I recently discovered that German baronesses and French princesses can be counted among my forebears, which might explain why I’ve still never set foot in a KFC. It would have been better if the witches hadn’t apparently spent absolutely everything, leaving me with nothing but their tastes, but this is what I’m now stuck with: … read the full post

When it’s as hot in Siem Reap as it has been lately (though do we dare for a respite after the last few days of storms), there’s not a great deal you can do except restrict movement as much as possible (mainly so that you don’t skid in great lakes of your own sweat and … read the full post

It’s possible that Caesar salad may be the first truly globalised recipe (provided one excludes the fat, salt, sugar and multiple-chemical delivery systems marketed by fast food dealers). The popular assemblage, once the preserve of restaurants with Maitre d’s that let you know you’d failed by the precise way they called you “Sir” or “Madame”, … read the full post

Downtown Siem Reap is dusty, hot, traffic-clogged and as ideally suited for a walk as a rubber-ducky is for lunch (not unlike KL in that regard). It may look like there’s potential, but you’ll soon be sorry you ever started. Willing walkers often try the circuit on the south river, striking out from the bridge … read the full post

A one-stop shop for some of Cambodia’s most exciting contemporary and traditional handicrafts producers, the fourth Angkor Handicraft Fair will take place from January 11 to 15 in Siem Reap. In the river garden lawns in front of the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, the organisers promise an impressive showcase of Cambodian crafts and a packed … read the full post

Yes, we know it’s 20-odd degrees Celsius and there’s not a drop of snow to be had, unless you count the interior of my neglected freezer. And we know that the odds of finding a fat man in an enormous red suit that hasn’t collapsed from heat stroke are somewhere around the snowflake in hell … read the full post