Out on the town in Siem Reap

So I went out on the town last night in Siem Reap. I really love Siem Reap, and so far, it is my favourite city in Asia, up there with Singapore, but comparing Siem Reap and Singapore is like comparing Apples and Oranges, so really I just like them both.

Siem Reap seems to me somehow more cultured and artistic than other South East Asian cities I have been in. Despite having a lot of dirt roads, it is much cleaner than any of the Thai cities or towns I have visited, and all of the buildings are also low rise, (as to not be higher than Angkor Wat apparently). There is also a lot of greenery around, and the Cambodians also seem to have gone to some conscious effort to hide their power lines during development, which really improves the look of things. It also has a small town feel, which I really like.

There was this small bar about half the size of a shipping crate near the dirt road my hotel was on with lively decor, very tasteful jazz music and an owner (pictured below) who has one of the most effervescent personalities of anyone I've ever met. I spent quite a lot of time there. The owner had painted her bar a couple of days ago with some friends, who seem about 50/50 a mixture of ex pats and Cambodians. I was not able to convince her to charge me tourist prices (which were on her menu I knew what they were) for drinks.

I really hope she makes it in the tourist business. If anybody happens to be passing through Cambodia, her bar is called the AB Bar, and I highly recommend a visit, as the mixture of interesting conversation, reasonably priced drinks (not that I paid even reasonable tourist prices), and arty environment make for a fun evening. 

If anyone is curious about the origins of the girls painted on the walls, they bear a striking resemblance to some of the carvings on the walls of Angkor Wat. I'll do the photo match up later.