Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
map p.139.
The retail outlet of the Artisans d'Angkor (see
p.141) sells an outstanding collection of premium-quality
goods, including glossy lacquer-work, exquisite carvings,
stunning fabrics and garments from their silk workshops at
Puok. Prices are higher than anywhere else in the city, but
the quality can't be beaten.
Daily 7.30am-6.30pm.
Bambou Indochine
Alley West; Lucky Mall; Street 11
(near Red Piano); Siem Riep Airport;
T
063 966823,
W
bambouindochine.com; map p.139 & p.140.
Countrywide boutique selling colourful original clothing
for women, men and children in a range of cotton, silk,
linen and bamboo fabrics.
Daily 9am-10pm.
LHA Sewing School
Wat Damnak, just south of the
centre
T
069 301562,
W
lifeandhopeangkor.org; map
p.139.
In the grounds of Wat Damnak, this NGO sewing school
offers a range of ready-made clothes and other items, and is a
good place to get tailor-made garments made up. Pieces can
be tailored in just a day. Bring in an existing item of clothing
you want copied, ask for ideas to make something from
scratch or just sketch out your own designs - staff will even
take you to local markets to select fabrics. You can also have
your own T-shirts individually printed in the school's silk-
screen workshop. All profits go to supporting the school and
other local initiatives.
Mon-Fri 7am-5pm.
McDermott Gallery
The Passage, Psar Chas; FCC
Complex, Pokambor Ave; Ra
es Grand Hotel d'Angkor;
W
mcdermottgallery.com; map p.139 & p.140.
Three
upmarket galleries showcasing the spectacular Angkor
photographs of acclaimed American photographer (and
Siem Reap resident) John McDermott, with their magical
infrared film effects. The Psar Chas gallery also shows
works with an Asian theme by other leading photographers.
Psar Chas: daily 9am-10pm; FCC: daily 10am-10pm;
Ra
es: daily 8am-10pm.
Mekong Quilts
Sivatha Blvd
T
063 964498,
W
mekong-quilts.org; map p.140.
Colourful - albeit
bulky - quilts, plus fun toys, bags, purses, pillowcases and
so on, many in quirky, child-friendly designs. Shipping
available.
Daily 8am-10pm.
Rajana
Sivatha Blvd
T
012 917060,
W
rajanacrafts
.org; map p.140.
Fair-trade organization colourful clothes,
bags,
kramas
and wall-hangings, plus attractively
packaged teas and spices.
Daily 8am-11pm.
Rehab Craft
Pokambor Ave
T
023 726801,
W
rehabcraftcambodia.com; map p.140.
Not-for-profit
organization offering a range of crafts made by Cambodians
with disabilities including attractive silk
kramas
and fun
bags, wallets and pencil cases made from recycled food
packaging and sacks.
Daily 9am-9pm.
Samatoa
Hospital St
T
012 285930,
W
samatoa.com;
map p.140.
Top-quality Cambodian silk womenswear in
bright colours and contemporary designs - they also offer
a tailoring service and can copy clothes if you take them in
(24hr turnaround). Samatoa are also pioneering a
remarkable new lotus cloth, made from fibres taken from
the stems of lotus flowers: a linen-like fabric that is
naturally quick drying and stain-repellent. Given that it
takes around 6000 flowers to make 1m of fabric, and with
individual pieces retailing for thousands of dollars, the
market is likely to remain something of a niche. Visitors are
welcome to watch the production process at the shop's
lotus farm (
W
lotusfarm.org) in Phnom Krom village, 8km
south of town.
Daily 8am-11pm.
Senteurs d'Angkor
Hospital St
T
012 954815; map
p.140.
French chic is combined with the imaginative use of
traditional Khmer materials to produce original (albeit pricey)
products including carvings, candles, soaps and flavoured
teas. You can also visit their workshops (free), on the south
side of NR6 about 1.5km from town.
Daily 7am-10.30pm.
Spicy Green Mango
Branches on Alley West & The
Lane
T
078 589673,
W
spicygreenmango.com; map
p.140.
Affordable and attractive boutique clothing, all
made in Cambodia - mainly womenswear (including
funky dresses and fun T-shirts) plus a few token shirts for
blokes.
Daily 10am-10pm.
3
BOOKS
Blue Apsara
Street 9
T
012 601483; map p.140.
Siem
Reap's longest-running Western bookshop, with a good
selection of fiction and local guides.
Daily 9am-10pm.
D's Books
Hospital St
T
012 262404; map p.140.
Extensive range of secondhand books - mainly fiction, plus
SHADOW PUPPETS
Shadow puppets
are made of stretched, dried cowhide, the required outline drawn freehand
onto the leather and pared out, after which holes are carefully punched in designated areas to
allow back light (traditionally from a burning coconut shell) to shine through onto a plain
screen. Once cut and punched, the figures are painstakingly
painted
using natural black and
red dyes under the strict supervision of the puppet master. Two sorts of puppet are produced:
sbaek thom
and
sbaek toich
(literally “large skin” and “small skin”). The
sbaek thom
, used to tell
stories from the
Reamker
,
are the larger of the two, around 1-2m tall, and lack moving parts. By
contrast,
sbaek toich
puppets have moveable arms and legs, and are commonly used to tell
folk tales and stories of everyday life, usually humorous and with a moral ending. Both types
are manipulated from below using sticks attached to strategic points.
