There is nothing better than to visit the central city market, where you can feel the local culture. In Bangkok there is Chatuchak, in Saigon - Ben Thhan, in Phnom Pennene - Psar TKHMEY, so, can Siem Rip compete with these famous bazaars? I think yes. Market Psar Lea. - Great place to shop, where prices are very low, where the air is amazingly fragrant, and where you will not ask to pay the dollar every time you try to photograph something.
Most tourists arriving in Siem Reap prefer to visit a conveniently located cozy Old Market, but you don't need to be a genius to understand that many of the kiosks in this market are clean for tourists, and the goods are sold there with an explicit mark. For the privilege of purchases in this convenient clean tourist place.
But for real experience (and lower prices) you should go a little further on the Psar Lei, about three kilometers from the old market at National Road 6, towards the Phnom Penh. Every driver of the Tuk-Tuk knows where this market, and the passage fee should not cost more than $ 5. If that, there you can take a bike, and then leave your iron horse on the covered protected parking (for 500 rielels approximately).
The main entrance to the market is located in the center of the facade facing National Road 6 - respectively, from here it is better to start your shopping. Come early, and then you will see how this place is buzzing with shouts and laughter of local residents who came here for purchases or in a restaurant.
And even better to go here on the day preceding some national holiday - it is much more beautiful and more fun here, the kiosks are sold twice as many of all sorts of sweets and baking, and everything is immersed in the atmosphere of the holiday.
This market is pretty spacious, with labyrinth aisles, which are also relatively spacious - especially compared to the close corridors of the old market. The PSAR lei passes are wide enough not only for pedestrians, lotchants and beggars, but also cyclists and motorcyclists, which are easily looping between kiosks and buyers. So, be careful!
The best way to explore the market is just to wander among the kiosks, but those who have no time to know that all the kiosks are grouped by the type of goods. Before entering the bulk of the market, make sure you exchange money. Not because you will not take dollars, but because the surrender will give you in Riesel and is not always honest. And even to lay up for new packs of untouched bills, which are stored in the stalls of exchanger in aluminum and glass cabinets.
In the first kiosks on the market you will find cheap - and, naturally, fake-designer bags, wallets and wallets. If you go a little right, you will find clothing kiosks where you can buy shorts, shirts, t-shirts, fake "designer" underwear, cardigans (useful in cold nights!), Sweatshirts, jackets and jeans. Just do not forget before you seduce at a profitable purchase of a couple of female jeans for only $ 12 or male shorts for $ 10 (pre-tricking, of course) that your average khmer sizer is sometimes two times less than the average Western size.
On the left side of the entrance to the market there are stalls with religious attributes - incenses and statuette, they are followed by tables with household chemicals and other necessary goods. If you go straight from the main entrance, then find a number of jewelry kiosks, where the ladies are most likely stuck, "simply considering" curious pieces.
You will end up next to jewelry, you will find fresh fruit - familiar apples and oranges, exotic rambutans, Paint, Papaya, Mango, Mangosteen and Longana. Fortunately, meat and fish kiosks are well hidden behind kiosks with fresh fruits and vegetables, so that pleasant fruit flavors are not mixed with meat (and in the markets it often happens that everything is going to quietly, forgive). From here you can go to the main building of the market, which stands on a narrow street - you can buy clothes, and food products, and snacks, and ready-made dishes.
There are several street food kiosks and on the market itself, that is, if you are really interested in the features of the traditional cuisine, you can stay here and dine with locals.These kiosks are not concentrated in one particular area, some food shops are located on both sides of the area with jewelry in the center, where trade is usually more browy. There you can enjoy the freshly prepared noodles or amok, sitting on a tiny plastic chair.
Last advice: Traders in the market with difficulty speak English, so that the handle and notepad can come in handy if you plan to bargain. Fortunately, the numbers in Khmer language are exactly the same as we have, there will be no problems with this.
As for gifts and souvenirs, first of all, I would like to allocate Khmer Kram. . This is a cult and omnipresent symbol of Cambodia. Krama is a piece of cellular fabric, as a rule, approximately 1.5 meters in length and from 40 to 90 centimeters in width. This is the only type of clothing that allows you to distinguish between Cambodians from our neighbors.
Traditionally, these scarves are made of cotton, red-white or black and white colors (although today you will find these scarves from silk, all the colors of the rainbow). Krave Local residents use to protect against the sun (in this case, it turns around around the head during work on the field), they turn into this handkerchief during swimming, used as a sling for babies, hide from mosquitoes, use as tablecloths, belts, shorts, mini -Sargon, parade vestments, they are tied up branches of trees, apply as a towel, towing rope, pillows, bedspreads - this list can be continued infinitely.
Crave can be found in any kiosk with Siem Ripa. The best place where you can buy this scarf- in "PROLUNG KHMER WORKSHOP" which is located between Route 6 and the Bacongian Temple (by the way, master classes on ceramics are being held immediately).
Here you can watch the most interesting process of the production of cracma and choose a gift from a variety of multi-colored scarves in stock. There are many shops in the city, where the cream of better quality than those you find in the markets, although, often, the cramps there are not at all in the traditional style. You can go B. "Rajana" on Sivatha Boulevard, "Kokoon" and "SENTEURS D'Angkor" On 2 Thnou Street, there are these souvenir scarves.