Holidays With Heart
Prestige Singapore|March 2021
While the magnificent ruins of Angkor Wat remain the star attraction, Siem Reap has also become a magnet for creative titans intent on establishing a sustainable community, writes long-time resident Jonathan Evans.
Jonathan Evans
Holidays With Heart

In 1994, nine young Cambodian men left a Khmer Rouge refugee camp and set up an association known as Phare Ponleu Selpak, in the northwestern city of Battambang. This association went on to establish schools providing education in art, music and theatre, and today the lessons continue, offering courses in visual, applied and performing arts. But by far its most famous offshoot is Phare, the Cambodian Circus, which has become the country’s most prominent public entertainment attraction.

This anarchic, big-top acrobatic extravaganza and its associated outlets – a boutique and cafe – may have been born out of tragedy, but today it represents hope, artistry and vitality in a secure country liberated from war. In the new century’s wave of socially conscious, largely home-grown organisations, which have since come to define Siem Reap, Phare was the ultimate trailblazer. Now a city icon, as well as its definitive social-enterprise model, the profits the circus generates go directly back into Phare Ponleu Selpak students’ development, or to schools and hospitals around the province.

This story is from the March 2021 edition of Prestige Singapore.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the March 2021 edition of Prestige Singapore.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM PRESTIGE SINGAPOREView All
Youthful Bloom
Prestige Singapore

Youthful Bloom

From evocations of horseback rides to anti-ageing formulas, this month's selection of beauty products shaves off the years.

time-read
1 min  |
March 2024
Private drinker
Prestige Singapore

Private drinker

Whisky and jazz bar Maduro finds its niche in Sofitel Sentosa.

time-read
1 min  |
March 2024
A QUIET SPACE
Prestige Singapore

A QUIET SPACE

The Mercedes EQS 450 4MATIC SUV is one of the most luxurious cars to be driven in.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
IN THE KNOW
Prestige Singapore

IN THE KNOW

As part of well-known names in the hospitality game, these hotels are so much more than places to lay your head for the night. The Prestige team checks in to these newcomers to find out why they're the talk of the town.

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2024
ESSENCE OF THE TERROIR
Prestige Singapore

ESSENCE OF THE TERROIR

Martell introduces the Single Cru collection in a tribute to the distinctiveness of the region's varying terroir. Prestige visits the brand's home in France to immerse in the savoir-faire of the house and beauty of the spirit.

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2024
STATE OF THE ART
Prestige Singapore

STATE OF THE ART

With Art Basel Hong Kong, Frieze Seoul and ART SG in full swing once more, the region is back on the world stage. But how is it rebounding? Prestige quizzed the industry's top experts.

time-read
10 mins  |
March 2024
A CASE OF GREATNESS
Prestige Singapore

A CASE OF GREATNESS

Prestige dropped into the Australian Open to check out Louis Vuitton's latest trophy trunks...and caught the making of tennis history.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
THIS IS HER ICE SONG
Prestige Singapore

THIS IS HER ICE SONG

Prestige Singapore meets ZARIA FORMAN in Niseko to find out why the artist-activist-explorer from Vacheron Constantin's \"One of Not Many\" collective pursues glaciers and icebergs.

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2024
THE SHINE FROM MIAMI
Prestige Singapore

THE SHINE FROM MIAMI

LVMH Watch Week kicks off the year's calendar of watch events in sunny Florida. Here, Prestige's watch expert talks about her top picks from the show.

time-read
7 mins  |
March 2024
ARTISTS TO WATCH 2024
Prestige Singapore

ARTISTS TO WATCH 2024

Each year, we identify the Asian artists on the rise, shining a light on the exciting and provocative works enriching the region's artistic and cultural landscape. Here are 19 upcoming talents to put on your radar, from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2024