Senses of Malaysia – July 18, 2019

Despite nearly being wiped out during the
Khmer Rouge, under which the majority
of the country’s artists were targeted, the
art form has undergone a resurgence in
recent decades.

While on vacation, you just may acquire
a taste forsraa,Cambodia’s potent rice
wine that is simultaneously likened
to rocket fuel and elixir. Or you could
fall for Sombai, a line of infused rice
wines inspired by the flavoured rums of
Mauritius and produced in Siem Reap
by two Mauritius-French expatriates. At
the Sombai shop, where reservations
are required, you can tour the infusion
room filled with glass jars of sraaafloat
with ingredients like star anise, coffee
beans from Ratanakiri province, ginger,
lemongrass, lime juice, and pineapple.
Enjoy a cocktail tasting accompanied by
local snacks and be spoilt for choice by the
beautiful hand-painted bottles of wine you
can purchase as souvenirs. And because
you won’t be able to get enough of them,
be sure to load your shopping baskets with
those tasty local chips, crackers, dried
fruit, and candy – all at local prices at Asia
Mart, our personal favourite.

Siem Reap’s creative vibe is evident in
the city’s growing list of quirky shops,
too. Work off a morning of grazing with
an afternoon of browsing, starting at
the Made in Cambodia Market on King’s
Road that brings together the most
exciting examples of craftsmanship in the
country today. Internationally recognized
artisans and designers participating
include Ammo, Rehash Trash, Friends
International, Sombai Liqueur, and more.

Here, you can expect quality artisan
products and luxury goods that redefine
what it means to be made in Cambodia
today, and you’ll support villagers who
produce the handicrafts through both
direct income and skills development.
For a yet more upmarket option, browse
the Kandal Village, where a community
of shop, café, restaurant, and spa owners
have transformed two rows of once-
bland storefronts into one of the city’s
hip micro-neighbourhoods, filled with
fabuloushomedécorfinds.

In Siem Reap, “responsible tourism” is
a buzzphrase, and the many NGOs who
have set up shop there make getting

involved simple by helping you choose

an activity that suits your interests. The

bitter legacy of almost three decades

of war continues to haunt Cambodia,

though, and the country is estimated to

still be sown with more than four million

landmines (along with an estimated

40,000 amputees). One organisation doing

notable work is the Cambodian Mine

Action Centre, which recently began

testing the feasibility of using large mine

detection rats from Tanzania to help clear

fields of mines and unexploded artillery.

Without a doubt, Siem Reap is a place

that will change your perception of life. I

certainly felt mine shift, as I sat waiting

for my partner by a lake at the Banteay

Srei temple gate, only to have an unseen

passerby emerge from its waters behind

my chair in broad daylight, and loudly

slosh past me like it was the most

normal thing in the world. Yet, the echoes

of a painful past are common and only

seem to have forged this city’s spirit in

fire. Far transcending the bright lights of

Pub Street, and deep within those who

have survived human history at its worst,

isarareandbeautifulstrengthbornof

suffering. And someday, it is this strength

that will spread Siem Reap’s wings

to soar.