Small, pink hued and featuring the most exquisite and detailed carvings, Banteay Srey is considered by many to be one of the loveliest of all the Angkorian temples. Just under 40 kilometres from Siem Reap, the ‘Citadel of the Women’ was beautifully restored by French archaeologists who described it as a “precious gem” and a … read the full post

Cambodian food does get a bit of a bad rap compared to its neighbours, for numerous reasons of varying soundness, and it can seem incongruous therefore to even associate the words “posh”, “Khmer” and “nosh” (a bit like trying to think of snazzy Welsh food), but associate them you can, and the rewards for doing … read the full post

Unless you are one of the blessed few, the time will come when you have to leave Cambodia. Chances are, you’ll be departing from Phnom Penh International Airport. As a connoisseur of departure lounges (memories of Nairobi still leave me in a cold sweat, only to be relieved by thoughts of heavenly Singapore), I’ve cast … read the full post

What can one say about Chong Kneas, if one really had to be polite about it. It’s a sort of port and long canal about 12 kilometres from Siem Reap, flanked by scrubby green-brown banks to the west side of which you can see the edges of part of the floating forest that makes the … read the full post

On oh-so-elegant Street 92, planted between Raffles Hotel Le Royal and the impressive Ministry of Economics and Finance, the National Library is off the radar for most visitors to Phnom Penh. Set in lush gardens, the number of cars and motos may lead you to believe Khmers have a passion for reading, but actually it’s a … read the full post

It is such an iconic and ubiquitous symbol of Cambodia that naturally I don’t have a single photo of a person wearing one (unless you count a picture of my husband who sports it as a sort of dangerously abbreviated loin cloth, but I can’t put that up because children or the sensitive might be … read the full post

A few hundred metres from Phnom Penh‘s Central Market, Yong Hout‘s location makes for an interesting alternative to riverside or around Independence Monument. The unapologetically green guesthouse occupies a corner plot on Street 136 halfway between the must-see market and Norodom Boulevard. The street is lined with fashion boutiques and fruit shake stalls, and also … read the full post

Being born French is nature’s way of fondly ruffling your hair and gently patting you on the bum before letting you off to play in the world safe in the knowledge that you’re one of the favoured. Because while it’s possible that the French may indeed have the most terrifying children’s books in the world, … read the full post

Celestial nymphs born from the Churning of the Sea of Milk, thousands of Apsaras gracefully adorn the walls of Angkor’s temples flying through the air or dancing in Indra’s Heavens, smiling quietly to themselves. Devatas are the more earthly semi-divine Goddesses, whose features are carved into the walls as they stand, sporting imperial impressions and … read the full post

As Mark Twain is often misquoted as saying, “rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.” Fans of the Olympic Stadium are hoping that holds true for this Phnom Penh institution too. Murmurings of demolition and redevelopment abound, despite a carefully-worded reassurance from the Overseas Cambodian Investment Corporation, currently developing land close to the National Sports … read the full post