¡¡Hammock Restaurant¡¡
When you go to Cambodia, you can see many kinds of hammocks that are hanging at shops, houses, etc.
People avoid the strong mid-day sun, and relax in their hammocks in the afternoon.
In Siem Reap, I enjoyed swinging in hammocks at restaurants that were on the way to the Tonle Sap Lake.
There are no tables, or chairs at these restaurants. So custmers sit on the bare wooden floors.
After having lunch with a few cold beers, you can crawl into one of the restaurant's hammocks while the wind blows through the open walls. Ahh...Paradise.
¡¡Cambodian Cinema¡¡
In 2003, the first time I visited Siem Reap, the town did not have an indoor movie theater. I wondered how I could experience Cambodian cinema.
If you have ever been to Siem Reap yourself, you probably know where The Raffles Grand Hotel stands and you probably noticed the playground next to the hotel. Well, during my stay in Siem Reap, I got wind of the adjacent playground becoming an open-air theater. I was so excited to think that I would have a chance to not only see a Cambodian movie, but also a local social event. however, there was one problem. it was Cambodia's rainy season during my visit. It had rained everyday in the afternoon and as a result the showing of the movie was postponed again and again.
This did not stop me from asking the hotel staff everyday if the movie would be shown today. The staff seemed surprised and asked me why I was so excited about seeing a Cambodian movie. I thought it was a rare opportunity to see a Cambodian movie, not to mention the experience of this social event and my first visit to an open-air theater. Nothing could decrease my enthusiasm but the day I had to leave Siem Reap was approaching quickly. Finally, one evening before I had to leave, the conditions were right for converting the playground next to my hotel into an open-air theater and I could see a Cambodian movie.
The story was about a myth of Angkor. A long time ago, a prince fell in love with a beautiful girl while another prince of a neighboring country tried to take the first prince's land. The first prince's elder brother became a cow at night by a magic spell and tried to help his brother keep his land. The mixture of laughter, tears, love and dance was similar to a Hindi movie but the Cambodian version was much slower and simpler.
During the movie, we also had a performance by nature. Lightening flashed so often that I was scared. I was told that this is quite common during the rainy season in Cambodia though.
After the performace a motorcycle-taxi driver told me that a "real" movie theater is coming to Siem Reap. This would certainly avoid postponing the showing of sheduled movies due to the weather but I wonder how many people, besides me, might miss the socializing and atmosphere involved in the open-air performances next to Siem Reap's centralized locations.
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