With everybody living in the same location, it makes getting to know the other volunteers a lot easier, and with cheap drinks available, you’ll never have a reason to leave MBC! Many volunteers enjoy a brief nap after they have finished work for the day, others sit around a table enjoying an ice-cold beer and having a chat whilst others sit back under a palm tree, or in the gardens and immerse themselves in a good book.

As we are quite close to the centre of Siem Reap, it is easy to escape MBC for an afternoon or an evening if you so desire and head in to explore one of the biggest tourist hubs in South East Asia. Whether it is eating at classy restaurants, drinking and dancing in trendy bars, visiting interesting museums, shopping at local artisan markets, discovering the secrets of Khmer cuisine in one of the many cooking courses, trying your hand at Buddhist meditation, taking a refreshing dip at one of the swimming pools or getting a wonderfully relaxing massage at a spa, the possibilities awaiting tourists in Siem Reap are endless.

Weekly days off during the vMaD volunteering placements usually end up as trips to the many tourist attractions that have made Siem Reap so famous, such as Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples or Tonle Sap Lake. We can help volunteers to organise trips to see these tourist sites, and can often get them significant discounts through our contacts in Siem Reap! 

We also organize occasional social events and day-trips for the volunteers – a good chance for everyone to relax outside of work. These include bike rides, picnics, parties at project locations - and we encourage volunteers to organise some events themselves (though be warned, organising anything in Cambodia is a challenge!)

For those that enjoy night life, Siem Reap is now firmly established as a happening nightlife spot in South East Asia. Once in the centre you can hit infamous pub street, where there are pubs, bars, restaurants and a few clubs – where the beer can be sold for as little as $0.50! Stay out as late as they want and get a tuktuk back to MBC for as little as $2.

Previous Volunteers' Words of Wisdom on life outside volunteering: 

"The thought of a cold shower at first shocked me but after a long hot day in the village it is exactly what you feel like! It's also the best way to feel refreshed and ready for a night ahead of dinner and drinks at MaD Base Camp restaurant, a night at the old markets or even a few drinks on pub street. Siem Reap maybe a small town but it has so much to offer. Once you are used to the overload of tuk tuk drivers you can find yourself wandering the markets or drinking cocktails at only $2 each! But please note: drinking too many $2 cocktails can lead to negative side affects." - CJ Oz Jan 2011

"There is so much to do with your free time outside of the project.  Shopping in the night market, getting a good cheap massage, going to Pub Street and on weekends going further afield to the temples or nearby waterfalls.  So much to do and rarely enough time to do it all!!  Personally, I have really enjoyed coming back from the project, ordering up a yummy snack from Me - MaD Eatery and having an ice cold beer from the bar." - KB USA Jan 2011

"I didn't know what to expect when I came to Siem Reap to volunteer but while I've been here I've meet some great people and we've all had some great nights together drinking way to many buckets and paying for it the next day! Definitely never got bored, as there was always someone around to have a chat to, the markets are always open and ready to sell for a haggled price, the pools down the road and a cheap massage is always amazing after a long day horse riding or a big night down at pub street.....something new to do is always just around the corner." - ED Oz Jan 2011