Is Siem Reap our final destination?
So we finally made it to Siem Reap, we got the very generous business visa allowing us to extend for up to a year, with multiple entires; we rented an apartment, then a bigger apartment; bought a scooter and Caryl even got a job (and a bank account complete with old school paying in book).
We’ve been on the road for well over a year, slowly travelling from one place to the next, exploring South East Asia and everything it has to offer (which as you know has involved a lot of awesome vegan food).
We were looking for somewhere to have a rest from travelling (it does get a bit exhausting after a while) and we very quickly seemed to put down roots as we had no leaving date.
We rented a lovely apartment
We joined our local pool
We opened a bank account
We made friends with the locals
We got our hair cut in the local ‘salon’ for $1 (well, one of us did anyway…)
We offer training courses for local hotels about how they can cater for vegan guests
One of us even has a ‘proper’ job teaching customer service skills to hotel staff
All of a sudden we found ourselves asking ‘is Siem Reap our final destination’ on the Vegan Food Quest?
We’re technically expats, living in one place, learning to drive a moto like the locals, being covered in dust and sweating in the 40 degree heat. There are loads of things that make Siem Reap a great destination for a couple of digital nomads like us; there’s decent wifi, a well established expat scene meaning you can buy anything you want, the visa is generous and the cost of living is cheap. Plus there are lots of opportunities to work which offers a whole new perspective.
The downside however, is that it’s stupidly hot, the roads are crazy (makes India look well organised and sane), the roads (if not being dug up) are sometimes non-existant (more akin to dusty, rocky dirt tracks) and there seem to be regular power cuts (sometimes lasting for days).
We’ve loved exploring the countryside around Siem Reap
Run out of petrol in the jungle? no problem…
Long and dusty roads in Siem Reap
Roadworks Siem Reap style
Trying to visit our bike repair man was a challenge to say the least
Going to the market can also be a challenge…
…especially if you need a new pair of sandals!
So the answer is ‘no’ – Siem Reap won’t be our final destination on the Vegan Food Quest; it’s our home for now, until we set off again to find, eat and write about the best vegan food in the world.
There’s just too much great vegan food out there to be found, too many places we want to travel to and if we’re honest, we’ve come to quite like being nomads.
