Siem Reap, Cambodia - Energy Drink Journey 2020

Energy Drinks Available Everywhere

Before coming to Siem Reap, I only had the impression that it was a "remote area with few stores and only ruins." But I was surprised when I got here!

Along the main street, there are convenience stores, local shops, and supermarkets. With so many stores, it seems like I won't need to search desperately for energy drinks.

Since I'll be busy with sightseeing tomorrow and beyond, let's go on a little hunt for now!

First, I head to a mini supermarket near the hotel. It sells food, daily goods, and more.

Looking for energy drinks... I found American energy drinks!!

I came to buy Cambodian energy drinks... but I found American ones instead (^_^;) The way they're arranged is quite something.

But if you look closely, even though they’re imports, they’re priced low. And there's the Muscle Monster cans.

One Muscle Monster for $3 is the regular price in America. At this price, it seems you can easily get American energy drinks in Cambodia.

It's not uncommon to find stores selling imports in Asia, but here the selection is particularly good, and the prices for imported items are so low. This could be a happy discovery for Monster Energy fans.

By the way, I later went to a different store where they were $2.75 per can.

That’s pretty cheap, haha!

I took a look inside and it seemed this store didn't have much of a selection of Cambodian energy drinks.

Some items didn’t even have prices listed, so I decided to head to another store down the street.

After walking for a bit, I found a Circle K.

It’s brighter and more modern compared to the mini supermarket. I don’t think there are many global chain stores like this in Siem Reap.

Heading to the energy drink fridge, I found a good selection of local products.

The prices are really cheap, starting at just 50 cents a can. I decided to buy a bunch right here.

They even had 3 varieties of Mutant, priced at 75 cents each. Mutant definitely seems to match the local price range.

I bought every energy drink in the store. The shop assistants, who spoke a bit of English, told me it was the first time they'd seen someone buy this many, haha.

By the way, credit cards weren’t accepted, and it was cash-only. I thought Circle K would accept credit cards, but I guess not.

Later, when I visited other stores, I found a few that were a little cheaper, so if you have more time, you could enjoy the hunt. But honestly, the price difference was only about 10 to 20 cents, and with the scorching heat, I wouldn’t recommend it (^_^;)

On the way back, I found a vendor selling Samurai, so I bought one. There's a can in the front and a bottle in the back.

Of course, no price tag, and the old lady running the stand didn’t speak any English. It was about twice the price of the energy drinks at Circle K, haha. But it's still cheaper than Japanese energy drinks, so I’ll accept it.

Siem Reap’s downtown area is limited to the Pub Street area. It’s common to come here for food and drinks.

The large, luxurious hotels are far from here, so even if you downgrade a bit (though there are still decent hotels), it’s best to stay around Pub Street.

Surprisingly, many places sell beer for just 0.5 dollars per glass! The food is very affordable and delicious, and the atmosphere is nice. The staff are really friendly, too.

The beer here is a bit watery, but with this temperature, it’s the best choice~. When I didn’t go to the ruins and stayed around here, I drank beer for lunch, rest, and dinner. It's easy to fall into bad habits, haha.

Ruins Sightseeing

I packed the sightseeing into a tight schedule, from before dawn until evening, but the heat was too intense, and most of the ruins looked the same, so I lost energy midway through Σ(´∀｀；)

Each ruin is just too vast, and walking endlessly under the scorching sun really drains your energy. No matter how many ruins you visit, they all start to look the same... It seems like many people feel the same way. Unless you’re really interested in ruins, I’d recommend focusing on famous ones that are great for Instagram photos.

The best one was Beng Mealea, which looks like something from Laputa, and is popular among Japanese visitors.

I came during the dry season, but I want to visit again during the rainy season next time. The ruins are said to get covered with moss, making the Laputa-like atmosphere even stronger.

By the way, during the tour of remote ruins, I found a roadside stand selling Coca-Cola Energy.

I saw Coca-Cola Energy ads quite often in Siem Reap.

Actually, You Can Find All the Energy Drinks You Need at Supermarkets in Cambodia

Later, I visited a larger supermarket in Siem Reap. The drink aisle was neatly arranged, and the selection was great. It was so well-stocked that I didn’t even need to visit other smaller shops.

They had 3 varieties of Cambodian Mutant. Other energy drinks were almost the same price as in convenience stores, so it seems like it’s best to buy everything at a big supermarket.

I went out hunting in the scorching heat to see if I missed any energy drinks, but it was so hot it felt like I might collapse, so I’d advise against hunting on foot in Cambodia during the day (^_^;)

There’s almost no price difference between stores, so no matter where you buy, it’s about the same. Honestly, walking during the day is hell, so I recommend buying everything at the supermarket.

Cambodia has a direct flight from ANA to Phnom Penh, but there’s no direct flight to Siem Reap, so I had to transfer. The transfer was a bit of a hassle, but I’m glad I chose Siem Reap for my vacation, with both ruins sightseeing and relaxing in the downtown area (●´ω｀●)