Cambodia People & Culture

Shop Like A Local

Although there are several covered markets in the city that cater to tourists and locals alike, to get a better sense of the native culture check out the outdoor street market to rub elbows, quite literally, with the locals. We only had one full day in Phnom Penh and it was the first destination of our trip so we opted not to shop like the tourists at the local markets. Instead, as we were exploring the riverfront we discovered the truly local market on one of the side streets off Sisowath Quay. As we explored, we were swept into the melee of locals bargaining for fresh produce and meats while trying to dodge motorbikes weaving through the crowds. It was a great way to experience daily life in the city firsthand. And it's also a great place to bargain for cheap, local goods and food. I highly recommend taking a walk through the crowded street market for an unique cultural experience, if nothing else. And if you're looking for a place to get away from other tourists this is definitely it. We didn't see another tourist during our excursion. On the whole the experience made me wish that I had a kitchen at my disposal so I could utilize all the wonderful goods for sale here!

Take a Ride Through the Cambodian Countryside

One of our favorite days was our third day in Angkor. We knew nothing about the more remote sites in the park (Banteay Srey and Kbal Spean) but our driver, Happy, suggested a trip out. Since the sites are quite some distance from Siem Reap there’s a long drive through the Cambodian countryside to reach them. The ride, although bumpy and dusty as the majority of the roads this far out aren’t paved, gave us an unique opportunity to not only to view the beautiful landscape of this country, but to observe local customs and culture and interact with locals firsthand. We saw a wedding procession waking down the main street of a small village and Cambodian women paving a dirt road by hand. Local children helped push our tuk tuk across a makeshift bridge that had been “repaired” by depositing cement and pottery fragments into the hole. And we even got a peek inside the home of a family kind enough to let us use their bathroom. I had tried to pee on the side of the road behind a bush but some local children were so fascinated by us that they wouldn’t give me any privacy. We were greeted with warm smiles and friendly waves from all the people as we rode by in our tuk tuk and touched by the generosity and gracious nature of the Cambodian people.