City With 1+ Million Visitors Each Year – March 2019

Posted on by Susan

Siem Reap, a fairly modern city with a population of about 150,000 residents, annually hosts over 1 million tourists wanting to visit the Angkor Wat area. During our one week there we saw examples of pride for the Communist government, from posters to road signs to designated People’s Party buildings. 

Royal Residence – An interesting aspect of Cambodian culture is the existence of both a Communist government and a royal family. The king is a symbolic figurehead and lives primarily at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. He also has a more modest house in Siem Reap, referred to as the Royal Residence. During our stay the president and first lady of South Korea visited the Cambodian king and they all spent a day in the Siem Reap Province.  We saw the royal and presidential motorcade drive by as we enjoyed the air conditioning (and beverages) at a cafe near the Royal Residence. 

  • Royal Residence
  • Street in front of Royal Residence

Royal Gardens– Across the street from the king’s Siem Reap house are the Royal Gardens. Unfortunately during our visit the large fountain was not operating and very few colorful flowers were blooming in the flower beds. But the shrubbery was well-manicured, the large trees provided a great deal of shade, and we saw the exterior of the beautiful, historic Raffles Grand Hotel on the north side of the Gardens.

  • One of lion statues surrounding the fountain
  • Raffles Grand Hotel

Siem Reap River– The river meanders through the city and province. The pictures below were taken as we walked along the river near the Royal Gardens and Royal Residence.

  • Walkway along the river

Preah Ang Chek Temple– This small temple sits next to the Royal Gardens and is viewed as one of the most sacred in Cambodia. It is thought to bring good fortune to the newly married and provide spiritual protection for the city. We saw quite a few people visiting the temple as we walked around the gardens. 

Streets– Many of the streets in Siem Reap are lined with small shops and paved. However some of the residential streets outside the major tourist area are a combination of dirt and a bit of gravel.