Our three visitors from the U.S. were on a whirlwind tour of Cambodia; after spending one day showing them around Phnom Penh, we were off to Siem Reap, so they could see the legendary Angkor temple ruins — which we’d already seen three times before, but we can never get enough of them.

Our journey began at around 5:00 a.m., with the arrival of a car to take us to the airport, a ride of about 45 minutes. This was our first time to use the new airport, called Techo Airport, which is way the hell out in the hinterlands. (The old airport, which we flew into a couple of times, was much more convenient, being close to downtown.) It’s supposed to be really state-of-the-art and ultra cool, but from what we saw of it this time, we are… well, underwhelmed. In the wing we used, there were no shops or services except a tiny coffee bar and a tiny restaurant, neither of which was open — not even after 8:00 when we departed.

Our departure, by the way, was on an Air Cambodia prop plane, a type of craft that always makes at least one of us a bit jittery — how can a couple of ceiling fans possibly hold such a heavy hulk aloft? But we made it without a hitch, and landed at the airport in Siem Reap, which for our money is more interesting than the one in Phnom Penh.

A driver met us at the airport to whisk us away to our homestay, conveniently located close to Angkor Archaeological Park. The two of us would be occupying one room, and the three others would be in another — actually, Jose would be in an attic in the other room, but still. The rooms were nothing fancy, but clean and comfy. And the bill for each room was the princely sum of 12-15 dollars per night.

After ordering lunch from Grab to have later (vegetarian hack for heading out to places that don’t cater to our diet), we booked the driver — this time in a romork — to take us to the archaeological park for a day of exploring the ruined temples. Up first was one of our favorites (this was our fourth time here), Bayon, with its stately stone faces facing the four directions. One of the coolest things about Bayon, however, is that it’s the favorite hangout of the feral monkeys in the park. And Jenny in particular was really excited for the opportunity to see monkeys in the wild. Ironically, this was the one time we’ve been here when no monkeys were hanging out at Bayon.

Bayon

But not to worry, the little rascals had merely migrated about 200 yards away, between Bayon and the nearby Baphuon. There, under the trees, we found quite a few of them. All we had to do was look for a cluster of photographers, and we knew the monkeys would be close at hand. But the eternal philosophical question of the chicken and the egg might apply here: do the photographers assemble there because that’s where the monkeys are, or do the monkeys cluster there because they know photographers might mean free grub? Anyway, Jenny and the others were thrilled, especially since there was a particularly adorable baby, not far past the newborn stage, cozying up to its mommy.

Baphuon

After spending some time ooh-ing and ah-ing over the simians, and about the same amount of time examining Baphuon, we adjourned to a shady spot to eat the lunch we’d brought along. It was the porch of a restroom, but hey, at least there were places to sit in the shade. (Dennis made the mistake of trying a wee bit of the wasabi that was packed with his excellent vegetarian sushi, and he thought he was going to cough up his toenails before it was over.)

Ta Prohm

On the afternoon’s agenda was Ta Prohm, to be forever after known as the “Tomb Raider temple”. Hollywood has a way of claiming things like that. Whatever you call it, it has the unique and enticing feature of monstrous strangler fig trees towering over the buildings, clutching the walls in their tentacled roots, and gradually reclaiming the territory back from the artifice of architecture. Oh yes, and among the many carvings on its walls is one about 8 inches in diameter that bears a bit of a resemblance to a stegosaurus. Really.

After a day of archaeologizing, we reported back to our homestay to rest up a bit before heading downtown to catch something completely different: a performance of Phare (“far”), the Cambodian national circus. The two of us previously attended a performance of one of its productions, “White Gold“, and found it quite awe-inspiring. So we were eager to catch another production, and everyone else was intrigued by the prospect of seeing the troupe for the first time.

Phare

We had dinner at the theatre, in a courtyard where there were a number of food vendors to choose from. The system entailed purchasing coupons that you use to pay the vendors, and then you can get a refund on unused coupons. The food was not bad, and was economical; we ended up cashing in about half our coupons afterward.

As showtime approached, we filed into the theatre, where as usual, we were handed paper fans, as the theatre is not air-conditioned. But they really weren’t needed, as it was not a particularly stuffy night, and the air circulation was pretty good. Our seats were right in the center, about halfway up — perhaps the best view in the house.

This production was titled “Same Same But Different”. The troupe’s website describes it thus:

“Through a series of everyday situations, “Same Same But Different” explores cultural differences and habits between Cambodians and foreign visitors. A sudden downpour, an unexpected power outage, a hectic boat trip and a relaxing dinner all provide the backdrops for funny encounters and opposing perspectives. But in every situation they find understanding and connect at a human level.”

The performers were wearing street clothes (often touristy) and in some cases masks (whiteface!) which was a refreshing twist, and some of the scenes were rather poignant. At other times, however, the humor fell a bit flat. Overall, we found the show just a bit of a letdown after the spectacular “White Gold”. Still, there were plenty of moments that dazzled.

Phew. It was quite a full day. Indeed, it was quite a full couple of days. And we weren’t done yet. Having purchased three-day passes to the park, we were still in for a couple of days of ruminating among the ruins. Including the crown jewel, Angkor Wat, which we’d be taking in the very next morning. At sunrise, no less. Stay tuned.

Events occurred: Aug 11, 2026