Saturday’s Traveler Magnet
We landed a Workaway gig in Otres Beach, and out of our tiny window we could see the building site, and the trucks rolled continuously throughout the night delivering building materials. The dirt road through the town was potholed and uneven because of these big trucks shattering the peace. But it didn’t quash the laid back vibe of Otres.
The highlight event was a weekly Saturday market called Otres Market, which has a distinct festival feel of multiple live music performers, a lively cocktail and bar scene, and an eclectic mix of international cooking stalls.
It starts around 6pm, and when the live music ends around midnight, the DJ kicks the party into gear. There’s also a collection of stalls selling clothes, jewellry, bags and other nicknacks to entice you to wander around this enclosed venue overlooking the river.
If you happened to wander through town on a Saturday, you could mistake it for a ghost town, but up a side street, and sig zagging towards the river, is a dusty track that entices all those who live life, to eat, drink, and listen to their hearts content. What we loved about Otres Beach was the mix of people who live or pass through here.
Old. Young. Trendy. Techie. Hippy. Druggie. Bohemian. Creative. You name it, you’ll find them here. And you’ll find them mixing with each other and breaking down social barriers. People have a thirst for life here. They’re not sitting staring at a cell phone seeing what’s happening on Facebook. They’re interacting for real. We met such an amazing mix of travellers who were traveling through, and ended up putting down some temporary roots.
As Red said on more than one occasion “Otres Beach puts it’s arm around you, and entices you to stay awhile”. There wasn’t any cliqueiness, and there weren’t age barriers, social barriers, or personal philosophy barriers. It was a pure environment of live and let live.
You’re living a little on the edge when you spend your evening at Otres Market. There’s no food safety certificates given or displayed for any of the stalls, and the food vendors have carte blanche to cook whatever inspires them.
The brainchild behind this successful Otres experiment are Australian buddies Dave Allen and Salty (Andy) Mann. Salty has been in Cambodia since 2008, and met Dave after a couple of years. They rented a piece of riverside land and started formulating the concept of Otres Market.
The building is a mis-mash of levels and buildings, where bamboo and wood is the material of choice, and building regulations were as scarce as food safety. Where there was once a clock tower in the centre of the market, now there’s a enticing looking donut stall that Red and I renovated, and manned each Saturday selling donuts, iced coffee and tea, Bagels and Quiche.
There was no escaping the heat and humidity at the market, and it’s river’s edge location meant the mosquitos were as prevalent and hungry as the stoned revelers. The stall was perfectly situated for a birds-eye view of the stage, and because people had to pass our stall to get to the toilets, we met so many different people from all around the globe.
We did a 6 hour shift, and packed up when the last music act left the stage and the DJ started spinning rave music. By that time I was usually dying for the toilet, because there was no chance I was going to use the toilet at Otres Market—I’ll leave the state of that to your imagination.
Once back at our accommodation, we’d be in dire need of a shower to wash of the sweat from our repellent ladened bodies.
Then it was time for one final gin and tonic before crawling into bed.
Exhausted.
Working a saturday night shift at #otresbeachmarket manning the clock tower stall selling donuts and quiche. #Workaway #Cambodia #volunteering Share on X
Flashpacking through Cambodia
Flashpacking through Cambodia: For Baby Boomers on a Budget is my latest Roving Jay travel guide full of travel tips, advice, and sample itineraries for flash packers who want the back packing experience without foregoing some of life’s creature comforts – like a comfortable bed, a hot shower, free wi-fi, and somewhere to plug your electric toothbrush in.
I spent almost three months backpacking around Cambodia in 2017/2018 to research this travel guide, and I share insights and first hand knowledge of tourist traps and off-the-beaten-path discoveries. We ate street food, drank 50c beers, and travelled by train, bus, minivan and tuktuk to identify the best ways to get from A to B.
If you’d like to receive a free Review Copy ahead of the general public release, please click here.
Here’s my Cambodia posts on this blog:
- Cambodia Visa and Arrival at Siem Reap Airport
- Cambodia: How to Avoid the Crowds at Angkor Wat
- Filling up your scooter in Cambodia
- The Best Tasting Street Food in Siem Reap
- Angkor Wat at Dawn: Is it worth it?
- Come face to face with Angkor Thom’s Bayon
- Good vs. Evil at Angkor Thom’s Impressive Southern Gate
- The Baphuon Temple and the Terrace of the Elephants at Angkor Thom
- Visiting Siem Reap’s War Museum
- Where to Stay in Siem Reap
- Visiting Siem Reap’s Markets
- Give your taste buds a disco at Siem Reap Night Market
- Responsible Tourism at Joe to Go in Siem Reap
- What to See and Do in Siem Reap
- Which Siem Reap Floating Village should you visit?
- Memorable Boat Trip from Siem Reap to Battambang
- Libations and Bric-a-Brac tempt our purse strings in Battambang
- Vegetable Amok at About the World Restaurant in Battambang
- Cooking Classes at Nary’s Kitchen Battambang
- Pomme Bar, Restaurant and Hostel, at the Core of the new Battambang
- An educational trip around Battambang’s Central Market
- Sightseeing and things to do in Battambang Cambodia
- Bayon VIP Bus from Battambang to Phnom Penh Cambodia
- Exploring Phnom Penh’s 172nd Street in the dark
- The challenge of wandering Phnom Penh’s streets
- A visit to Phnom Penh’s Central Market
- Exploring Phnom Penh’s Markets
- Phnom Penh Photo Diary
- Tops sights to see in Phnom Penh
- Touring S-21 Security Prison (Tuol Sleng Museum Phnom Penh)
- A reflective visit to The Killing Fields
- Taking a train from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville
- The majesty of Otres Beach sunsets
- Our Workaway Gig at Otres Beach Market Cambodia
- Working Away to make Cambodian Bagels
- Cambodia Pastry Wars: The Battle of the Quiche
- Our Cambodia workaway gig renovating a market stall
- Unwind on Cambodia’s Koh Ta Kiev Island
- Cambodian Beach Massage and Grilled Seafood
- Building Community during our Cambodian Workaway
- Gecko Village in Kampot Cambodia – a Photo Essay
- Christmas Eve in Kampot
- more coming
That market looks crazy! You must have had a fun time selling those donuts and listening to music. I’d love to hang out at a place like this.
The music was an eclectic mix of bands and solo artists from around the globe, and we had such fun having our front row seat to the show each week.
Well it certainly looks better at night than it does in the daylight. Thank you for sharing your adventure with us 🙂
Yes for sure, it wasn’t at it’s best during daylight!!
This is such an amazing experience. The atmosphere of the market and the live music and the fact that people are not glued to their phones is really amazing
The atmosphere was great .. such an inclusive environment with different cultures congregating on one spot.
What a fun experience you had, minus the lack of clean toilet facilities! I bet it was a busy night with all those revellers especially on the doughnut stall. A fun piece to read about.
Thanks Angela. Yes it was fun and different each week we went. We met so many global citizens and they were all interested in meeting people and enjoying life. Hardly any of them glued to social media on their phones?
Jay Artale recently posted..Our Workaway at an 18th Century Flour Mill France
Love that market scene and the stage area with live music. It’s so apt when you say : “They’re not sitting staring at a cell phone seeing what’s happening on Facebook”……we are so used to people doing that everywhere and anywhere. Here, people seem to be totally immersed and enjoying the experience. I would love to go to a place so full of life! 🙂
Yes people were really enjoying the moment, and interacting with others, and not immersed in their virtual worlds through their phone.
Seriously Jay, you have such an interesting life! That stage with live music and so many colours seems like it is all in a day’s work + fun. I would love to do one of these workaways but I don’t think I can cope with the humidity. I am all for that gin & tonic anytime 🙂
Georgina recently posted..A Complete Guide to Travel Insurance
Yes Cambodia was a cheap place for buying alcohol, no tax and really cheap. The beer was even cheaper than water, and a happy hour G&T was only $1.50
What an adventure! I can just imagine the characters you met at the market 😂 Personally I love a night market, not sure I’d have been able to stay awake for the rave, but I’d definitely have given it a go!
We were always too pooped to attend the rave – but got to enjoy all the live music sessions during the hours leading up to it.
This sounds like a great adventure. I love how you immersed yourself in the local scene and manning that shop selling donuts must have been such a great experience!
Yes workaway provides a great opportunity for an immersive experience.
What a fun experience! I would love to see the music and experience the market here.
Yes it was a fun experience. The music selection was great.
I love weekly funky markets with some music and great food and so visiting weekly Saturday market – Otres Market sounds tempting. Catching some unique festival feel of multiple live music performers, a lively cocktail and bar scene, and an eclectic mix of international cooking stalls must be fun here. Wow you sold donuts at your food stall too, that’s great.
You’re right, it was like a mini festival each week. Great music, food, and people.
Once again, I appreciate your honesty, “building regulations were as scarce as food safety.” But the market at Otres Beach does sound like a lot of fun! Though not sure I could manage all the mosquitoes. I continue to enjoy reading about your workaway adventures.
When you pop in and out of a destination it’s easy to focus on the positives and see it through rose tinted glasses, but when you slow travel I think you get more of a realistic impression of a place.