Angkor National Museum and Phare Circus

After a very pastry-heavy breakfast (French influences, you know? We did it for culture.) and some successful scarf bargaining, Kev and I took in another round of Siem Reap classics.

First up: the Angkor National Museum. 

Pro tip: do the museum BEFORE the temples. It does a nice job explaining the history and significance so you can take in the temples effectively. 

It's especially valuable because there are a bazillion people at the temples and approx no one at the museum, so you can spend time learning, exploring and appreciating without being jostled around. 

Much of the collection is straight from the temples but has been better preserved. The intricacy of the stone work is incredibly impressive, which is harder to see at the temples. 

The first exhibit it a hall of a thousand Buddhas. The collection is gorgeous and allows you to see the progression of the representation through many centuries. 

Pictures are strictly prohibited, so here is someone else's I stole from the Internet. 

Since I grew up as a regular at the world's largest children's museum (shout out to Indy!) I had a lot of ideas on how they could make the exhibits more interactive, more exciting, easier to digest, etc. 

For example, they had a cool wall of pictures of traditional garb through the ages. But it would have been even cooler if they also had a life-sized apsara dancer with different outfit pictures you could hang on her, plus a face cut-out so you could take pictures. Kevin approximated as best he could. 

All in all it was an interesting and informative experience that was worth the $12. If I had it to do over again, I'd do it the day before the temples. 

That evening, we went to Phare Circus which was inspirational on many levels. http://pharecircus.org/

Phare is a school for Cambodian street children to come (for free) to learn dance, acting, acrobatics, music, visual arts, cooking and hospitality to help break the cycle of poverty. 

They perform every night in Siem Reap and some even travel internationally - right now there's a group touring in France. 

You guys, they knocked my socks off. 

It wasn't just crazy physical acts (though there was plenty of that) - they told a beautiful story which translated without language. 

The kids even provided the soundtrack real-time, including sound effects timed with the performers. You can see them in the background below. 

Everything from the dinner we at beforehand to the performance to gift shop was run by these kids. It was professional, personal and passionate. A impactful experience not to be missed.