Travelfish correspondent Nicky Sullivan

Website:

Posts by Nicky Sullivan:

• Vegetarian food in Siem Reap

  First published: 29 Jul 2011
  

  Unlike India, it’s not easy in Cambodia to find a sympathetic ear if you’re a vegetarian. Instead, you will be confronted with everything ranging from open disbelief, to dark mutterings that the barang is clearly mad, to acts of rebellion with secret sprinklings of shrimp or bacon bits. And sometimes the struggle is not even … read the full post

• Cambodian food basics

  First published: 26 Jul 2011
  

  Much maligned as the unsavoury cousin of spicier and more glamorous Thai food, real Cambodian cooking is unfortunately under-appreciated by many visitors to Cambodia, although this is hardly their fault. Among the reasons is their simple lack of awareness. “People are familiar with Vietnamese food, Chinese food and Thai,” says French chef Joannès Rivière. “But … read the full post

• How to cook real Cambodian food

  First published: 23 Jul 2011
  

  A few years ago, a young French chef came to Siem Reap as a volunteer to train the students at Sala Baï, an NGO that every year trains about 100 young disadvantaged Cambodians from the surrounding area in the arts of cooking, front of house, house-keeping and waiting tables. The school has a solid reputation … read the full post

• Cambodia’s Baphuon: the world’s largest jigsaw puzzle

  First published: 19 Jul 2011
  

  On July 3, 2011, Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni and French Prime Minister Francois Fillon were in Siem Reap for a special ceremony to mark the official opening of the restored Baphuon temple. The opening was the culmination of nearly 100 years of work, punctuated by wars, conflict and occupation, made possible by the tireless dedication … read the full post

• Swimming in Siem Reap

  First published: 15 Jul 2011
  

  How hot and sticky is it in Siem Reap? Even in the cooler months of the year, after a day spent trampling around Angkorian temples or visiting any of the many other things to see, you feel horrible before it’s even midday. Clothes are stuck to everything. A river, a whole river, of sweat has … read the full post

• Siem Reap street guide: Alley West

  First published: 12 Jul 2011
  

  The busy streets of Siem Reap are in a constant state of flux as bars, shops and restaurants open, close, move or refurbish at an astonishing rate.  Eventually, some establishments settle down and start to become part of the scenery.  A sort of settling has now taken place on Alley West, Siem Reap’s freshest, funnest, … read the full post

• Eat with your heart: NGO restaurants in Siem Reap

  First published: 06 Jul 2011
  

  If you are what you eat, then it’s hard to beat the opportunity to tuck into delicious, healthy food at the same time as supporting a worthwhile cause. Perhaps the way to Cambodia’s heart is through your stomach. Siem Reap has at least four NGO cafés and restaurants, though there’s bound to be more tucked … read the full post

• A tour of the Siem Reap art scene

  First published: 02 Jul 2011
  

  Unlike the capital city Phnom Penh, the art scene in Siem Reap has been a little slow to take off.  But, for those with an interest there is much to be seen here, and since finding it also involves exploring different parts of the town too, well that just adds to the sense of adventure … read the full post

• How to report suspected child abuse in Siem Reap

  First published: 25 Jun 2011
  

  It’s difficult to imagine what a child sex abuser might look like, but if you have suspicions about someone, knowing what to do when you’re in a foreign country, one that to many appears essentially lawless, can be difficult. Fortunately, Cambodia is not lawless, and there are agencies that can help anyone who has suspicions. … read the full post

• Gay-friendly hotels and bars in Siem Reap

  First published: 16 Jun 2011
  

  Siem Reap may be small compared to nearby travel hotspots such as Bangkok and Phnom Penh, but the gay scene here is very well formed. A Buddhist country, Cambodia is generally pretty tolerant of homosexuality, though there remains heavy pressure on young men and women to follow the traditional path and settle down, marry and … read the full post