Siem Reap trip: Day 4 (15 Nov)

Hey everyone, as you have already no doubt guessed, elephants are a big theme for day 4 of my recent Siem Reap, but there are also some interesting cultural elements which came up later in the day.

I first found out about the possibility of visiting an elephant center on Get Your Guide when looking for activities to do in and around Siem Reap city. However, as the cost which appeared was a bit expensive ($128 USD for a 5-hour experience) I kept looking around until I found the same thing on AirBnB for 8238 INR ($98.86 USD); AirBnB was where I actually booked it, but had I been a bit cleverer, I would have booked directly with Kulen Elephant Forest and would have only paid $90 USD for exactly the same experience. Evidently it is possible to get this for as little as $80 USD for bookings made at some hostels in the area, but I cannot officially confirm that. Regardless, no, it was not cheap; in fact, this was easily the most expensive thing I did on my trip, but visits to responsibly run elephant preserves/conservation/rescue centers tend to be expensive anywhere in the world. That is because these places usually subsist entirely on the money they charge tourists, and if they are doing it responsibly, they generally can’t have many people visit per day. Whether or not you think it is a fair amount to pay is really up to you.

As I had the chosen the morning visit option, I was once again up early, and headed out walking from the apartment at 6:52 AM. The meeting site was a bit further away, so I had the opportunity to see some pretty views along the way.

At 7:19 AM I arrived at the office from where I had been told I had to be NO LATER than 7:45 AM sharp, but there was nobody there yet, so I backtracked a bit to get breakfast at a nearby small restaurant called Tevy’s Place. I ordered the Beef Lok for $4 USD.

The food was pleasant enough, but I unfortunately didn’t really get to enjoy it, since it did not arrive until 7:34 AM, and I was very worried about arriving late. So, I gulped down my food and was back outside the nearby office at 7:45 AM sharp. At 7:47 AM the guide/chaperone, Seth, arrived but it was not until 8:01 AM that the car finally arrived, and then not until 8:03 AM that we actually got into the car. While this was not a huge wait time, I was quite annoyed, since I had been repeatedly told that if I were not there at 7:45 AM sharp, I would miss the transport. To be fair, most of my annoyance was because I had not had time to properly enjoy my breakfast, but that would also have been easily resolved had I simply left the apartment fifteen minutes earlier.

Regardless, we five tourists were in the minivan at 8:03 AM, finally departing at 8:05 AM. There was not a lot of information given, but Seth did tell us that there were ten elephants at the sanctuary, nine adult females and one adult male. However, he said that the male was never there on tours, since he was too aggressive. The vehicle itself was comfortable and the drive had plenty of nice scenery.

At 9:08 AM we arrived at the entrance where they already had some small cups of coffee waiting for us.

We kitchen area was comfortable, and we sat there visiting until 9:38 AM when things really got started. Seth gave us some background about the center, including the fact that they had opened in 2018 as a sanctuary for elephants which had previously been used for tourist rides. As far as I could tell, elephant rides are now illegal in Cambodia, but I may have misunderstood that. Seth also told us that Cambodia only has between 400 and 600 elephants left in the wild, with another 70 in captivity, including the 10 at this local sanctuary. I don’t know if this is true or not, but he said that most elephants which were previously used in the tourism or logging industry cannot be reintroduced to the wild. Next, as I had guessed, he told us that maintaining elephants was quite expensive since each adult eats about 250 kg of food per day, and they also need quite a bit of space in order to wander around and get a reasonable amount of exercise. Finally, we learned that the elephants here were all between 38 and 55 years old.

Once we had received the introduction, we were sent to thoroughly wash our hands before helping make a small number of elephant treats out of sticky rice, tamarind, rice bran, banana, and a tiny bit of salt.

At 10:02 we finally went down to see the elephants, also feeding them whole bananas, pieces of sugar cane and of course the aforementioned treats. It was funny to see that most of the elephants were clearly not that interested in the sugar cane, since they would take it and then throw it on the ground before reaching for something else.

After the feeding was done, we went for a short walk in the nearby forest.

At 11:29 we walked back with the elephants to their pond area where we watched them a bit more.

At 11:44 AM it was time to head back to the seating area for a simple but pleasant lunch which was served family style; this was also included in the cost of the tour.

At 12:29 PM it was time to head back to the bus. With a short walk we were back in the vehicle at 12:32 and once more on our way back to Siem Reap.

I know that some of you will object to me participating in this activity, but I really do think that it was done ethically. Yes, tourists were allowed to both feed and touch some of the elephants, but we definitely did not ride them or bathe them. Furthermore, this center not only cares for these aged elephants, but also provides work for many local community members. In an ideal world, there would be enough government money or simple private donations to take care of these animals, but that is generally not the case. I feel like this sanctuary has struck an appropriate balance of providing responsible care for the elephants while also giving tourists a once in a lifetime opportunity to be up close with these amazing creatures. So, if you can afford it, yes, I recommend that you visit Kulen Elephant Forest in Siem Reap.

At 1:35 PM we were back at the office where we had started, and everything was done.

I had earlier been on the fence about going to an Apsara show, since most of them take place in very large buffet halls where diners more or less ignore the dancers, but with a bit of investigation I had discovered that the Apsara Theatre, while still pairing a dinner experience with a show, was considered to be a much smaller, more serious venue where audience members were much more respectful. However, it was not possible to buy tickets online, so when I noticed that the same office which managed the elephant tours also could help with Apsara theatre reservations, I figured I would give it a try.

Due to another even that I had earlier scheduled, my only possibility to see the show would be tonight. As such, I was very sad when they told me that there was no more availability for night. I expressed sadness that I would miss it, since it was my only chance, and was ready to head out, but then one of the attendants in the office asked if I could wait for a minute while she called to check. Fortunately for me, one of the attendees who had earlier reserved had called in just an hour earlier to report that she was not feeling well, and could give up her spot, so I was able to get the last seat available. I paid $31 USD for the Khmer tapas package which included a lite dinner and of course the show. I probably would have opted for the slightly more expensive “traditional Khmer” dinner, but it had shrimp, and I am allergic. Yes, this was more expensive than other Apsara show options in Siem Reap, but I figured I was paying a premium to get a better viewing experience.

From there I once again headed out walking from the office back to my apartment. At 2:03 PM it started raining rather heavily, but I was able to duck under an awning, and believe it or not, but 2:06 PM it had already completely stopped raining. This sort of mini downpour happened several times while I was in Siem Reap.

I was back at my lodging by 2:20 PM, and as I was feeling fully rested, I decided to make use of the gym gear I had brought along, once again heading out on foot at 2:34 PM. There are quite a few gyms in Siem Reap city, and evidently most of them have day passes available with a cost of between $1 and $5 USD. As luck would have it, the one closes to me, Gold Fitness, had a cost of $5 USD.

I arrived at the gym at 2:44 PM. The place was alright, but $5 USD seemed a bit much for someone only planning on using the weight room. As other reviewers had written, this was a HOT place to work out, but there was plenty of space with good equipment, including a decent looking pool, fully adequate free weights section, a very complete weight machine area, as well as some spaces for group classes. The daily visit fee also includes locker rental and two towels. I worked out there until 5:05 PM, then once more walking back to the apartment, arriving at 5:22 PM.

I showered and took advantage of the apartment’s washing machine and included detergent and fabric softener to do a big load of laundry which I was able to put up to dry before once more walking out the door at 6:50 PM as I headed to the theatre where I arrived at 7:22 PM. In all honesty, I had my doubts about this whole Apsara show thing, since it all seemed excessively touristy, but I also wanted to see what it was all about, and definitely did not want to miss out on the opportunity to experience something unique.

The theatre itself was quite cozy yet elegant, and the food was MUCH nicer than what I had expected. Getting the “tapas” menu was definitely more than sufficient and did not at all make me feel like I had a downgraded experience.

I didn’t actually count people, but I think the maximum capacity of the theatre is probably around 125 with most people seated family style at long tables where the food was served by elegantly dressed workers. As an unexpected plus, I was seated with a very pleasant group of people from Grace Fellowship who very kindly included me in their conversation. Given that I was greatly enjoying the company, I forgot to note down times, but the amount of time allowed for eating and visiting before the show was just perfect. As a result, everyone was completely quiet and focused on the dancers when it was their turn to perform.

They did six different performances with a short intermission during which time dessert was served.

Like many reviewers have commented, these sorts of shows can be “a bit slow” but I felt that it was worth it. Furthermore, whereas I had been very skeptical about the entire dinner theatre concept, I found that at least here it was handled extremely well. All in all, I was very happy that I was able to get a spot. I am not sure if I would go again by myself, but I would definitely happily accompany another fellow traveler who wanted to have the experience.

At 9:49 PM as I was exiting, I heard three women talking about a drag show at a nearby bar called Barcode which evidently had started at 9:30 PM. Since I was already out in the area, I figured I may as well check it out, especially since it was only a three-minute walk from the theatre, and I would have passed it on the way back home anyways.

While there was no cover fee at the bar, the drinks were quite expensive by Siem Reap standards. Pretty much, any drink had a cost of $5 USD a drink, be it a beer or a standard cocktail, and this was the only place I entered the entire time I was in Siem Reap which accepted credit cards. The bar itself was actually very small, and the service was excellent. Furthermore, while elegant may be an exaggeration, there certainly had been an effort to decorate the place in a more upscale fashion. Furthermore, the presentations themselves were rather cultured, even if the presenters themselves were not always incredibly accomplished. In total, there were perhaps maximum 20 clients in the establishment, but it did not feel empty.

Especially given that I had not even planned to do this, I felt that it was a very nice way to end the day. Do I think that this is a “must do” part of a Siem Reap trip? No. However, I was happy to stay until 12:26 AM when the shows ended and then I did a meandering walk back to the apartment, arriving at 1:25 AM.

So, how do you think Day 4 compared to Day 3? If you had to choose one over the other, which would you do? Fortunately, as I had planned for six full days in Siem Reap, I didn’t have to choose; I was happily able to do both. And yes, there is more to come in Day 5, so I hope you will keep reading.

As always, thank you for your time, and do let me know in the comment section below if you have any questions or even if you just want to share your thoughts.