Travelfish correspondent Lina Goldberg

Lina Goldberg lives in Phnom Penh. She loves the noise of street vendors going past her window every day. She’s less enthusiastic about the weddings and funerals that set up camp on her street for days at a time. Previously, Lina has been based in Oakland, California, New York City, Dublin and London. Lina spends most of her time thinking about food, travel and synthpop.
Website: http://linagoldberg.com/

Posts by Lina Goldberg:

• How to get a SIM card in Phnom Penh

  First published: 23 Jun 2011
  

  Despite rumours to the contrary, getting a SIM card in Cambodia is a simple process. Back in the day, foreigners needed a Cambodian sponsor to get a SIM card and special, overpriced tourist SIMs were all that were available to those just travelling through. But those laws are gone, and now one needs little other … read the full post

• Khmer food in Phnom Penh

  First published: 20 Jun 2011
  

  Every time I have visitors from out of town I rack my brains trying to think of the perfect place to take them to eat and sample the local fare. Khmer cuisine, with its fermented fishy flavours, can be difficult for those who aren’t familiar with it, and many local restaurants only serve a few … read the full post

• Gay bars and clubs in Phnom Penh

  First published: 15 Jun 2011
  

  If you missed all of the excitement of Cambodia Pride Week, never fear, there are bars and clubs catering to the LGBT crowd in Phnom Penh every night of the week. “The Phnom Penh gay scene is just coming into bloom,” Marcus Mucous, the organiser of Cambodia Pride and mastermind behind the gay night at … read the full post

• How to get a visa for Burma in Phnom Penh

  First published: 13 Jun 2011
  

  Recently Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition party, the National League for Democracy, said that they would begin to support responsible individual tourism, ending their years-long opposition to visitors in Burma (Myanmar). And now that Myanmar Airways International flies from Siem Reap to Rangoon every Wednesday and Saturday, Cambodia is an easy gateway to Burma. Since … read the full post

• Travelling by bus in Cambodia

  First published: 09 Jun 2011
  

  The cheapest and easiest way to travel around Cambodia is by bus. Flights out of Phnom Penh can be ridiculously expensive, so if you’re headed to Siem Reap or Saigon, the bus is a much more affordable alternative. Other local destinations are only accessible by bus, such as Sihanoukville and Battambang. Most of the major … read the full post

• “Ladies’ nights” in Phnom Penh

  First published: 06 Jun 2011
  

  “Ladies’ nights” — those antiquated gender-discriminatory events — are still popular around Phnom Penh. These mid-week promotions usually offer some sort of free or discounted drinks to women in the hopes that it will draw more of them, and the men that love them, into the establishment. It never seems to have the desired effect, … read the full post

• Getting a visa for Laos in Phnom Penh

  First published: 02 Jun 2011
  

  With direct flights going from Phnom Penh to Vientiane on Lao Airlines (code-shared with Vietnam Airlines), you can go directly to Laos by air or by land. For many, there’s the option of getting a visa on arrival at Vientiane’s Wattay international airport or at the Veun Kham/Dom Kralor crossing, but if you’d prefer to … read the full post

• Staying in Phnom Penh for a few weeks … or longer

  First published: 30 May 2011
  

  Many visitors come to Phnom Penh with the intention of staying for a month or three for volunteer work, fellowships or other programmes that require a medium-to-long-term stay. Others come for a short visit and fall in love and decide to stick around for a while. Because the Cambodia visa situation is very permissive, it’s … read the full post

• Ordering an iced coffee in Phnom Penh

  First published: 23 May 2011
  

  One of the great pleasures of enduring the weather in Cambodia — those 35 degree afternoons one after the other — is sitting down in the shade with an enormous, sickly-sweet iced coffee. Here’s how they roast coffee in Phnom Penh: until it’s black, and usually with a big scoop of rendered pork fat or … read the full post

• Catch a football match at Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh

  First published: 19 May 2011
  

  For less than the price you’d pay for a pint while watching a Premier League game at a pub back home, you can see a professional football match in Phnom Penh. The season is in full swing right now and with Cambodia hosting Asian Football Confederation President’s Cup games this weekend, there are a lot … read the full post