After the convulsion of Covid, the tourist trade has stirred back into life in Siem Reap, gateway to Angkor Wat. But if heaving hordes of temple tourists sounds like a turn-off, scoot your way to Cambodia now, because the tourist count is only back to a third of its pre-Covid traffic. Beyond temple touring, the leafy, embracing city of Siem Reap is packed with colour, culture and cheap-as-chips encounters. Let’s be honest – temple-touring takes its toll on your feet, which probably explains why Siem Reap is synonymous with fish pedicures. The original operator, Dr. Fish, is still located in the Angkor Night Market, but imitators have morphed all over town. I hate having my feet played with, let alone having them nibbled by fish.

However, if you’re happy to have your toes tickled in a fish tank, it’s a sure-fire way to send all that dead skin packing. And it will only cost you about $NZ5. But you might want to try to be first in line, because by the end of the trading day, the water in the tank will be decidedly soiled, after having played host to dozens and dozens of feet and dead skin flakes. Central to Siem Reap’s charm is the fact that it’s full of paradoxes, as ancient traditions and modern bling rub shoulders to form a glittery, mystical and alluring destination. Marvel at the frenetic pageant of Siem Reap street life, abuzz with motorbikes and cyclists, impossibly laden with a cornucopia of goods, from vast bunches of jackfruit to teetering ladders, water tanks and freshly culled chickens.

It’s a place where tuktuk drivers take a break by slinging themselves into an on-board hammock, or catch a quick game of checkers with a mate. It’s a city of monks draped in swirling ochre robes, multi-coloured fair lights lavished in public spaces and brightly painted temples. In the heart of town, just a block back from Siem Reap River, the Old Market is a head-swirl of colour, character and the bizarre. Souvenir stalls litter the edges of the market, touting trinkets of dubious quality, but venture inside the rabbit warren of endless aisles to savour a slice of local life, where vendors flog off everything imaginable from pots and pans to parasols. 

But it’s the food section, a heaving emporium of fresh produce in a blazing rainbow of colours, in addition to the startling variety of meats and seafood, that provides the best sensory assault.  Head here early in the morning, when the hotel chefs and locals are out in force to bag the best market bounty. It’s not a place to be squeamish as you wander by dozens of headless chooks with their legs tightly bound, or wonder what an earth that blood and gore soaked speciality, selling like hot cakes, might actually be. It turns out one of the biggest sellers at the Old Market, which I could not bring myself to try, is duck foetus. It looks as graphically horrific as it sounds.

Siem Reap boasts a stack of markets – the Old Market being the most traditional and the Night Market remaining a perennial hit with visitors. If you’re keen to buy some authentic, local and handmade souvenirs, the Night Market is a good bet, with an excellent range of handicrafts including silk, art, jewellery, wood and stone carvings. Be sure to haggle – it’s rude not too. A quintessential buy is a cotton checked krama, the scarf worn by locals in myriad ways. Many of the producers are orphans and disabled people, employed by local NGO, so you’ll be shopping with a clear conscience.  Khmer arts and crafts is enjoying a solid boom, principally fuelled by the West’s affection.

During the Khmer Rouge reign of terror, about 90% of the nation’s artists were massacred, but traditional disciplines in pottery, silk weaving and stone carving are resurging. Close to Pub Street, a cob web of small alleys, like Alley West, is where you can find some of the best boutique art and craft studios and stores. Street stalls bustle with a head-spinning selection of cheap eats, ranging from the familiar to the seriously intrepid. Definitely dive into street stalls crafting and selling ice cream rolls. Also known as stir-fried ice cream, this incredible frozen dessert originated in Thailand, but has become a street staple in Siem Reap, available in a wondrous range of flavours, from mango and passionfruit to cashew nut.

• Mike Yardley: Sights and bites in Siem Reap, Cambodia

It is made with a liquid ice cream base that is often heavy cream. The base is then poured onto a super cold flat metal plate, mixed with flavours, and rolled out, before being served. Because the ice cream has become solid and the flat metal plate is continuously keeping it cold, the ice cream is easily rolled out with a metal spatula. Each ice cream roll is about the same size and is fitted into a cup.

Daring to walk on the wild and more traditional side, I sampled a deep fried tarantula, washed down with sugarcane juice – but could only stomach one leg. Roasted insects are a very big business in Siem Reap and alongside the various offerings at the street stalls, check out Bug’s Café, Cambodia’s famous insect tapas restaurant. The menu lustily spans the insect kingdom, featuring crickets, scorpions, grasshoppers, ants, bees, silkworms ...you name it. An unparalleled taste of adventure – and high in protein. Moving beyond the critters, Cambodian cuisine has traditionally been overshadowed by its neighbours, Thailand and Vietnam. 

But Siem Reap has clearly emerged as a dining destination in recent years, with strong and vibrant flavours which draw inspiration from China and India – stir-frying and dried spices.  A signature national dish is fish amok – steamed and curried fish coated in kroeung paste and cooked in a cup made from banana leaves. The other must try signature is beef lok lak, made with diced beef and garnished with citrus and pepper dip.  I enjoyed a magnificent dish called Pad Seafood Kapow, which was inspired by Pad Thai, but revved up with a selection of seafood and a head-swirl of spices. In a city flush with entertainment options, don’t miss Siem Reap’s answer to Cirque du Soleil.

Phare is a traditional Cambodian Circus – animals not included – that opened its big top for nightly shows a decade ago, due to its surging popularity.  Its origins can be traced back to refugee camps in the 1980s. Several generations of circus performers who graduated from Phare’s training campus have gone on to perform all over the world, including with Cirque du Soleil. With an emphasis on heart-in-your-mouth performance art, the acrobatics, contortions and juggling skills are breath-taking and are beautifully woven into a wider narrative about the Cambodian story. 

Where to stay? Perfectly positioned on Charles De Gaulle Boulevard, I locked in a stay with Booking.com at Mane Colonial Classic, a stylish Siem Reap hotel, wrapped in leafy grounds with two swimming pools. You’ll enjoy all the creature comforts including complimentary breakfast, fitness centre, and spacious suites, with characterful Khmer furnishings and trusty air-con, at this Travel Sustainable certified property.

Sustainable travel is top of mind for Kiwi travellers with nearly three quarters (68%) confirming travelling more sustainably is important to them in the latest research from Booking.com. Travellers now have access to 500,000+ more sustainable accommodations on Booking.com across the world, from homes to hotels, labelled with a certified Travel Sustainable badge. What’s more, rental car search filters on the Booking.com platform enable people quickly find fully electric and hybrid cars across 111 countries. For great rates and total flexibility, head to www.booking.com

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Mike Yardley is our resident traveller on Jack Tame Saturday Mornings.