Siem Reap Pub Street

After a LONG day of temple visits, and low morale of losing my phone, I wasn't really planning to do anything in the evening.  But another solo traveller on my tour invited me to meet up with a small group for dinner, so I figured all was not lost for the day!  We went to Pub Street.

They put up those giant neon signs at both ends, just in case you miss it!  Just kidding.  It's a pedestrian only street full of restaurants and bars.  I got the impression that almost everyone was a tourist. I think that's part of why I was feeling more comfortable in Siem Reap than I did in Phnom Penh.

There were about six of us for dinner and this was a lesson to me in "how to meet people when you are travelling alone." I was invited by Barbara from my tour group. She had made the plans with a couple she met on her bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. In Siem Reap, she also had bumped into a friend she knew from Australia, who was also invited.  Small world, right? CRAZY to run into someone you know from Australia while sight-seeing in Cambodia.  Finally, the couple from the bus - they brought another girl they met staying at their hostel. This is how you meet people.  You meet one and then introduce you to someone else, who met someone else, etc.  Lesson learned!

 

We had dinner at a street type of restaurant.  I can't exactly call it street food because they had picnic tables, waiters and menus.  But it was all outdoors and even the kitchen was just a large grill over to the side of the tables. 

I had fried rice and chicken skewers.  It was really good!!  And cheap. Even with a beer added on, I only paid about $4. I actually came back here to eat every night I was in Siem Reap!  This was the bar for the restaurant, so they did have a drink fountain.

After dinner, we went dancing at a nearby club.  Then wandered up Pub Street just to observe all the general craziness.  We were listening to a live band outside one place for a bit and noticed that some of the tuk-tuk drivers were hanging out there.  I'm sure they were looking to pick up customers, but one in particular was dancing too and we thought that he was pretty funny!  So when we decided to head home, we hired him and this was his tuk-tuk: 

A Batman tuk-tuk!  Perfect ending to a fun night!