Free in gay Siem Reap

After my first stay in Siem Reap last June, I felt exactly like after my first visit to Thailand : I must come here again. And I came again, for only four days but that was enough to make me sure that this place had to rank high in the must do list for my next trips to Thailand.

Quiet riding near Angkor Wat

Being done with the visits to the temples, and being on my own, I spent some time riding a mountain bike to visit the area. I rode once towards the Thonlesap lake and anothertime towards the temples, which you can approach without buying the rather expansive pass. I especially liked the ride to the West Baray, which is this huge human-built reservoir close to Angkor Wat. Pity I had not brought any repair kit : I did not dare to ride the dirty road rounding the 8x2 km lake, fearing a puncture in the middle of nowhere with very few traffic.

During these rides, I could not help noticing the beautiful boys riding there own bikes on their way to the university and back. I love these khmer boys and their slim body, their white shirts neatly adjusted on their long black trousers … Overtaking these beauties or crossing their path was always a chance to admire their constant smile and their invariably cutes faces. I had rarely the chance to look at so many nice human beings gathered in the same place, since my trip to Luang Prabang.

More intimate meetings with khmer boys were not very difficult, and the massage shops near the Pub Street area were up what I expected. In the middle of huge crowds of international tourists, I was consistently approached by girls offering all kind of massages for 3 to 10 US dollars, and never forgetting to boast « private rooms » ; a short glance to look at the available male staff and if someone was good looking enough, I only had to answer : « OK but only with boy ».

Khmer boy

There are more than half a dozen of places like this in the small street leading to the night market, and more on neighbouring streets. More and more have knocked up individual cubicles, which always lead to the boy offering a special ending. Some have high expectations, other do not ask for a price and seem happy with 25 or 30 US dollars. Every evening there seems to be new cute boys showing up, which would have kept me busy enough if I had staid for a longer time. Some are probably very close to the age limit, especially as khmer always add one year to say how old they are (something to do with the time spent in their mother’s womb, according to my khmer language book).

In some bars, boys work freelance and you can take them to your place ; however one of them told me I had to pay his « boss », but it could have been as well a way to stay in the shop for a possible new customer.

The massage shops, or street trade, are the best way to find friends. Not many boys go to the few gay bars remaining : Linga Bar which is now operating opposite their former location, where they have been replaced by another gay bar named Famous Bar.