"Don't be greedy for fun
I just want to feel the local fireworks”
E104°.1, N13°.69
Siem Reap,Cambodia
I really like the night market.
I remember that in Taiwan three or four years ago, I would hang out in different night markets almost every night. Even if everyone has the same large intestine wrapped in small intestines and powdered rice balls with milk tea, I want to try them all at every stall. At that time, my companions also said that I must be an energy perpetual motion machine. Otherwise, how can I still have enough energy to continue visiting the market at night after running wild during the day?
Maybe it’s because of the physique that “as long as you have fun, it will automatically circulate like chicken blood”. Outdoors in the suburbs, I will pray for night photography and stargazing; in cities and towns, I will wait for the night markets to go shopping. Even if I have a very tiring schedule that day, I can still play a round as long as I know there are local nighttime activities.
So when I came to Siem Reap, Cambodia to visit the ruins of the Angkor Dynasty, the night market (also known as, Old Market/Bar Street ) was also visited again and again in the evening. visit.
When it comes to night markets, the main focus is eating, supplemented by shopping. Patterns everywhere are ever-changing. But it is precisely because of this that the essence of each region's unique customs and cultural symbols can be condensed and displayed in a concentrated manner.
In other words, what is the symbolic cuisine here. What culture is popular. How are the customs and customs? You can probably find out by going to a night market.
Before going to Siem Reap, I thought about having a drink in the bar street of the night market. But after arriving that night, it seemed like everything was pretty much the same as I walked around.
It's too noisy and I don't want to go in. It's too quiet and I feel it's not popular. Finally, we sat down at a corner house with a second-floor balcony. Just across the street is Red Piano, the bar that Angelina Jolie frequented during the filming of Tomb Raider.
Even though Cambodia’s development level is not high, it is not cheap to sit down and have a meal like this. We ordered some Southeast Asian-style curry and spring rolls, which cost about US$15 per person.
Later, after comparing it with other friends in the team, I found that it was really not cost-effective to come here to have a light meal at the bar. The coconut stewed fish that other groups of three or four ate at the food stall area was delicious, and the meal only cost more than 20 US dollars.
I blame my little Angkor who was too tired from running wild during the day. I was in a hurry to eat at night and didn't have the patience to search for more.
After worshiping at the Five Zang Temple and having a drink, he began to pay attention to the people coming and going downstairs. Although the travel days are not in the peak season, most of the people I see are Asians.
Even in bars and restaurants, you can hear a lot of Mandarin. In a daze, it felt like I hadn't left the country yet. Suddenly I remembered that my sister-in-law had made a joke before, saying that when I went to Thailand during the National Day, everything was full of domestic shouting.
Cambodians are also very considerate towards tourists and can speak Chinese, English, Korean and Japanese. Even if it cannot be said, it can be taken into account in written words. I think that the acquisition of this kind of language ability should be more likely to have to be self-study because of the need to receive tourists than to receive universal education from the state.
Most of the souvenirs on the street are Buddhist sculptures and oil paintings, followed by ethnic style shawls and clothing (woven rugs, etc.). Many tourists come here and bring some culottes with them. First, wearing these during the trip will help you blend in with the local customs; second, their prices are indeed affordable, and even if the reuse rate is not high, it won’t be a big loss and can be kept as a souvenir.
I wanted to find some gadgets to think about, but I couldn't find anything that I liked. In the end, I bought a miniature Angkor simulation ornament as a souvenir during my subsequent trip to the museum. At this point, I feel that this night market cannot be considered qualified in terms of shopping and shopping. At least the categories are no longer rich.
But if you pay attention, you will find that there are several people gathering at the intersection from time to time. When I took a closer look at the excitement, I found that some Cambodians were carrying a small shelf on their chests, which was covered with strange "snacks".
After the bold and "heavy-mouthed" tourists spent $1 to buy one, they would invariably take a selfie with their mouths wide open and post it on Instagram before eating it. The reason is that these "snacks" are 2/3 slaps in the face. Big and smallfried scorpions, fried spiders, fried bugs that I can’t even name but make my scalp numb.
I suffer from severe insect phobia and trypophobia. Not to mention trying it, even taking a closer look almost made my stomach vomit. And even if you don’t dare to taste it yourself and just want to take pictures, you need to pay careful attention to whether the merchant is willing. I noticed that there was a sign hanging at one of the stalls, stating that taking pictures requires 1,000 Cambodian dollars (the market exchange rate defaults to 1 US dollar = 4,000 Cambodian dollars) .
If you are walking on the street, many Cambodians will tentatively ask "tu tu?" "tu tu?" This is a tuk-tuk driver trying to attract business.
Tuk-tuk is a modified semi-trailer motorcycle. It usually consists of a main vehicle pulling a bucket behind it, which can accommodate 4-5 people. It is slightly more powerful than domestic small three-wheelers. The patchwork ensemble makes them look inelegant. But the seats are quite comfortable. There are even masters who graffitied the exterior, and even painted the exaggerated and funny Audi logo, which makes people feel very playful and cute.
In Cambodia, where transportation is not developed, this is undoubtedly the best alternative to buses, subways or taxis. It usually starts at US$2, and the total price depends on the distance. There are also tourists who rent a tuk-tuk to walk among the various ruins during the day. Although the model is clumsy, it is not slow. Sometimes when passing by, I see the hair of tourists on the bus flowing in the wind, which makes them look flamboyant and interesting.
The chefs who come to inquire at the night market are no less enthusiastic than the eDonkey drivers who wave to you at the subway entrance. However, most of them don't have any ill intentions and just politely decline.
In addition to tu tu cars, the night market also has bar cars.
Most bar cart owners are young people. When night falls, I come to the night market and find a good seat. The decorated lights are turned on first. Once the shelves are placed and a few high stools are placed, it becomes a simple bar. The music started playing, and then he started to pack his bottles and cans, and then waited for customers to come over and order.
These cars are not in the same neighborhood as the bars. Most of them are located near food stalls and souvenir markets. The price is also much cheaper than in the bar, so you might as well bring a drink while shopping (this is what I did) .
I really like this lady's car.
The translucent blue color of the car looks like an overturned wine bottle. The signboard is clear and the decorations are in order. The music is playing Friends by Anne-Marie, which is not noisy but rhythmic. Even with the subwoofer on, you can hear it from a distance without being disturbed. The location is also well chosen and can be easily noticed by the street.
Compared to the other guy's car, although it was also decorated in an interesting way, it was not easily noticed because it was in the dark of an alley. But with a slightly Japanese decoration style, it has a bit of the mysterious flavor of the legendary late-night canteen.
When it comes to Cambodian food, I am not very good at eating it, so I can only generally classify it as Southeast Asian cuisine (Thailand, Vietnam, Malay, etc. I feel like they are all lemongrass, curry, mango sticky rice, etc.) I saw something cute on the road, so I bought it to try.
Because the temperature in Cambodia is so sweltering, even late at night I always want to eat fried ice cream, iced milk tea and iced cocktails.
If anything seems really delicious, there are pancake stalls along the river. I chose the peanut butter and banana flavors, and you can get a delicious freshly baked meal for only $1.50. It is estimated that the stall is located in an average location and there are not many customers. The boss looked honest and honest. After giving me the change, he said a little awkwardly, "Enjoy your holiday".
If we want to dig out some of the inevitable elements of night markets in travel, in addition to being a concentrated display of the culture of the region, I am afraid that the most recognized thing is its fireworks .
The difference between shopping malls and night markets is that the former is dominated by consumers, and what they buy and play all depends on the purchasing power of consumers. As for the latter, tourists have to decide what to show at the night market based on what they want to eat and see.
Here, whether you are wearing an LV bag or driving a Ferrari, sitting in a food stall or going to a small vendor, there is really no distinction between rich and poor at that moment.
No one will notice what brand-name shopping bag you have hanging on your elbow, and no one will count how many bags you bought today. The rich eat well in the night market, and most people with middle and low income levels can also eat well. Not to mention that no one looks down on the other, but he pays more attention to whether the one in your hand is something he hasn't tasted yet. Maybe I was so greedy that I turned around and bought one too.
This is probably the peaceful atmosphere that those air-conditioned shopping malls lack.
I wrote about Little Angkor👇 before
Cambodia | The Light of Angkor at the Vishnu Temple
There are many landscape photos that I still like very much