Siem Reap February 12

Breakfast is included at Angkor Orchid central hotel for $28cnd a night. Toast eggs and coffee and I'm off exploring.

First I checked out two food markets within a 10 minute walk. I find all the food markets quite facinating. The different fruits, vegetables and seafood is interesting. But what amazes me is how they present their products, how they stack the items, arrange their baskets and bags, how they sit on a stool about 4 inches high or just squat from hours with their wares around them. 

A few blocks away I came across an ancient  Pagoda, the gates were open so i wandered in and took some pictures. No one was around in the gardens, but I heard people inside the buildings. Im guessing this is a teaching facility. My walk continued to the Royal Residence gardens which had a small newer Pagoda. 

The smaller Pagoda was very busy and some monks were present. As I saw in  Phnom Pehn, ceremonial offering were being made of lotus flowers, incense, money, prayers and birds. The monks decided to buy all the birds and the chanted while releasing them. The birds were very confused, some not wanting to leave, needed to be shaken out of the cages. Some flew just feet away and landed in the road. A local police officer was scrambling around stopping vehicles -picking up birds and moving them to safety.

Lots of renovations, new buildings, and infrastructure upgrades are happening in Siem Reap. The safety standards here are very different than at home. I saw some construction projects with homemade scaffolding. 

This was an easy, walking low key day. I had lunch and supper in the central market area. Siem Reap is very festive in the evening with decorative lights everywhere.