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I visited Siem Reap in around the Year 2000....it was dusty, dirty, and just a few bars/clubs, and the few that were there very traditional Cambodian. I remember one where the patrons would have this dance style where they went out on the dance floor, went into a circular formation, and altogether took three steps forward, two steps back, and repeated the process for nearly every song. That was one of the premier and very few nightlife places in the city.
I have not went back, but I have been looking at google maps and youtube videos. Wow, it does not look like the same place. Pub Street/Pedestrian Street....with tons of bars, and foreigners drinking their foreign beers everywhere. It is looking a lot more like what you'd see in Thailand (minus the go-go bars), but the drinking establishments lined up and down a main street.
I don't know if its good or bad, I mean, it sells to tourists, and pays their bills. But, I'm just surprised at how much Cambodia and Siem Reip in particular, has been changing.
I expect a thread any moment that will say, "I don't want to go where there are many tourists, do you recommend Luang Prabang or Siem Reap?"
Lol. Tiger Beer, your observation is spot on. Many people are always chasing after the next best thing.
I will be going to Siem Reap this coming March just so I can see Angkor Wat. In researching hotels to stay in, I was struck by the number of beautiful places there are to choose from. All looking very tropical, luxurious, and appealing. I don't regard this as a problem or drawback though and I am looking forward to staying in one of them.
And there all kinds of restaurants now to choose from, but I hope to eat Cambodian food only to sample a cuisine I know nothing of.
Luang Prabang also sounds very appealing but by the time i get there people my have already moved on to the next best thing.
I just got back, and it's sort of at a strange point right now. Annual visitors are right around 1M. Huge numbers of Chinese, but they don't leave their own massive compounds. The rest of the tourists consist more of backpackers/couples/older couples. Definitely not like Thailand...yet. They're just putting in rules about where you can/can't go in the temples, probably long overdue, and I would imagine in the next five years they'll get much more strict.
Overall, it was a great time, and amazing. If you're hitting the temples, don't pass up Banteay Srei, as it was amazing with its detail. That and Bayon were our favorites.
Hotels, we stayed at the Golden Temple Residence, it was super. Half a block from the night market, a block from Pub Street, but quiet. Golden Temple has a number of other places in town as well, and all are reasonably priced. Book direct for the best perks.
You can see more Chinese including those from HK, Macau, people from Malaysia and Singapore than Westerners. Chinese don't drink and party as much. Just sightseeing
I have heard it is has turned into a tourist trap.
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