We’re in the middle of one of Cambodia‘s major holidays right now, although if you’re visiting, you might not have even noticed. Pchum Ben is one of Cambodia’s most important Buddhist festivals. It lasts 15 days determined by the lunar calendar, with the formal name for the last day of the festival called Prachum Benda. … read the full post

If you’re looking for something to do of an afternoon in Phnom Penh and have exhausted all of the genocide-related possibilities, you’ll be pleased to hear that on the outskirts of the city there’s a functioning go-kart track about 8km past the airport. It’s not particularly close to town — be prepared to to spend … read the full post

There’s much more to Japanese cuisine than just sushi, and there’s no better place to find out than Cambodia. In Phnom Penh a number of restaurants have recently been opened by Japanese expats that specialise in Japanese casual dining — simple, cooked meals and rice bowls that are made just the way they are in … read the full post

Breakfast-time in Phnom Penh starts around six in the morning, but the street food stands don’t start really hopping until seven. Most of them serve until they run out at around nine. One of the most popular breakfasts — in addition to Khmer noodles — is bai sach chrouk, or pork with rice. This is … read the full post

About to head out on the bus to Battambang or Siem Reap and need a good book for the trip? All along the riverside you’ll be able to find children selling genocide-related literature, but please don’t buy books from them — purchase from one of the many adults selling books on the riverside instead (Ed: … read the full post

Cambodia is funny in that its ninth century is better documented than its 19th, which is why the exhibition of rare Cambodian maps on display at the Centre Culturel Français, running through August 28, is especially interesting. The 54 maps are from between 1884 and 1892, during the period of King Norodom I’s reign under … read the full post

One of the most mysterious street food stands you’ll find in Phnom Penh (well, maybe aside from the crickets) are the dessert stands — covered in rows of bowls of what appear to be mushy vegetables, you’d never know you’d happened upon a Cambodian ambrosial secret hidden in plain sight. The coconut milk dessert sellers, … read the full post

Vann Molyvann is Cambodia’s greatest living architect. Vann’s style of work from the 1950s and 1960s is known as New Khmer Architecture, and blended modernist themes from the time with traditional Cambodian and Angkorian elements. Despite the civil war in the 1970s, many of Molyvann’s works survived, although much of it is now under threat … read the full post

“It’s a laid back, relaxed life in Phnom Penh,” yoga and pilates teacher Kate Liana acknowledges, but adds, “there are a lot of stressors that creep up on you.” Kate lists some of these worries: medical care, being asked for bribes, crossing the street, and I can quickly feel tension envelop my body and my … read the full post

Now that Angelina Jolie has revealed that her Cambodian-born son is a huge fan of eating crickets, you may be considering trying the popular snack as well. If little Maddox Jolie-Pitt likes them, who wouldn’t? This is a kid with good taste — between the faux-hawk and having his own Battambang-based NGO since the tender … read the full post