Visit Sisophon - a real Cambodian town

Most visitors to Cambodia make a beeline for Siem Reap, the base from which to explore Angkor Wat, the nation’s most famous tourist attraction.  And rightly so.  The temple complex is extraordinary and Siem Reap is a wonderful holiday destination – history, culture, shopping, relaxation, fun.  But more adventurous travelers are sometimes left craving a more local experience.  Svay Sisophon offers exactly that.

While living in Svay Sisophon I hosted many visitors who found Svay to be a highlight of their Cambodia experience.  Here is my short guide to visiting the town - things to see and do, and the very best places to eat and stay.

Although the town is not well known among tourists, Sisophon is actually right on the beaten track - it’s just that most people keep beating straight through.  Located at the intersection of National Highways 5 and 6, Sisophon is en-route to Siem Reap for those travelling overland from Bangkok or from Phnom Penh or Battambang.  The town is a good stopover option should you need to overnight near the Thai border and wish to avoid Poipet.  Poipet itself is a strange world of casinos and brothels.  It gets more of a mention in the Lonely Planet: “…the armpit of Cambodia, notorious for its squalor, scams and sleaze”.  Needless to say, most wish to pass through as quickly as possible.

Should you be trying to get to Sisophon you should be aware that it is a town of many names.  “Svay Sisophon” (pronounced Swai Sisopon) is most commonly used although it is actually the Thai name for the town.  Locals frequently refer to the town as just “Svay” or “Sisophon”.  The official Khmer name is “Serey Sophorn” which means “ideal woman”.   The name of the province, “Banteay Meanchey” is sometimes also used to refer to Sisophon, as the provincial capital.

On the map below you can zoom out to see Sisophon's location in relation to Thailand, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.  Alternatively, zoom in to see the exact locations of the places referred to on this page.

Remember I said Svay has no famous sights?  Well, that's not strictly true.  This is one very significant sight, already well known nationally and bound to become a whole lot more famous.  These early 13^th century temple ruins just 60 kilometres north of Svay are on the tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage status.  Reaching them, however, means tackling the worst road in Cambodia and so these impressive ruins receive relatively few visitors.  With scheduled road improvements and ongoing restoration activities, tourist numbers will no doubt rise.

In the meantime it makes an adventurous day trip.  The journey takes about 2 hours; sometimes much longer in the wet season when thick mud and makeshift bridges turn the road into an obstacle course.  It's well worth it though.  Built during the reign of Jayavarman VII, Banteay Chhmar was once a very large temple complex with intricately carved bas-reliefs.  The ruins have been subjected to severe looting but some outstanding carvings can still be seen.  The site currently resembles a giant, partially completed jigsaw puzzle - assembled towers emerge from piles of rubble, some with stones arranged to restore classic Bayon-style faces.  Nearby ruins of smaller shrines and fortresses are also well worth visiting.  You could easily spend a day in the area - exploring the jungle, clambering over rocks and encountering noone else.

Possibly the town’s greatest attraction, the Country Love Garden is a wonderfully bizarre combination of statues, landscaped gardens, picnic huts and hammocks just a few kilometres out of town.  Join the throngs of Khmer youth heading out on motorbikes in the late afternoon.  Or come during the day when you are bound to spot numerous Khmer bridal parties, posing in their many colourful outfits.

Explore the park and pose with King Kong, a giant wedding cake, a Transformer or a kangaroo, among many other surprising statues.  Be sure to stop for an ice-cream or settle in and sample some Khmer snack foods.  And if you can't get enough posing then make sure you check out the photo booth in the middle of the park where you can choose from thousands of zany backgrounds and get fun souvenir pics to take home or send as postcards.

Explore the town by bicycle.  Outside the very small town centre, Svay is really a string of small villages, which are wonderful for exploring and seem to go forever.  Expect to be greeted with curiosity, many friendly hellos, and even invitations into people’s homes.

Visit one of the two local markets, Psar Serey Sophorn or Psar Thmey.  The fresh food sections are fascinating.  Choose from a huge selection of tropical fruits.  Purchase textiles from Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Indonesia.

Have glamour shots done, Khmer style.  Get your hair and make-up done, get kitted out in bridal or traditional attire and work it for the cameras.  The small price also includes your choice of photo-shopped kitsch backgrounds - and the airbrushing is complementary!

Join dawn and dusk exercise in the park in the centre of town.  Aerobics are on at 5am and 5pm every day.  Stick around afterwards and the women will be keen to get you dancing, khmer-style.  Alternatively, find a late afternoon game of football, volleyball or badminton and join in.

Cool off with a swim in the river, warm up with a sauna, or relax with a massage at Pyramid Spa.

Soup Koray specializes in Khmer soup bbq and grillied fish.  The dtray grahorm (red fish) is not to be missed.  Other tasty dishes include Lao-style salads.  You'll find it directly opposite Pyramid Hotel.  Get there early to secure a bamboo hut and settle in for the night.

Kim Heng offers Khmer food and some Thai dishes.  Don’t be put off by the limited English language menu – if you’ve eaten it in Cambodia, and know how to pronounce it, try your luck and order it here.  This is my standard go-to restaurant – it is clean, with good service and excellent quality food.

P'gaa Bram is one of the best places to sample truly authentic and full flavoured Khmer food.  It has a large selection of Khmer soups and a particularly good samlor m'choo kroueng (sour, spiced soup).

The Lok Chaa stand on road number 3 offers fried noodles with plenty of fresh vegetables and meat of your choice.  Invariably fresh and tasty, I believe them to be the best fried noodles in Cambodia.  The stand is open for breakfast and dinner only.

Cow on a spit style restaurants are plentiful around the town and serve up plates of tender beef, raw vegetables with prahoc (fish paste) and iced beer - a meat-lovers paradise.

Lng’each Jooup Kneer (literally, “meet together in the evening”) offers khmer beer snacks such as fried frog and mango salads, all with stage show entertainment.  Karaoke, 20 dancers, and Svay’s only nightclub make this the most exciting nightspot in town.

Botoum Hotel is a reliable choice and offers very comfortable hotel rooms for around $12.  Tucked off the main road behind a leafy courtyard, the hotel also has a decent restaurant with an English menu and the best green mango and smoked fish salad in town.

Pyramid Hotel & Spa is a relative newcomer but has certainly upped the standard of accommodation in Svay.  A grand, white building with stylish and spacious rooms the hotel offers excellent service as well as a spa with massage, sauna and steamroom facilities.  Outstanding value at $15 for a double room.

Golden Crown Guesthouse seems to be the popular choice of foreign budget travellers so can't escape without mention.  It's nothing special but with a central location, simple but clean rooms and friendly service at a cheap price, it could be just what you are looking for.