Siem Reap is mostly just the launching-point for Angkor Wat, but I had read in the guidebook that it was a big party town, and it just so happened that our first night in town was New Years.We spent the morning at Angkor Wat … what a phenomenal place. While some of the 'magic' is lost by the teaming masses of tourists, it's still an incredible sight to see.

After spending the day touring the many temples (I won't bore you with the details) we headed back to the hotel to shower and relax before hitting the town. Siem Reap is a tiny place, but there is one main street, "Pub Street" (classic) that is jammed with touristy restaurants and bars. It also has a really neat night market, where people set up little tent-booths to show & sell their products.

First of all, Cambodian food is delicious. One of their specialties is soups ... and especially one call Amok. It's made with fish, pineapple, various veggies and served with a side of rice. I think I had amok at least once a day the entire trip.

After a great meal and a couple beers, we realized that the street had morphed into a full-scale street party so we headed down. I was in Spain many years ago when Brazil won the world cup, and that is the closest comparison I have seen to Siem Reap on New Years. The entire street was packed with people dancing and partying, there were loudspeakers all over blasting music and stalls selling drinks and beer on the side. The mayhem got even crazier at midnight, and we were treated to a beer-shower (literally people spraying beer everywhere) but things were so fun that I didn't mind. Sadly, since we were getting up really early the next morning to see more temples, we kept the partying in moderation and headed back to the hotel comparitively early.

It's funny because usually I hate New Years parties - they're always over-hyped and end up being not that exciting. But New Years in Siem Reap definitely lives up to its name, and I'm hoping to make it back in the next couple years to really go-all out and celebrate it again.