Back to the Reap, for Karaoke, Swimming, and Ladyboys?

After my quiz last Friday (I got a 94 - ohhh yeah), I decided to head back to Siem Reap. Just can't stay away! So I took another 6 hours bus ride next to a creepy dude and upon arrival, caught a moto to Phil's apartment. He left the keys behind the light on top of the gate. Now, he's a tall person, and that gate is really high. So I'm sure his Khmer neighbors got a kick out of watching the dumb barang jumping up and down next to the gate trying to reach something. But eventually I got in and got ready to go out. Phil took a while to get back because his boss had taken the moto or something annoying, so we ended up just walking to Green Star restaurant. It's a cool little place and a bunch of people were there to celebrate the last night of one of our friends. This happens quite often because the expat population in Siem Reap is pretty transient, and a lot of people only stay short term. It was a lot of fun, I got to play with a kitty, and then we went to karaoke. Anyone who knows me knows that I should never ever open my mouth to sing, but let me tell you, nobody was holding back that night. The beer was flowing and the cheesy tunes were playing. I think I did particularly horrible things to "Colors of the Wind" and "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina"... No I don't have photos or video, someone else probably does, so maybe that will show up here sometime.

After karaoke, we all went to Angkor What!? Which is a pretty awesome place, and there was lots of uncontrolled dancing on tables. Phil and I then went over to X Bar, which was pretty empty. It has a rooftop bar, and a rooftop SKATE RAMP. Nuts. Also, apparently they also have a resident tattoo artist (don't worry, the only thing we did was have beers on top of the empty skate ramp). Then we went home for the night. The next day, everyone was so beat that we didn't actually leave the apartment til after 3pm. We got some brunch at the Ivy and then went to Golden Banana to use the pool. We were the only two people there so it was really nice. If you are ever in Siem Reap, and looking for a great place to stay (besides with me!) I would totally stay here. It's awesome and only like $20 a night or something. After swimming, we went to an event called Casual Collaboration that my co-worker, Megan, organizes once a month. It's pretty much a gathering of NGO workers from Siem Reap to get together, discuss what they are doing, network, etc. We were kinda late so we skipped the speed networking and just grabbed a beer and walked around the hotel. It's a boutique hotel called 1961, and each room has a theme. There's a Cold War room, a Kennedy room, etc. Check this out for more on 1961: Hotel 1961 - Phnom Penh Post

After 1961, Megan, Mike, Phil and I were a bit hungry so we went to a food stall in the old market. I had some amazing Khmer food (though really spicy!!) for about $2 and then we went to a LADYBOY DRAG SHOW. Yes. A local gay bar (maybe the only one?) was hosting a ladyboy drag show. For those not in the know, ladyboys are men dressed as women. Most of the performers were half joking, though they were dressed to impress. They all pretty much lip synced to songs by Celine Dion, or Toni Braxton, or whatever. One of them was pretty intense though, and had a whole dance number. The audience reacted more positively to the performers that were a bit more slapstick, but this is Cambodia and this kind of event isn't that common  (it's not Bangkok). After the show, the four of us went over to Picasso bar, where our friend Daisy works. Best bar in town, if you're looking for a chill place to hang out. We were playing this game that I know my grandpa used to have, though for the life of me I can't remember what it's called. Though I totally was the only person to win that night. Phil, as promised, made me a "philkshake" at the bar. It definitely has an official name, but I don't know what that is. After that we went home and crashed.

On Sunday morning we headed to the Riverview Cafe, which apparently does biscuits and gravy on certain days (not this day, naturally), but we did have a great breakfast. After that, Phil, Megan, and Mike went over to the flea market at 1961, and I headed back to Phil's to pack up my things. We met up back at Golden Banana for a swim, before Phil took me to the bus stop to catch a ride back to the Penh. I always hate leaving.