One Morning in Siem Reap Wet Market

˜Let’s go to the wet market tomorrow morning before your trip back to Bangkok!‘ a mysterious blogger friend of mine said.

˜Why are we going there?‘ I asked.

˜Some vendors sell exotic food finds there. At least you get to observe this side of Siem Reap before you go back to Thailand.‘ Bino explained.

I am not really sure on what I’m getting myself into, but I fully trust these guys. They’ve been staying in Siem Reap for months already and I fondly call them ‘expats’ since they know almost everything about the tourism capital of Cambodia. I have a scheduled Siem Reap-Bangkok trip at 8AM, and I already paid in advance. After spending six days in Siem Reap, I felt that it is time for me to pack my bags, take a trip back to Bangkok and fly back to Manila.

I woke up at 4:30AM, took a bath and left Victory Guesthouse at 5AM. Our accommodation is ten minutes walk away to another guesthouse where I’d meet my blogger friends. In fact, it is my last day in Siem Reap. Might as well spend my last few hours there with them.

˜You look look so tired.’ Bino said.

˜Yeah. Actually, I’m more of hungry and thirsty!’ I giggled.

Originally, we planned to do a walkathon to the wet market. Now I finally saw the Pub Street aftermath – some locals were busy sweeping the floor, fixing chairs and tables and so on. I forgot who it was, but one of them suggested that we take a tuktuk ride to wet market instead of walking. Aside from the fact that we can save enough time, they also know that I enjoy every tuktuk ride. It’s my favorite public transportation in the world!

˜Let me take your photo‘ “ the mysterious blogger said. I wanted to record videos, but I only have enough space left in my memory card. I better save it for the wet market mystery that is waiting to be discovered by a curious Pinay wanderer.

We saw a Khmer wedding reception preparation. It made me curious on the ceremony itself.

We finally arrived at the wet market. This reminds me of Philippine wet markets. I noticed in some travel blogs owned by Westerners that they find the public markets of Southeast Asia interesting. Well, I am Filipino so this sight is quite normal. I have to admit though that it’s been a while since I visited a public market.

˜If we’re lucky this morning, we might see some big fishes like edible whales and piranhas here.’ They told me with much enthusiasm.

Ok, are you guys kidding me? Niloloko n’yo lang ‘ata ako eh! I need to see it first! Let’s go around and explore some more!

I think the only ‘interesting’ fish I’ve seen is the catfish or ‘hito’. Some foreigners who were also wandering in the wet market were taking pictures of it. I then learned to appreciate the hito dish served in Binmaley, or Pangasinan in general. I’ll let these foreigners eat it and GAG when they decide to visit my home province.

Here are some more photos taken that morning in the public market:

^Sorry for the blurry photos. I took snapshots in Guerilla style haha 😛

There are jewelries for sale. Colorful and cheap. Too bad I ain’t interested to buy these stuff.

Sunrise, sunrise! Locals are getting ready to go to work and school, while other tourists are preparing for a day of touring. For me, it is the time for me to bid my temporary farewell to a place a learned to love and appreciate. Siem Reap is more than just the Angkor Wat. It is a charming place and yeah, Marian Rivera and Manny Pacquiao has a huge fanbase here. Awww!

˜We still have enough time. Let’s go to the river’

˜I think we need to go back to the guesthouse. I might miss the van trip back to Bangkok!’

˜No, this will just take a few minutes. Let’s walk..’

Walk, now, walk. Ok, I am nervous. A part of me wants to take a slow walk to the river to sit and appreciate this solemn moment in the morning.

It’s 7:30AM and I am near the river taking pictures and chatting with my buddies. We decided to walk again to the guesthouse with hopes that the shuttle going to Bangkok is late.

˜Just in case you decide to extend your stay here, just tell us. I do think you should stay for a few more days’ they said. Wah, I am confused. Apart from that, I am hungry. Food, please!

We reached my Siem Reap home at 8:10AM and the van is waiting. I went back to the room to get my things. While on the stairs, I was weighing the pros and cons of everything.

I talked to the guesthouse officer and told her that I am extending my stay. There is no refund for the van trip, and I told her it’s ok. I also apologized for my sudden cancellation.

˜I can’t blame you. It seems like you and your Filipino friends love Siem Reap!‘ she replied with a smile.

So there. I stayed for two more days in Siem Reap. I waved goodbye to the driver and ate my highly anticipated breakfast with iced coffee.

It’s been almost a year since that fun Siem Reap trip 🙂 Can’t wait to go back!

Have you extended your stay in one place the last minute? What made you decide to do so?