Bangkok to Siem Reap - A Very Odd Flight

While we were waiting at he gate for our flight we were puzzled by the small number of other passengers waiting - they'd hardly fill a minibus, let alone a A320. When we boarded the aircraft we found that each group of passengers was surrounded on either side by several empty  rows of seats which made the plane look even more empty. There were almost as many cabin crew as there were passengers!

We took off for our 40 minute hop to Siem Reap and after a few minutes we were served a full meal and a beer or a soft drink. As the flight was so short they started collecting the trays before we'd had a chance to eat all the food and I'd hardly touched the beer - which I had to hold onto and drink as fast as I could, before we landed.

It became obvious that we were heading for somewhere rather different to anywhere else we've been, by the small number of lights we could see when we were landing, and by the ferocity of the aircraft braking (it must have a very short runway).

On disembarking, we walked into the very small terminal building through doors flanked by very small, uniformed people. It really felt like we were visiting somewhere exotic - an impression somewhat spoilt by the TV on the wall behind passport control showing Manchester United vs Blackburn Rovers.

Our local guide was waiting to meet us and we were driven into town to the Casa Angkor Hotel. The drive was very interesting; I though that the standard of driving was bad in Cyprus but that was nothing compared to this. There was every kind of wheeled vehicle - cars, vans, scooters, tuk tuks etc, many without lights, generally driving on the right, but by no means all the time, usually with many more passengers than would be considered possible in the west - it's very common to see a family of five on a single moped. Despite all that, we did arrive safely at the hotel.

The hotel is very nice but our impression of the surrounding area was not good. We  did want to go out and have a look round though, and, after checking with reception that it was safe to do so, took a walk downtown.

It was quite an experience. Downtown Siem Reap is badly lit, dirty and pretty smelly; you can't move far without somebody offering you a tuk tuk ride, a tacky souvenir, a massage, the use of their body - or just plain begging.

We did manage to find 'Pub Street' and here you can replace 'badly-lit' with 'noisy'. As we'd eaten on the plane we didn't want any food so we decided to just have a drink and found a bar/restaurant where we could sit outside. Unfortunately, we were shown to a table next to a very unpleasant american who was obviously in Cambodia for some sex tourism a la 'Garry Glitter' - which he demonstrated by asking the very young and obviously gay waiter for a 'jump'. Sally was obviously revolted. 

Location:Pub Street, Siem Reap, Cambodia