Yoga in Siem Reap

Posted on April 29, 2019 by Zanny Merullo

For those seeking to casually attend yoga classes or continue with a practice, there are lots of yoga options in Siem Reap that are accessible to a wide range of abilities and skill levels whether you just want to a drop-in class or something more regular. Most classes offer adjustments in order to augment or lessen the degree of difficulty, and many studios let you sample different styles of yoga to find what works best for you. Each of these studios provide all the equipment you need for your yoga practice. Here are a few of our favorites yoga places in Siem Reap.

siem reap yoga

Our all-time favorite yoga teacher Kate shows how it’s done.

Yoga Space

After trying out various yoga classes in Siem Reap, I decided to join Yoga Space. This studio is conveniently located in the Made in Cambodia Market outside of Sugar Spa, and consists of an outdoor patio that looks out onto the market below. Not only are the staff extremely friendly, but the place has a wonderful atmosphere, positive community, and a wide variety of classes ranging from NIA (a mindfulness and conditioning practice that features a combination of dance, martial arts, and yoga and is full of free movement), Vinyasa, Body Fusion (a yoga-pilates mix), Restorative Yoga with aromatherapy, Kriya, Ayurvadic Balancing flow, Happy Hour flow, Hatha, and many more. Continue reading →

Battambang’s best vegetarian and vegan restaurants

Posted on April 15, 2019 by Megan Brake

The hardest thing about being a vegetarian in Cambodia is fielding the question “How do you do it? It must be so hard!” every day. Thankfully, it’s not hard at all to be a vegetarian in Battambang, and almost every tourist restaurant has vegetarian options on the menu. In this post, I’ll cover the best vegetarian restaurants in Battambang that cater specifically to vegetarians and vegans, and a few runner-ups that I’m including because of their super special vegetarian menu.

Battambang vegetarian restaurants

There are lots of vegetarian and vegan eating options in Battambang! (Here, Monorom Garden)

Continue reading →

Happy Khmer New Year!

Posted on April 13, 2019 by Lina Goldberg

Look around and you’ll see Khmer New Year, Chol Chhnam Thmei, being celebrated around the country. The holiday is Cambodia’s most important, bringing the country to a near standstill as city residents head home to the provinces to spend time with their families, have parties and visit their local pagoda.

Khmer New Year in Siem Reap

Khmer New Year “stars” being sold along the side of the road in Siem Reap. Most families get one to hang outside of their home.

The holiday celebrates the end of the harvest season and marks the start of a new year (and also the start of the truly hot hot season). Although the holiday is officially only three or four days long—in 2019 it’s April 14, 15, 16—it can extend onto one or both adjoining weekends, and often even a few days before that. In the days leading up to Khmer New Year, prices, especially for transportation, can go much higher than usual. Continue reading →

Review: Giant Ibis night bus, Phnom Penh-Siem Reap

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Lina Goldberg

Giant Ibis night bus at a glance…

Over the years, I’ve taken more Giant Ibis night bus journeys than I care to admit. When I first moved to Cambodia, I vowed I would never take a night bus in Cambodia.  Since then, I’ve made an exception for Giant Ibis because of their safety record and precautions. I’m now a regular on the Giant Ibis night bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. In this post, I’ll share some details about the company and the trip from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap (and vice-versa).

Giant Ibis night bus Cambodia

The Giant Ibis night bus looks great in the morning, too.

Night buses in Cambodia are notoriously unsafe. Giant Ibis, on the other hand, makes safety a priority. Their  buses go slowly, with a maximum speed of 60km (37 miles) per hour. They enforce this by transmitting the speed via GPS to the Giant Ibis office so that management knows if a driver breaks the rules and go faster. Going slowly is not only safer, but allows for a better night’s sleep, because even at at these speeds the bus usually arrives in six or seven hours. Another safety precaution Giant Ibis takes is to always have two drivers on each bus, and they switch half-way through the journey. If one driver feels fatigued he can switch out and take a nap. Continue reading →

Nature day trips from Siem Reap

Posted on March 26, 2019 by Zanny Merullo

Looking to escape the city for the day? Every so often you need some time away from the droves of tourists and the soundtrack of Khmer weddings for a little breath of fresh air. The following is a list of easy day trips from Siem Reap that will provide that bit of (relative) peace you’ve been craving.

Lotus flowers in lotus field

Lotus flowers as far as the eye can see.

Lotus farms and Phnom Krom

If a change of scenery is what you’re after, spend a day at the lotus farms before heading to Phnom Krom for sunset. Just a fifteen minute tuk-tuk ride (or easy bike ride) away from the center of town down route 63, where shops and local markets give way to green rice paddies and picturesque lotus farms. Choose one of these many hang-out spots, some with huts, others with a large deck and ample hammocks. If there is an entrance fee, it is usually only 2000 riel. Continue reading →

Review: Nary Kitchen, Battambang

Posted on March 19, 2019 by MTC guest author

For travelers to Battambang, the chief attraction of Nary Kitchen is its namesake, Nary, and the kitchen, both for its cooking classes and reputation for safe food that doesn’t upset sensitive foreign tummies. The staff are happy to let you check out their gleaming kitchen, which makes for a reassuring start to a meal. The restaurant is also one of the few in Battambang with genuine vegetarian dishes (it can be hard to avoid fish and oyster sauce elsewhere!).

Nary Kitchen Battambang

Nary’s Kitchen in Battambang.

Located down a side street in Battambang, Nary’s has a quieter atmosphere than restaurants in the town center. The restaurant’s fare includes Khmer traditional food, as well as other typical Asian and Western dishes.  Fish amok is a specialty, and fresh spring rolls are always popular. On average, a main meal will cost you about three dollars.

Nary Kitchen is also Battambang’s original Khmer cooking school. It’s run by genial, talkative Doot, who is fluent in English and French, and his wife Nary, who oversees the cooking. Nary learned her recipes on the family farm as a child.

Nary Kitchen Cooking Classes

Nary herself, after whom the restaurant is named and who runs the cooking classes.

Classes, which cost $10, are preceded by a shopping trip to the market, to show you how to identify the freshest local ingredients. Classes teach you to cook four courses including a dessert. The class takes three hours and you get to eat what you make and a recipe book (in English and French) to take away.

When we visited, the menu they were making included fresh veggie spring rolls, fish amok, beef lok lak, and a banana and tapioca and coconut milk dessert.

Nary Kitchen Battambang

Sit down and stay for lunch!

Nary Kitchen is on Street 111, near the western end of Psar Nath (the main market). It’s easy enough to find, but you if needed your tuk tuk guy can phone for directions. Don’t let him mix it up with ‘The Kitchen,’ another eatery. The restaurant is open from breakfast until 10 p.m., or often later if everyone is having a good time.

Cooking classes are twice a day, in the morning  from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and in the afternoon from 3:30 until 6:30 p.m. and cost $10 per person. It’s best to book for the cooking school in advance (navuthk@yahoo.com or 012 763 950).

Nary’s Kitchen

Open daily, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Street 111, near Psar Nath, Battambang
T: 012 763 950
narykitchen.com

By John Macgregor

Kayaking the Green Cathedral in Kampot

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Sydney

Boasting one of the most beautiful rivers in Cambodia, Kampot has kayaking that is suited to both beginners and those looking for a challenge. For skilled kayakers, the Tuek Chhou Rapids located 10 kilometers from Kampot town offer a bit of a challenge. For those of us just starting out or preferring a more laid back experience, roughly 5 kilometers from Kampot town is a lazy offshoot of the Tuek Chhou River known as the Green Cathedral or Green Loop.

Kampot river Green Cathedral

Green Cathedral

The Green Cathedral is named for the foliage the lines the waterway. Along the way, you will pass through areas where the plants have grown to a size that allows them to touch leaves across the water, forming a peaceful canopy that filters out a bit of the blazing Cambodian sun. As Kampot grows, more guesthouses and residences are springing up and threatening the canopy. For now there is still a good amount of nature to enjoy, but don’t wait too long to make your trip. Continue reading →

A visit to Anlong Veng, the last Khmer Rouge stronghold

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Pete Ford

The small town of Anlong Veng, along the Thai border, would not likely feature on many people’s Cambodia travel itineraries. But there are good reasons for the adventurous and the curious to make the 150-kilometer journey north from Siem Reap.

Pol Pot cremation site

One of Cambodia’s most alluring tourist attractions.

Nestled at the bottom of the Dangrek mountain range that forms a natural border between Cambodia and Thailand, modest Anlong Veng could easily be mistaken for countless other rural backwaters across the country. Like them, it has cheap guest houses, shops selling Chinese mobile phones, roadside BBQs, and seedy karaoke bars clustered near a covered market.

But there are also stunning mountain views to be enjoyed and an abundance of rustic tranquility. More important, Anglon Veng offers plenty of historic interest. This was one of the final strongholds the genocidal Khmer Rouge retreated to after their regime was overthrown in 1978. It was also the place where their leader, Pol Pot, died in 1998. Shortly thereafter, what remained of his army defected to the government troops they’d been fighting for two decades. Continue reading →