Shopping

Markets Psah Chas Market near the river, south of the town is best visited early in the day. Fresh meat, fish, fruit, vegetables are sold as well as there being souvenir stalls selling carved wood, brass, silver, t-shirts, clothing, Kramar scarves etc. Some good cheap noodle & sandwich stalls (mornings only) are also located here. Psah Leu Market some 1.5km east of Siem Reap, sell food & general goods.

Souvenir Shops Scarves, musical instruments, etc. are available in the old/new market and there are also a few shops on Route 6, to the east of the river. Souvenirs range from exquisite jewellery to humble flutes urged upon you by little children at the temple ruins. There are apsara plaques and rubbings absolutely everywhere as well as precious gems and intricate silks and coffee-table books and endless racks of postcards. Some hotels also have gift/souvenir shops. The prices tend to be higher than the street-side and market stores, so browsing first is well advised.

Artwork Cambodian and foreign artists have set up a gallery for their paintings in the local market. In addition to the original oil paintings, priced at several hundred dollars, there is a good assortment of unusual artwork at modest cost.

Craft Workshops Tabitha Workshop is a good place to shop for toys, purses, ornaments and jewellery that are sold by this NGO group (providing employment to widows, land-mine victims and other unfortunate victims of Cambodia's history). Baray Tukvill is another NGO workshop that produces traditional arts and crafts to fund adult-literacy classes and to train the handicapped. Khmer Angkor Woodworking Workshop is yet another. To get here take the left turn immediately after passing Wat Thmei. The workshop is a large building with intricate carved wood decorations. For more information call the Khmer Angkor Workshop on 015 630 080.