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.

More to Siem Reap than the temples

Besides being the mandatory entry point to the Angkor Complex temples, Siem Reap is also fast becoming the hip capital of Cambodia, with a thriving nightlife ; surprisingly enough, gay tourism is an integral part of this development, although with a limited numbers of bars and accomodation.

Most farang-oriented nightlife is concentrated in Pub Street area which is the local Khao San Road. Truth to be said, I did not really appreciate it : very commercial, full of the same young farang you can find in Pai, Vang Vien or Kho Phangan - but to each its own. At least this produces a very lively atmosphere where people seem to really enjoy themselves - I could not help thinking of Pattaya which seems to have lost part of this kind of customer base.

The Linga Bar is the only real gay bar in the place with a high-end and trendy atmosphere and some freelancers. We ended our evenings there trying out many of their cocktails ; however we were not impressed at all by the 10.30 week-end show. Pity we could not attend the other one in the Station Wine Bar - said to be much better at least for now.

"good massage, special massage Sir ...."

I was more interested by the massage places which are located on the edge of Pub Street area and along the sois leading to Siem Reap Night Market. No boy-only place but these shops advertise cheap service ; rather young boys and girls try agressively to lure you into, strongly hinting at happy endings. No private room or private bathroom however, so I wonder what happens when there are more than one customer at the same time - not mentioning risks of theft.

I went twice with a sweet 19 y/o local guy with a face to die for, and not shy at all when it came to kissing, hugging and more. Massage was really too light but he was eager to please, very loving and careful. I bought a shirt for him only to have change enough for paying the massage fee (he had a good tip too), which made him very fond of me. Sorry for him, but there are so many other gorgeous boys in this area that I would have liked to try them all.

There are gay-only massage places too, including nearby Hatha Blue Khmer, which I did not try although the boys standing in front were very inviting. Moreover, boys on the street and some tuk-tuk drivers seem readily available for everything, and there is probably a more discreet scene to be explored  : sure I have to go back one day - preferably alone and without any commitment...

Wonder of the world

The trip from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap was long indeed but at least everything went smooth unlike a previous and unforgettable one we had in Laos many years ago. There were roadworks for the whole first 150 km making driving very slow and bumpy. However the nearer we were approaching the town,  the more the road was improving and suddenly the roadway became large and smooth : we were in Temple Town.

We spent our four days in Siem Reap in the very nice River Queen Guesthouse managed by Richard and his friend, in a fantastic location near the river : close enough to nightlife and far enough to feel a more khmer atmosphere. Richard is the author of the blog I mentioned before (link on the right). We were offered a room (deluxe room) with a large balcony overlooking the river, and I immediately felt that I would come back once again. Although being generally fussy about accommodation, my boyfriend liked it too and he quickly became friend with the two house dogs.

Our three full days there were rather exhausting with two days and a half visiting the main Angkor temples and the last afternoon visiting the Thonlesap lake. The guesthouse gave us a nice tuk-tuk driver who spoke good english and his son who replaced him on day 2 was pretty cute too ; visiting more far-away temples as well as the lake gave us a good insight into khmer country life.

Angkor Wat boys

Your tourist guidebook will tell you about the Angkor temples much better than me. Although not being too much into old stones, I can only confirm that everyone of them is worthwhile, each one having its own caracter and charm. Marvelous, huge, fine, are some of the worlds which come to mind and I can understand why some people can stay many days or weeks exploring them. The weather was not very fine but I think that hordes of tourists which visit the temples at high season would be a bigger annoyance han lack of sun. I came here for visiting the temples and possibly meditating among these mighty and magnificent monuments, not for shooting professionnal pictures.

As for the lake, the trip to Khomphong Pluk is worth the long and bumpy ride ; it allows to feel the might of nature which elevates the level of the lake in the rainy season about 10 meters higher than in the dry season, thanks to the water coming from the Mae Khong River, and to appreciate how finely the locals have adapted to this exceptional natural phenomenon.