Scenes from Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh: a little charming, a little grungy, a little chaotic, but always interesting. Our favorite part of being in Phnom Penh was dining in the plethora of restaurants and cafes run by NGOs. It would be easy to eat every meal in Phnom Penh at such places; save for a couple of meals, we pretty much did. And why not? All of the restaurants we tried had stylish decor and tasty food; the fact that your money goes to a good cause is icing on the cake. We ate at Friends, one of the originals, staffed by former street children and their teachers; Romdeng, started by one of the former waiters at Friends; Cafe Yejj, a cafe employing at-risk women to try to break the cycle of poverty; and Ebony Apsara Cafe & Boutique, where a portion of the proceeds go to re-developing Cambodia’s arts scene. Yum.
The sun in Cambodia is intense, but every day is bright with blue skies.
We stayed in a guesthouse over a bar run by a Texan ex-pat and his Cambodian wife. Finding a slice of America in Cambodia means you have to take the good (live AFC Championship games, Iron City can spottings, American-style meals) with the bad (Confederate flag displays and Fox News over breakfast).
Also good: the owner's adorable teenage sister who worked the bar after school. She had the biggest dimples and the most outgoing, upbeat personality.
On the Tonle Sap river around sunset
Teens chilling by the river.
Badmitton (in pajamas, no less) by the riverfront.
The bustling Russian market, so named for the abundance of Russian goods available during Vietnamese occupation in the eighties. Thanks to the abundance of clothing factories around Phnom Penh, you can find discounted brand name clothes, even in "big sizes, for westerners." I almost bought a Gap dress but declined the temptation at the last minute. The girls at our guesthouse were amazed we didn't buy anything.
Street barber
Like many of the cities of former Indochina, the city is dotted with French architecture.
Traffic lights? Who needs traffic lights?
A street full of trendy shops, including a chocolatier (with delicious chocolate laced with Kampot pepper)
Inside Romdeng restaurant, housed in a French Villa
Waiting for our food at Ebony Aspara
Fish amok at Ebony Aspara - a curry-like dish that it is Cambodia's most famous