Typical Cambodia pit-stops for bus rides across Cambodia are tedious affairs; not so Skoun, the first stop along the road from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap.
Skoun features one of the most fascinating markets in Cambodia. Fresh from the northern province of Preah Vihear, dozens upon dozens of live tarantulas are available wholesale to shoppers who buy them by the bucket. Pets? Unfortunately no, particularly from the tarantulas’ perspective.
Curious children and foreigners may play with live creepy-crawlers – the spiders are defanged in Preah Vihear, but the locals are there to eat them! Get ‘em while they’re hot; hungry visitors can buy them stir fried on the spot (along with spicy frogs, fertilized duck eggs, various insects, and and an assortment of fruits), but your safer bet better is to order them at Romdeng restaurant in Phnom Penh, where they are served with a Cambodian black pepper sauce!
Getting There
If traveling in a private taxi, tell your driver “Skoun” and make a tarantula hand-puppet gesture. On a bus to/from Phnom Penh and Siem Reap or Kompong Thom, you may or may not stop at Skoun depending on whether your bus company has a current kick-back agreement with the restaurant.
Need to Know
- What is It?: A roadside restaurant serving curious snacks, including stir-fried tarantula.
- When to Go: When a particularly yummy batch of tarantulas has arrived from Preah Vihear.
- Nearest Town: Near Oudong (6-10 miles), in day trip distance of the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh
- Don’t Miss: Playing with live tarantulas!
- Opening hours: Daylight hours
- Entrance fees: None