You know you’re on the way to some place special when you reach the hilltop road that leads to Sihanoukville’s Pagoda Rocks Boutique Resort. The air becomes fragrant and trees provide shade for your short journey. It gets even better as you pass mysterious staircases and Buddhist icons on the side of the road. And … read the full post

More than two million people will come to Cambodia before this year is out, and it’s a number that’s projected to keep rising as the years roll on. The government is preparing for six million visitors in 2015 and, since most of them will presumably still be coming primarily to visit the temples, it’s going … read the full post

Cambodians are world leaders when it comes to holidays and religious festivals, as we’ve said before. One of the biggest, Pchum Ben (also called Bon P’chum Ben), falls on the 15th day of the waning moon during the Cambodian month of Pheaktrobotr, so mark it on your calendar. Not content with having more holidays than … read the full post

Phnom Penh has always been ahead of the curve with a wide range of international cuisine for a city of its size. So it was no surprise to learn that a specialist Japanese restaurant had recently been added to the mix. What did take me aback was the reaction when I mentioned the Uraetei Yakiniku … read the full post

There’s no particular reason to visit Ta Khmao, which is reason enough in my book. In the spirit of George Mallory, I went visiting simply “because it was there”. Only 11 kilometres out of Phnom Penh, Ta Khmao is perfect if you want a glimpse of life outside the big smoke but you don’t have … read the full post

UPDATE 12 November 2012: The Kep Sea Festival has been postponed until the end of 2013 as a sign of respect and mourning for King Father Norodom Sihanouk, who recently passed away. When the coast of Cambodia gained entry into the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World in 2011, the kingdom celebrated … read the full post

I remember reading somewhere that the reason many older women go to the hairdresser so often is that, widowed and often neglected by family, it is their way of obtaining the physical human contact we all crave, no matter what our situation. This rather devastating insight is a sharp reflection of the fact that throughout … read the full post

The United States celebrates 10, while England usually has eight. In the league table of public holidays, they are merely amateurs compared with Cambodia’s 28 days of legislated relaxation. Brits may have got a bonus day this year for their Queen holding down a job for a long time, but Cambodians celebrate the King’s coronation and … read the full post

Now that the road to Otres Beach has been paved and a feverish-for-Sihanoukville building spree has been going on, the 2012-2013 Sihanoukville high season is likely to make it the most popular beach in town. If you’ve been there before and loved it for its funky, laidback atmosphere, don’t panic. Thanks to low-rise zoning restrictions … read the full post

Cambodia’s National Museum (saa-ra moo-un dti if you want to impress your tuk tuk driver) is a reference point around Phnom Penh, an impressive building set in tropical gardens. On the corner of Street 178 and Street 13, two blocks from FCC and the riverside, this is a regular stop off point for foreigner visitors … read the full post