Page 48 - Experience Thailand and More

SIEM REAP

Victory Over Siam

No one’s really sure which battle gave Siem Reap its name, which means
Defeat of Siam, as they fought a number of times during and after the
reign of Angkor. The town itself remained a cluster of sleepy hamlets along
the Siem Reap River until after the renowned temple complex, Angkor
Wat, and surrounding ruins began to attract Western interest, and once
the French took control of the region in 1907, it slowly began to grow as
scholars and tourists traveled here. The renowned Grand Hotel D’Angkor
opened its doors in 1929 as the Old French Quarter and nearby Psar Chas
(Central Market) district began to fill with French-colonial and Sino-Khmer
architecture, which creates a quaint riverside ambience. As darkness
descends and the visitors return from their archeological explorations,
Sivatha Street and Pub Street do come alive with shoppers, diners and
revelers, while it remains busy but quieter between the bridges connecting
Pokabor Avenue and Siem Reap River Road.

Now, a hub for international tourism, this boomtown continues to advance
west along Airport Road where hotels and restaurants keep springing
up to cater to the ever increasing number of tourists. So, unless you are
part of a tour or looking for really cheap accommodation, this is just a
thoroughfare for transit. You will want to head north early in the day to visit
Angkor Wat, and if time, Bayon at Angkor Thom and Ta Phrom as well as
the other ruins, before turning south once more as the sun sets to return to
the Old French Town and all it offers.
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