Phnom Penh, Cambodia: The Gem of Indochina

Touring and shopping in Phnom Penh can be a great experience. The people are extremely friendly and most of them do speak english. The ones that I encountered were very jovial and seemed to be easy-going. Cambodia is a country that is recovering from a very traumatic and violent past, but they people do not show many signs of it, they seem to want to move forward.

The best way to get around town is by tuc-tuc (moped with attached cab portion) or rickshaw (bicycle with attached cab portion.) These can be found for very cheap and for fairly long term. We negotiated with a tuc-tuc driver and paid him twenty dollars for almost a full day. If you do this, they will take you where ever you want to go and then wait for you outside and then you're ready to go again as soon as you return, but remember to negotiate first at the beginning of the trip and pay them at the END of the day. They do appreciate it if you bring them a water every now and then when you return from shopping.

Another tip is to drink lots of water...bottled water that is and dress for the tropics because it will be humid.

My last advice for Phnom Penh is to not touch anyone on the shoulders or on their head. It has to do with their religious beliefs and can freak them out if you do. This is not from experience though, just a warning to me before I got there. And last, but not least, if you do go to visit any of the palaces or temples, be respectful and refrain from wearing shorts or tank-tops.

Hope you enjoy your visit to Phnom Penh if one is in your future.

The Sorya is located in downtown Phnom Penh. You can ask any tuc-tuc driver and they will know exactly how to get there as it is very popular. Five stories of shoppes and restaurants, the Sorya is an anomoly in Phnom Penh in that it is very modern and more or less a mall as opposed to a market. So much so that you can forget that you are in Cambodia while there.

There are shoppes for everything as well. Electronics, toys, shoes, clothes...you name it, they have it. There is even a grocery store in there.

If the market does not do it for you in terms of shopping, ther Sorya is for you.

Stepping into the Foreign Correspondant's Club, or FCC is like entering days past when wars raged in this area and reporters, diplomats and soldiers ranged over the area. Having read quite a bit about the permenance of the bar and restaurant, it was easy to envision. Sitting over the Quay and watching the Cambodian sampams cruise up and down the river while sipping an Angkor beer was truly an experience. Watching the ceiling fans slowly twirl overhead and listening to the Cambodian banter in the background while watching the international news piped through the tv, you can honestly loose yourself in the moment and be transformed back to an earlier time when the are virtually teemed with persons from all over the world covering and involved with the Vietnam War passing through.

But if historical significance is not your thing, take a stroll down the quay and head back away from the Mekong River for silver shopping unlike any that you have ever experienced before. From jewelry to service sets to goblets to wall art, the silver shoppes near the FCC are loaded with silver of all types.

I cannot say that I recommend the food the food though. It was decent, international cuisine, but not anything to write home about. However, after 18 hours on a plane, lots of shopping and several Angkors. it did hit the spot.

But have an Angkor at the FCC...that is about as authentic as Phnom Penh gets for a foreign visitor.

Although, the Russian Market is obviously not Macy's, the shopping is just as fun and probably far more interesting in regards to the stimulus to your senses. Grilling meats and pickling, spiced fish smells permeate the corugated tin covered 'mall.' Waiting at every corner are small Cambodian who will "guide" you to where you want to go or show you what you should buy for the price of a bottle of Coke or water. Handicrafts to power tools; art pieces to t-shirts; jewelry to compact discs, this place has it all.

If you get hungry, don't worry, there are food stands as well. Some food that you will recognize, other that you will not. But you will find lots of friendly faces willing to sell their wares to you. Most all of it is negotiable as well, much like the artisan markets in Mexico or Guatemala. The prices are better in Cambodia though and the bargaining a little easier as well.

If you do go though, go early as the market will often close early due to the heat of the day beating down on the tin roof creating oven-like conditions inside. Also, make sure that you bring plenty of small bills as they are easier to bargain with.

If you enjoy shopping in the central and South American artisan markets, you will love shopping at the Russian Market in Phnom Penh. It was truly a unique and enjoyable experience.

Dancing through the streets of Phnom Penh are thousands, if not millions of mopeds, motorcycles and tuc-tucs (mopeds towing a passenger compartment.) There are also cars and trucks, but the lunacy to the metal, rubber and plastic are the two wheeled machines zipping all over the roads.

It is a wonder that there are not accidents on every corner, but I never saw one.

I stared in complete amazement from my hotel patio at the ballet that unfolds on every street in Phnom Penh. The most amazing part is that most of the smaller side streets and lesser intersections have no traffic lights. It simply regulates itself through mass and volume. One direction ebbing to the other as each fills up and then spills over in a mass of moped induced madness.

I truly cannot think of anywhere else where I have seen such udderly controlled chaos. Even some of the racetrack like conditions in Italy or Guatemala or the bump and rub traffic in Peru did not compare with what I saw in Phnom Penh.

It was definitely an experience that any visitor will get without even asking for it if they visit Phnom Penh.

The Almond Hotel, located directly across the street from the Russian Embassy offered many amenities that are standard in other places, yet considered luxuries in Cambodia. Interestingly enough, the main two things were air conditioner and hot water for showers! This is not strange for developing countries, but for people not used to traveling to struggling, upcoming economies, it can be eye-opening.

Classy inside, yet refreshingly familiar in appearance from what you would see in any central or South America country, the Almond was perfect for our stay in Phnom Penh. The staff was friendly to a fault, very helpful and seemed genuinely happy to have you as a guest.

With a vegetation shrouded front patio as a perfect spot to watch speeding mopeds and tuc-tucs dancing through the streets while enjoying an ice cold Angkor beer, the Almond will not be a disappointment to anyone who decides to stay there.