This week a contemporary art exhibition, Five Years of Meta House: Continuing Conversations, opened at Meta House in Phnom Penh featuring work from their permanent collection. While I have previously only mentioned Meta House as a place to see a movie, they’ve also been exhibiting art from Khmer and foreign artists for the past five … read the full post

I’ve never worked out whether Easter bunnies actually “lay” Easter eggs, or just hide them like fiends, and if it’s the latter then we really need to question the picture of doe-eyed innocence their PR agents have thus far been so successful in promoting. It seems odd I know, but I was unsure whether we … read the full post

When it comes to fruit, it seems that someone forgot to tell nature that no-one likes a show-off. Such a huge, kaleidoscopic, wild variety of redolent, multi-textural glories is clearly the work of an over-achieving braggart. More than 3,000 fruits have apparently been identified, though we consume only a handful (or three) of them. The … read the full post

It appears that the time that expats in Cambodia refer to as “robbery season” is already upon us. Every year the weeks leading up to Khmer New Year see an unofficial upswing in petty crime in Phnom Penh, presumably as some of those who need to return to the provinces for the holiday flush with … read the full post

I live in quiet dismay at the latent school marm within me. She’s a desiccated, dictatorial old bag, and once even gave a friend of mine a sharp chop to the base of her spine to make her stand up straight. I’m not sure which of us was more surprised. Luckily, the school marm doesn’t … read the full post

There’s no way to pretend that hot season isn’t off to a roaring start in Phnom Penh, with temperatures already far higher than I am ready to cope with. Luckily, though, there’s no dearth of places to spend an air-con afternoon. My new favourite is City Mall, that Western-style shopping mecca next to Olympic Stadium. … read the full post

Travelling around Cambodia can be… well, an adventure. Traffic laws are lax, drivers are brash (and by brash I mean reckless) and roads are poor. In 2011 there were 41 bus accidents in the country, and it’s looking like 2012 may beat that. In the past few weeks alone, several high-profile bus accidents have left … read the full post

I’m writing this now, but as it’s 983 degrees I’m as likely to think it’s a good idea to head for the gym as I am to host my own public disembowelment. On the other hand, I do know there are some people out there who are not as congenitally bone-idle as I am, so … read the full post

A couple of years ago the once dark and dingy Lane in Siem Reap looked like not much more than a decent prospect for a drugs score. Today it’s developing into a trendy little enclave, home to many an expat’s favourite hangout, with an atmosphere a world apart from tawdry Pub Street only a few … read the full post

A recent influx of guests has allowed me to hone the list of places I like to take visitors outside of the standard trips to the Royal Palace and Tuol Sleng. Whether you’re only in town for a few days or are in Phnom Penh for longer, here are a few activities you might enjoy. … read the full post