Welcome To Siem Reap
Spreading across 3,976 square miles of land, Siem Reap city is of the most prominent city that you must visit when arriving at Cambodia. Before getting to know what Siem Reap city has to offer for you, I will list some of the precautions that you must keep in mind and will surely help you a lot. Those precautions include the dressing code, transportation, and body languages.
Unlike most of the cultures, it’s really necessary to dress up appropriately in Siem Reap. According to our cultures, women are not allowed to wear shorts or any types of clothes that reveal too much skin. However, nowadays these dressing codes are not as strict as before but just be careful when walking around. The most important time when you have dress up carefully is when visiting the ancient temples. You must wear trousers, long skirts, or long shorts that reach at least the knee. Furthermore, remember to cover up your arm and back too. You will not be allowed to get into temples even if you are covered with a scarf. Be aware of this same situation also when going to a pagoda or a holy place. You can’t wear sexy clothes because it’s a ridicule of our religion. Women especially are not allowed to touch or stay near monks. However, it’s okay to dress up like what you want if you go to a bar, pub, or club and nobody won’t mind you there since that place is for fun.
When traveling around most European countries, foreigners tend to walk around in the city to get from place to place. However, it’s a different experience in Siem Reap. Our most common transportation here is a tuk tuk which can fit in 4 to 5 people per vehicle and the price ranges from around 1 to 5 dollars depending on the distance you are traveling. Be careful to ask the price first when riding on a tuk tuk in order to avoid scamming. Another easier way of traveling, which is also common, is by using Grab or PassApp. These vehicles show the exact distance you’re traveling as well as the price so you won’t have to be afraid of getting scammed. The price is about $0.38 to $0.50 per kilometer. However, these vehicles can only fit 2 to 3 people at a time. You can order these vehicles by booking on their website online or just call one off from the road.
It may seem normal in some countries for people to hug and kiss when meeting other, but it’s very awkward in Cambodia. Please be mindful that we are not very accustomed to those greeting. Some people may actually try to step back when you hug or kiss them. In our culture, we greet each other by Sampeah. There are 5 different ways in which we Sampeah and I will list all of them here.
1. When Cambodian greet their friends who have the same age, they place their both palms together at the chest level.
2. When Cambodian greet their bosses, older person or higher-ranking people, they place their both palms together at the mouth level.
3. When Cambodian greet their parents, grandparents or teacher, they place their both palms together at the nose level.
4. When Cambodian greet the king or monks, they place their both palms together at the eyebrows level.
5. When Cambodian pray to the God or sacred statues, they place their both palms together at the forehead level.
There is another behavior that is considered rude and disrespectful here. You can’t put your both of your hands on your hip when talking to elders. They will say that you’re an ill-mannered person if you do that and they will probably ask why your parents haven’t properly taught you manners. You must also lower your head a little bit when walking past an elder. One other important thing that you must know is that our head is the most sacred part of our body here. You can’t go around rubbing someone’s head or at least even touch it without their consent. This is according to our Buddhist religion. All of those body languages that I listed above are the most essential ones that you must follow when visiting Siem Reap or any other places in Cambodia.
In conclusion, when visiting Siem Reap or any other places around the world, you must be mindful of their cultures and society. In that way, you will be fully prepared of what to do and how to react when encountering different circumstances such as how to dress up properly, how to find a reasonable navigation, and how to greet or welcome their fellow people correctly. This backup information would allow you to interact well with the people there and you would find your trip there much more enjoyable than before.
