Khmer Kronicles: Eating and Shopping

We walked going to the market because we were stingy to pay $1/way to ride a tuktuk. Girls will penny pinchfor some shopping adventure, yeh? It was a 15-20 minute walk going to the market. We found the Pub Street first and checked out our possible cheap dinner options. Dinner first! Shopping with an empty tummy is a miserable experience; you’ll end up buying anything at any price because you’re hungry. Do not shop hungry.

Very touristy restaurants here

We wanted something like how we ate in Phnom Pehn. Unfortunately, there were no cheapo food finds in that area. Ended up choosing a resto in the market, just across the Pub Street. Our budget was $5 max for this dinner. A lady handed us this really thick menu. Errrr....videoke time? I thought this was a restaurant.

Song number?

Sige, basa.

Coz they patiently cooked and took pictures of all the food. Took us some time to order because we  were busy reading and laughing at the menu.

The meal was superb. Or we were just mighty hungry after all those temples that day.

Burp!

With some food, we can now conquer the market of Siem Reap.  

Warning: Some shop owners can be really aggressive. 

I casually asked for the price of the bed spread.

Owner named a price.

I started to walk away, but she grabbed my arm and said "How much you want?" 

I meekly smiled and said politely but firmly, "No thanks". I tried to peel my arm away.

She tightened her grasp. "Please! I want to sell".

This went on for three rounds, then she let me go.

It was a harassing experience for me. I really felt the pressure of her grasp.

The are "authentic Cambodian silk" products everywhere. The sellers were claiming that they are all real silk. A quick google back at the guesthouse reveals that these are synthetic silk. 

The successful hauls:

Placemat and coaster set, 6 pcs - $6

"Same same" shirt - $3

Scarves for $2 each. The nicer ones costs $4.

Dresses for $8. Since they were market-bought, they smelled like the market. Had to wash them well before I got to wear them in Bangkok.

I am an advocate of saving money ... but haggling is not my forte. Still, I had to bring out whatever haggling tactics I have and practice them in Cambodia. In Enlish.

They were also selling some dried mangoes and other dried fruits. 

Spices were also available.

There were table cloths, bed spreads.

Lots of keychains, purses and other standard souvenir stuff.

Now at the supermarket...

Look what I found! Boy Bawang in Cambodia too! Must be a Filipino comfort-export food. Also saw Boy Bawang in Rome.

Bought some snacks for our trip the next day to Bangkok. It is a loooong bus ride to our next country: Thailand.