There's no way to pretend that hot season isn't off to a roaring start in Phnom Penh, with temperatures already far higher than I am ready to cope with. Luckily, though, there's no dearth of places to spend an air-con afternoon. My new favourite is City Mall, that Western-style shopping mecca next to Olympic Stadium. Most expats see a trip to City Mall as merely a shopping experience, whereas I see so much more -- an opportunity to take in some of Cambodia's finest commerce possibilities while lowering my core temperature in the process. Here are some highlights.

It ain't hot season in here!

One the first floor you'll find the best Lucky Supermarket in Phnom Penh. With wide aisles, few customers and copious air-con, it's worth doing your weekly shop here if only to linger by the freezer aisle and get a taste of winter. There are also lots of imported cosmetics on the first floor, if that's your thing. Malayisan brand Elianto has two outlets and there's also Korean brand The Face Shop (who carry very nice cooling masks). Also on the first floor are a number of fast food outlets, where you can also get pretty decent gelato.

The first floor of City Mall is the only one with true air-conditioning, but the upper floors are also relatively cool.

The ride of your life for under $0.37.

The second floor offers much for sale and little to desire, with lots of freshie-style clothes and couple's T-shirt sets; the third floor is where things really start to get interesting. There's the "Fun Park", an arcade with Dance Dance Revolution, basketball games, video games and a photo-sticker booth among other things. Perhaps most unsettling are the electronic panda, giraffe-cum-dinosaur and other creatures that one can ride around the mezzanine (3 tokens, $1 gets you 8 tokens). Big enough to fit an adult and a few kids, these are one of the weirdest amusements I've seen in town.

In between the third and fourth floor is a family-style karaoke joint that appears to be entirely devoid of sleaze, noteworthy in the realm of Phnom Penh karaoke parlours.

It's like heaven for munchkins.

On the fourth floor are another photo-sticker booth, snazzy massage chairs ($1 for 10 minutes) and "Happy City", a kids' play zone that actually looks safe, with padded floor mats and various kid-sized activities (4,000 riel per child). Once the kids are safely stowed at Happy City, parents can enjoy a smoothie or some Khmer fast food at the food court next door.

Also on the fourth floor is Legend Cinema, one of the few places in Phnom Penh to see a movie, and what could be loosely termed an art gallery, with one of the most stunning collections of framed holographic pictures in town. All in all, City Mall offers the lethargic tourist or expat a rewarding (and cool) diversion.

Tags: City Mall, Legend Cinema, Lucky City Mall

Proving that London's got nothing on Phnom Penh, two expat Aussies have been making music and filming performers as they careen around the city in the back of a tuk tuk. Allan Soutaris and Rory Hunter originally got the idea while drunkenly singing the The Beatles Two of Us on the way home from Zeppelin Bar, and decided to record such musical performances a la the UK's Black Cab Sessions.

How many musicians can you fit in a tuk tuk? Photo courtesy of the Tuk Tuk Sessions.

The Cambodia incarnation, called the Tuk Tuk Sessions, feature expat and local performers with the motto "One song, one take, one tuk tuk." They've recorded more than 30 sessions, including international bands such as Dengue Fever, local favourites Grass Snake Union and of course, themselves.

I caught up with Allan Soutaris and got to ask him a few questions about the Tuk Tuk Sessions.

Who have been some of your favourite sessions so far?

I really enjoyed one of the latest ones called Why I Write by Kosal Khiev, that one is really cool. He's a Khmerican. He was imprisoned for attempted murder for 16 years, then when he was released he was sent back here. I just read an article about him today that said he was in solitary confinement for a year and that's when he started doing his spoken word stuff.

His performance is a spoken word piece -- really passionate and really cool. It was different to what we usually do but it sort of highlights another aspect of Phnom Penh that you wouldn't normally see if you're an expat jumping in the back of a tuk tuk playing guitar, so that was interesting.

What's the Cambodian reaction to this project?

Everyone that I've spoken to or showed it to, they really love it. The biggest reaction is from people on the street who see us filming and the tuk tuk drivers who drive us around. When we drive through crowded areas people clap and wave and yell out. I was little bit worried about how it would be taken or that people would think we were taking the piss out of them or be offended, but they love it. One of the reasons we continue to do it is to show the street life in Phnom Penh so it's really pleasing that they like it.

What's the future of the Tuk Tuk Sessions? Anything interesting in the works?

We want to get a lot more Khmer artists. We're meant to have a couple of guys from Tiny Toones on soon. We also want to get some sessions in the provinces so we can show rural life as well as Phnom Penh. We have a few upcoming from Laos, in Vientiane, from friends of Rory's who recorded a few sessions there. In the future, it would be pretty cool to get videos from neighboring countries like Thailand and Vietnam.

Watch all of the Tuk Tuk Sessions here.

Tags: Tuk Tuk Sessions, tuk tuks

If you're at a loose end of an evening during your visit to Phnom Penh, you may want to consider taking in some live music. Many venues in town feature live bands that are locally-based or visiting from abroad, such as El Dealbreakers, Durian, Cambodian Space Project, Dub Addiction and Holliday in Cambodia.

Little Duke and the Mekong Blues Messengers belting out the tunes at Sharky's.

The best way to find live music is through the Leng Pleng guide, which posts upcoming live gigs. They also have listings for local bands, DJs and regular gigs and, if you're a singer or musician, you can check their listing of open mike events. They send out an email with the event listings for the coming weekend every Thursday -- sign up on their site if you're interested.

Otherwise, here are a few venues that have live music nearly every weekend.

Sharky Bar

Sharky Bar-- which claims to be the longest running rock n' roll bar in Indochina -- is on a mission to be the place to go for live music in Phnom Penh (and eradicate their long-standing reputation as a sex worker bar). They've been pretty successful and Sharky's has gigs on every weekend. Be warned, though, that it's still a tad seedy, although no worse than the clubs on Street 51. Personally, I'm a fan of the laid-back, dive bar-vibe at Sharky's, and you probably will be, too.

126 Street 130, Phnom Penh
T: (012) 228 045
sharkysofcambodia.com

Equinox

Over on Street 278, Equinox hosts live music almost every Friday and Saturday night featuring indie, reggae, dub, electronic and funk bands. Admission is always free and the gigs are often very crowded.

3A St 278, Phnom Penh
T: (023) 676 7593
equinox-cambodia.com/live-music

Paddy Rice

Paddy Rice, the Irish pub on the riverside, has an open mike every Thursday night starting at 20:30, and all musicians are welcome to join. They also have feature bands on the weekends.

213 Sisowath Quay at St 136, Phnom Penh
T: (017) 773 102
paddyrice.net

FCC Phnom Penh

The FCC has live music most weekends -- if you're looking for a more relaxed, and slightly more upscale environment than some of the previous listings, this is the sort of place where you can sit down and enjoy fancy (albeit pricey) cocktails while hearing some of the best bands that Phnom Penh has to offer.

363 Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh
T: (023) 724 014
fcccambodia.com

Tags: Equinox, FCC, live music, Paddy Rice, Sharky Bar

If you've ever wanted to know more about North Korea, Phnom Penh offers a glimpse into the highly secretive hermit kingdom and its cuisine. Two restaurants in town not only serve North Korean fare but also feature a musical floor show performed by Pyongyang's finest; yes, a complete cultural package.

DPRK patriots getting funky.

The show, which takes place at the restaurants on weekends at 20:00, features Korean traditional dance, singing and demonstrations of the waitresses' prowess on at least a few musical instruments. The shows usually end with intoxicated South Koreans going up to sing karaoke.

The lovely, pale-skinned waitresses are firm believers in North Korean ideology -- ask them if they like living in Cambodia or what they think of the weather here and they'll rhapsodise about how much they miss the winters in Pyongyang. That is, of course, if you can understand them. They all speak at least a handful of languages, but English is usually not one of them. That's why I am not sure if the two restaurants I'm listing here are part of the same operation or not. It seems likely -- Pyongyang Restaurant has known ties to the North Korean regime and operates as means to funnel cash to the DPRK. The newer (and less busy) restaurant, Pyongyang Koryo probably has a similar function.

Regardless of what language you speak, the waitresses at both restaurants will do their best to make conversation with you and make sure that you are enjoying your dinner.

Say mul naengmyeon three times fast.

The menus at both restaurants feature standard Korean fare: bimbimbap, bulgogi, and so on, but also specialities that the DPRK are known for, such as mul naengmyeon, or cold noodles. As a Korean food aficionado, I was interested to see the difference between what's served at North and South Korean restaurants in town -- would the North Korean restaurants have a more pure version of Korean cuisine? The short answer is that North Korean food is not as spicy, they don't serve you kimchi unless you order it ($3) and you're lucky to get three or four banchan out of them. That said, I've never seen them use mayonnaise at a North Korean restaurant, clearly a capitalist influence that has made its way to the south.

Overall, the restaurants may not offer the best Korean food in town, but they do offer the best (and slightly surreal) Korean dining experience.

Pyongyang Restaurant
400 Monivong Blvd, Phnom Penh
T: (012) 565 311

Pyongyang Koryo Restaurant
10 St 200, Phnom Penh
T: (023) 216 002

Tags: North Korea, Pyongyang Koryo Restaurant, Pyongyang Restaurant

If you're sick of street food and looking for a more refined snacking experience, many of the posh hotels in town offer afternoon tea, where you can put on your most colonial accent and load up on sweets.

Afternoon tea? Yes, please.

Raffles Le Royal

Afternoon tea at Raffles is quite a production, served in The Conservatory and featuring traditional Khmer music and more macaroons than you can shake a fist at.

Macaroons and champagne... is this heaven?

The cost is $12++ per person, or $20++ with a glass of champagne (the plus plus are the various taxes and surcharges that they tack on). They'll supply you with a nice mix of savoury and sweet treats, and you can eat in the lobby and watch the comings and goings if you prefer. This will definitely spoil your dinner. 15:00 to 17:00 daily.

Street 92, near Monivong Blvd, Phnom Penh
T:(023) 981 888

Sofitel Hotel

Served at Le Bar (that's the bar to you philistines), the Sofitel offers afternoon tea with live classical piano and impeccable service.

Extend your pinky finger when you drink tea. It's classier that way.

You can choose either the Asian tea set which comes with spring rolls, rice dumplings and Thai and Khmer sweets, or the English tea set which features fresh-baked scones, clotted cream, finger sandwiches, macaroons and other sweets for $15++. Both sets are more on the sweet than savoury side but offer an awful lot of food for an afternoon snack, so bring an appetite. 15:00-17:00 daily.

26 Old August Site, Sothearos Blvd, Phnom Penh
T: (023) 999 200

Intercontinental Hotel

The Intercon offers the best value swish hotel afternoon tea, at $10++. Lasting three hours and featuring endless refills of either tea or coffee, you'll be bouncing off the walls by the time you're finished. The usual tiny sandwiches, cookies, jams and sweets await you, and you can eat in the lobby while listening to live music. 14:00 to 17:00 daily.

296 Mao Tse Toung Blvd, Phnom Penh
T: (023) 424 888

Tags: afternoon tea, high tea, InterContinental Hotel, Raffles Hotel, Sofitel Hotel

Until very recently, Phnom Penh was a city without a real cinema showing English-language films. The options were to see dubbed films on the big screen, or watch movies in small shops that have a dozen chairs and usually two or televisions loudly blaring different programmes in Khmer. But with the recent construction of not one but two 3-D Hollywood blockbuster theatres, you can get your movie-going fix in Phnom Penh. And if you're less interested in blockbusters, there are also smaller theatres showing documentaries, independent and foreign films.

Toto, I don't think we're in Cambodia anymore...oh wait, we totally are.

And since the new theatres have opened, at the urging of the theatre owners, the Cambodian government has threatened to crack down on bootleg and pirated movies. Whether or not that will really happen remains to be seen.

Legend Cinema

The first theatre in Phnom Penh to show licensed Hollywood films, Legend Cinema offers a true movie theatre experience with all of the adorable quirks of Cambodia. They have three theatres, two of which offer 3-D films and VIP and family seating. They show blockbuster and action film as well as the odd children's film. Ticket prices range from $4 to $8.

Originally planned as entertainment for expats, Legend was immediately popular with a Khmer audience unfamiliar with what would be considered standard movie-going etiquette elsewhere (and who can blame them, they've never had a real theatre before). Legend Cinema has made great strides in educating the masses not to break their 3-D glasses, talk on the phones or chat during the films. Their Facebook page is a great place to watch this delicate cultural education take place.

City Mall, top floor
Monireth Blvd, Phnom Penh
T: (088) 954 9857
legend-cinemas.com

Sabay Cineplex

In their own words: "The Cineplex is a Cambodia’s premiere international 3D theatre offering: surround sound, 3D, tasty snack, fashionable light, comfortable seat, elegant hall. Enjoy the thrilling experience of full excitement with awesome Hollywood and Asian movies."

At the top floor of Phnom Penh's favourite teenage hangout, Sorya Mall, is Sabay Cineplex, the second big-time theatre in town. They have three screens, one of which is 3-D. Ticket prices start at $4 and they have various promotions on different days of the week, so check their Facebook page for more info.

Sorya Shopping Center, 5th Floor
St 63 at St 142, Phnom Penh
T: (017) 666 210
facebook.com/SabayCineplex

The Flicks Community Movie House

Expat favourite The Flicks shows new and old English-language films including popular classics, documentaries and independent films. They have sessions for kids every weekend where they screen a children's film and allow screaming and running around. The small theatre is air-conditioned and has couches and futons to relax on with a glass of wine or a soda. They have a full menu delivered from some nearby restaurants, so you can dine during the movie, with pizza, pasta and salads from Equinox or Thai dishes from Setsara.

Officially the movie is free, but visitors must pay for the air-conditioning and to maintain the equipment. Tickets cost $3.50 for adults and $2 for children and are good for the entire day, so you can see more than one movie.

The Flicks calls itself a community movie house and they're not lying -- it's a friendly place and they've started offering yoga classes (with Pilates in the works) four times a week. Conversational Khmer classes are also planned to start next month.

#39B, Street 95, Phnom Penh
T: (078) 809 429
theflicks-cambodia.com

Meta House

Meta House at the German Cambodian Cultural Centre offers free screenings of independent films and English-language documentaries at 19:00 every night of the week except Monday. They have a full bar and often follow screenings with talks or other opportunities to interact with other humans (if that's your thing). They often show documentaries about Cambodia so it's a great place to visit if you're new in town or want to learn more about the country.

Screening is on the building's rooftop, so be sure to wear mozzie repellent.

#37 Sothearos Blvd, Phnom Penh
T: (010) 312 333
meta-house.com

Tags: cinema, Legend Cinema, Meta House, Sabay Cineplex, The Flicks

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.

Get ready to race!

It's not particularly close to town -- be prepared to to spend some time in a tuk tuk -- but Phnom Penh's go-kart track is worth a visit if only because it embodies everyone's favourite part about Cambodia: the free-spirited lawlessness and lack of intervention when it comes to engaging in dangerous behaviour.

Go-karting in paradise.

Beautifully situated among rice paddies and surrounded by palm trees, go-kart racing in Cambodia can be a surreal experience, only heightened by the sound of gunfire coming from the neighbouring shooting range. The track is over 900 metres long, with 11 turns and a 150 metre straight-away (I'll admit that I didn't count the turns and and cribbed that information from my favourite Phnom Penh map by Canby Publications).

Kicking back at the go-kart bar, watching the races.

Workers are blissfully indifferent to the deportment of their customers, and speeds of over 60km can be reached on the track. Drinking and driving is not only permitted but encouraged, and cold beers are served in the bar that overlooks the track, which is a pleasant place to hang if you happen to be terrified of driving (like yours truly). Luckily, they provide helmets and optional blue and yellow jumpsuits for both safety and style.

A sunset that any car-lover can appreciate.

Each race is 10 times around the track (almost 10km) and costs $12. Depending on how fast you drive, each race lasts about 10 to 18 minutes. It may not seem like a long time, but it's exhausting, and most find one or two races more than enough. Try and time your visit so you catch the beautiful sunset over the track and surrounding paddies.

Kambol Go-Karts
Kambol Village, off National Highway 4, past the airport, next to the shooting range.
T: (012) 232 332; (023) 220 501
Open daily, 9:00 to 18:00.

Tags: go-karting, Kambol go-karts

Southeast Asia – and particularly Cambodia – is not known for being a rewarding place for wine aficionados and cheese lovers. But this disenfranchised group finds solace on the last Wednesday of every month when the Intercontinental Hotel puts on their monthly wine and cheese event. Featuring an international selection of wines from four local vendors and a variety of European cheeses, the event appeals to expats and visitors equally interested in boozing and networking with the movers and shakers of Phnom Penh.

Fromage to eternity, at wine and cheese night.

The event is held in the Lobby Lounge and Bar of the InterContinental Hotel from 19:00 to 21:30, with an admission fee of $25. It's well worth the price if one is willing to engage in a little bit of gluttony – the cheese is all-you-can-eat and the wine is free pour. Other snacks are also served, including freshly baked breads and canapés. Seafood has also been served in recent months, including fresh oysters on the half shell and smoked salmon (that I've notoriously overindulged in). Some months have also featured desserts, including cheesecakes and other Western après-dinner delicacies.

Although it is possible to get decent cheese in Phnom Penh – Thai Huot grocery is a good place to start – a true cheeseophile can grow dismayed with the expense and lack of selection in town. The InterCon imports 10 European cheeses each month, and makes a special effort to get varieties not readily available in Cambodia. Last month the featured cheeses were: Raclette, Stilton Meule, Brie Melun, Camembert Calvados, Plaisir Au Chablis, Rocaillou, Taupinette Fermiere, Munster, Fourme D'Ambert and Gorgonzola – enough to bring a smile to the face of even the most jaded cheese-junkie.

To brie or not to brie... that is the question. Or maybe just another glass of wine?

The wines are specially chosen to compliment the feature cheeses by four local vendors: Les Celliers d'Asie, Attwood, AusKhmer and The Warehouse. The selections are sure to please seasoned wine connoisseurs and newbies alike, and the vendors are always eager to chat about the wines they've chosen that month.

And if trying to stuff as much wine and cheese as possible into yourself in a two-and-a-half hour window isn't entertainment enough, there's also a professional piano player (and occasionally a violinist). So mark your calendars and come down and say hello -- your faithful correspondent will most likely be camped out by the oyster table.

Wine and Cheese Night
Last Wednesday of each month, 19:00 to 21:30. Admission $25 net.
InterContinental Hotel
296 Mao Tse Tung Blvd, Phnom Penh.
T: (023) 424 888

Tags: Attwood, AusKhmer, cheese, InterContinental Hotel, Les Celliers d'Asie, The Warehouse, wine

Every evening at dusk hundreds of Cambodians gather at the top of Olympic Stadium to listen to Khmer techno and get some cardiovascular exercise in. More than a dozen instructors, each with a microphone and individual sound system, ring the top of the stadium, charging 500 riel to lead middle-aged Khmer women dressed in Western-style pyjamas in a group aerobics routine.

Get your pyjamas on -- it's time to work out!

The National Sports Complex, or Olympic Stadium, was designed by Vann Molyvann, the Cambodian architect who spearheaded New Khmer Architecture, a movement that combined traditional Angkorian elements with modern design. The stadium was constructed in 1963 and 1964 and was meant to host a variety of international sporting events that never materialised due to political unrest in Cambodia. During the era of the Khmer Rouge, the stadium was used for public executions of Lon Nol government officials. Now it's used for Cambodian aunties trying to burn a few calories.

It is, quite simply, the ultimate Phnom Penh Khmer experience. You'll rarely find foreigners doing aerobics with the locals -- most prefer to work out in the air-conditioned luxury of expensive hotel gyms.

The few brave, blonde souls willing to attempt Cambodian aerobics.

Determined to get some inexpensive exercise, I gathered a few friends and headed to the stadium. Awkward does not even begin to describe the experience. A group of barang attempting aerobics was enough to attract a crowd who gathered directly behind us to better observe our high-steps in time to the Khmer dance music blaring through the tinny speakers. My Khmer language skills weren't strong enough to follow the shouted directions from our instructor, and my complete lack of coordination ended up providing ample entertainment to our rapt audience.

I turned around to see a gaggle of giggling teenage girls pointing at us -- they didn't stop when they saw me watching them, perhaps believing themselves to be shielded with a cloak of invisibility from foreign eyes. If my face wasn't red from trying to do aerobics in the 30 degree, humid evening, the attention from the locals was enough to make me blush with embarrassment. I could, however, chalk up to a true Phnom Penh experience. Now whenever I'm at a football match and the ladies start filing in for their evening exercises, I can proudly say, "I did that!"

Aerobics at Olympic Stadium take place at dawn and dusk and classes cost 500 riel, payable to the instructor's assistant who collects payment mid-routine.

If you're interested in learning more about the architecture of Olympic Stadium, Khmer Architecture Tours will be offering a guided tour on August 28.

Tags: exercise, Olympic Stadium

It’s no secret that one of my favourite daytime activities in Cambodia is dressing up like a Khmer princess and having my photo taken. It is quite possibly the most interesting, non-touristy thing to do in Phnom Penh, and the memories will last forever. It’s also kid-friendly, as most studios have munchkin-sized costumes. There are scores of studios all over the city, so just pick one and give it a try.

Four sets of lashes and you'll be pretty as a picture!

Here are some tips:

Discuss prices before you start. Most studios have pretty firm prices but are willing to throw in freebies if you negotiate up front. Prices usually cost $2-5 per picture -- the low end is for men (who don’t need their hair and makeup done) and the price goes up as the costumes get more fancy and complicated. Bring a flash drive and see if they’ll throw in digital copies with a large order, otherwise expect to pay $2 extra for a CD.

Bring your own cosmetics. Part of what’s included in the price is a full face of makeup for women (men pay less and don’t have to endure the indignities of wearing four pairs of false eyelashes simultaneously). Don’t bother doing your own makeup -- looking like a tart is part of the package. Studios tend to only have Khmer-coloured cosmetics, so if you’re as pasty as me, you’ll come out with an oddly brown face that contrasts harshly with an anaemic neck and shoulders. Moreover, the makeup brushes are shared with no apparent cleansing between dozens, nay, hundreds of customers. So save yourself an eye infection or pustule breakout and bring your own eyeliner and foundation and applicators. (Personally, I’ve decided to let them use their own blue and pink eyeshadows, as I don’t have my own.) The staff will be confused and have no idea why you are insisting that they use your powder puff, but after repeated prodding, they will eventually go along just to get you to stop speaking English to them.

Consider your poses. The ultimate goal of Khmer portraits is to find a balance between the ridiculous and looking terrible. Therefore, it’s good to let the studio pose you a bit, but don’t be afraid to make your own decisions as well. One studio I went to drew a huge black eyebrow on me and wouldn’t allow me to show teeth when I smiled, and I now have a set of photos that will never see the light of day.

Remember that most photo studios have little experience with foreigners and dress and pose you in a way that is most flattering to Khmers. For example, the photographers will often kneel on the ground and take pictures with the camera directed upwards. This makes a tiny Khmer girl look more voluptuous but can give the rest of us three chins. Tell your photographer to stand up.

Talk about Photoshop. Good studios will do a decent job of Photoshopping the pictures before printing them to take out all warts and spots. Some will also add a few inches to the bust and bum when needed (for the apsara pictures, mainly). If you have a problem area you’d like dealt with in post-production, I find that pointing at it and theatrically cringing is usually a decent way of communicating that without speaking Khmer. If you have tattoos, they may try and remove them, so make it clear if you don’t want them to do that. I unhappily lose my freckles every time, but sometimes it’s nice to see what you’d look if you were Khmer-beautiful.

Tags: Khmer portraits, Phnom Penh photo studios, photos