, it just can't compare to getting to a dedicated cafe and getting some real espresso.

As with many places we visited, The Little Red Fox bills itself as a social enterprise, employing and training locals with a view to empowering them to take their skills further if they desire.

Mel decided on an iced coffee.

My Long Mac hit the mark.

Some of the decor at The Little Red Fox Espresso Cafe.

As with many markets in Cambodia, the Old Market in Siem Reap has a wide variety of goods for sale, from sausages and dried meat, seafood, fruit and vegetables to clothing and souvenirs.

Some more of the dried and preserved food available at Siem Reap's Old Market.

Part of the fruit and veg section of the Siem Reap Old Market.

Shopping for t-shirts and Krama (traditional Khmer scarves) at Siem Reaps Old Market.

Artworks for sale by local artists at Siem Reaps Old Market.

Waffles being cooked at a food cart outside Siem Reaps Old Market.

Siem Reap is a great town to explore and I hope we get another opportunity to spend some time here.

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Urban Tree Hut and Dialogue on 26th Street - Wat Bo Village

After a long day exploring Angkor era temples, followed by a quick dip in the pool at our hotel, we headed out to dinner at Urban Tree Hut on 27th Street in Siem Reap, including dishes featuring Red Ants, Quail and Crabs among others. Although we opted for the air conditioned dining room, most of the dining area here at Urban Tree Hut is actually outdoors in an awesome garden setting. If we hadn't still been in wind down mode from the days activities, I think we would have taken the garden option.

After dinner we felt like an after dinner drink or two, so we took a walk around the block to see what we could find. As we did, we found ourselves at the corner of Wat Bo Road and 26th Street, checking out Dialogue on 26th Street. We had a look over the cocktail list, looked around the venue and decided this would be a good place for those after dinner drinks. Dialogue is a cool open air space with a well stocked bar, great staff and quite a cool drinks list.

This Beef with Red Ant Salad at Urban Tree Hut was delicious, I would definitely order this one again.

Urban Tree Hut's Spicy Papaya Salad.

We all chose a dish or two off the menu to share amongst the table, the Quail Congee was my pick, and I quite enjoyed it.

Chicken Amok is a traditional Khmer dish, so you will find at at almost any restaurant in Cambodia, it quickly became a staple of our trip.

While we chose the air conditioned indoor dining area at Urban Tree Hut, there is an amazing outdoor garden style dining space as well that we would love to experience one day.

After dinner we felt like a few drinks, so headed around the corner to find a small bar and Dialogue on 26th Street seemed like a good choice. This is one of their signature cocktails.

One of Dialogues bartenders preparing our cocktails.

Ken, Mel and I all had the same cocktail, Lori opted for a gin and tonic.

Dialogues outdoor space is funky and a great place to catch up.

Dialogue on 26th Street, Wat Bo, as seen from the road.

Dinner at Urban Tree Hut and after dinner drinks at Dialogue on 26th Street turned out to be a great way to finish our day and debrief after a huge day exploring Angkor era temples in the Cambodian jungle. The Wat Bo village area and 26th Street precinct are a great part of Siem Reap to explore and we saw several other places we would also like to visit while we were here. Perhaps one day we will come back and try some of them.

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