Cambodia expat blog: Cambodia travel tips, advice, and info

Homesickness sinks in

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Marissa Carruthers

Marissa Carruthers is a freelance journalist who left behind life in the UK for the sun and smiles of Cambodia. In her column, she shares the ups and downs of settling into life in Phnom Penh as a new expat.

Phnom Penh: Starting to feel like home.

The Cambodian dust finally settled for me about two weeks ago and initially it wasn’t good.

I’d been so caught up in the excitement that moving to a new country brings that I hate to admit it but I hadn’t really spent that much time thinking about life back home.

In my first few weeks I was in holiday mode but that was okay because I hadn’t had a break in a while and after the stresses and strains of moving, I was allowed to take some time off.

Expecting the homesickness bug to hit around about the time serious mode switched on, it didn’t and I continued to relish in my new surroundings, still overwhelmed by the new smells and sights that bombarded my senses at every step on this new path I was treading.

But as the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, the excitement started to wear off and novelty morphed into familiarity. I was suddenly able to cross the road in less than five minutes, I recognised the squeaking of the etjais calling for waste, I no longer stared in disbelief at a family of six sharing a motorbike or tuk-tuks rammed full of too many mattresses to count.

With my mind no longer preoccupied with Cambodia’s chaos, it had time to drift back home to the friends I’ve left behind. To the babies close friends had just after I left. To my family who were celebrating Christmas without me.

Thank god for modern technology and after several distressed Skype calls, a video call where I got to see one of the never-before-seen babies and several kicks-up the ass on Facebook – “stop whinging, woman, you’re living your dream, remember” was the sympathetic response from one friend – I managed to see sense.

My friends and family are all a phone call, email, Facebook message or Tweet away and best of all I’m in Cambodia, living a life I know I’d envy if I was sat back at home, plus as I flew in�鶹��ýӳ�� after a few days away last week and looked out over Phnom Penh I felt a warm fuzzy feeling light up inside and smiled. This place is actually starting to feel like home.

Expat Q&A: 15 years in and it’s still amazing

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Lina Goldberg

Robert advises to learn as you go.

In this series we talk to Cambodia expats about what they wish they had known when they first moved �鶹��ýӳ�� that they know now.

This week we talk to Robert Starkweather, a long-term Cambodia expat who arrived in 1998! He found Cambodia’s lure irresistible and has now built a life here that includes a family and .

MTC: Rob, what do you know now that you wish you had known when you first moved �鶹��ýӳ��?

RS: “I arrived in Cambodia in February, 1998. I was just traveling and looking to spend some time abroad before getting serious about a career, life, etc.

What do I wish I knew then that I know now? In fact, after a bit of thought, nothing.

That is a big part of the allure of foreign places — it’s all foreign. Figuring out how this crazy country works is a fundamental part of the Cambodian experience.

I wouldn’t change any of it.

And even after all these years, most days the country still amazes me.”

Review: La Plaza Spanish Tapas Bar, Phnom Penh

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Lina Goldberg

Note: La Plaza is now CLOSED

Since Pacharan closed, Phnom Penh has been in serious need of a tapas bar. Latin Quarter sometimes does the trick, but expats have been bemoaning a real tapas bar. Enter La Plaza over the summer.

The outside of La Plaza Spanish Tapas Bar in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

La Plaza even (practically) looks like a real tapas bar!

I’ll admit that I was delighted when I first heard about La Plaza, and less so as I heard more and more reviews. Apart from the opening month or so (check out in the Cambodia Daily) La Plaza has been getting consistently mixed or bad reviews via word of mouth and . Some friends have slated it completely, others have said that it really depends on what you order–some dishes are delicious and others are disgusting. So although I wasn’t in any real rush to get to La Plaza, I finally managed to waddle over before the holidays and was pleasantly surprised.

A bowl of Salmorejo at La Plaza in Phnom Penh

Salmorejo, it’s like the gazpacho that tells celiacs to GTFO.

I ordered two of my favorite dishes, salmorejo, a soup made of fresh tomatoes and bread, served with hard boiled egg and jamon on top, and Mekong “boquerones.” Traditionally, boquerones en vinagre are small anchovies cured in vinegar and are my favorite thing to stuff my face with in Spain. La Plaza’s version uses a small Mekong fish instead and the locally available curly parsley. It’s not as good as what you’d get in Spain, but the fact is, the needed ingredients just aren’t available in Cambodia and La Plaza’s attempt using what’s available is pretty good. For $4 and appearing on the table with a plate of bread, it’s also good value. The salmorejo (also $4) was delicious and I’d definitely go back just for that.

The menu at La Plaza Spanish Tapas Bar, Phnom Penh

La Plaza’s menu: nom nom nom.

The place is owned by Spanish expat Javier Sola and run by his Cambodian wife, Sina, who lived in Spain for a year. What I’m about to say is contentious (but backed up by dozens of examples): when Cambodians are left in charge of good ethnic restaurants with little oversight, the results are almost always, eventually, terrible. While Sina is friendly and clearly has a lot of experience with Spanish food, the place could do with more input from Sola himself, if only to make sure that everything still tastes as authentic as it did in the restaurant’s opening months.

That said, La Plaza clearly has a lot of potential and I’m more than willing to keep chipping away at the menu–which contains 34 different tapas and several paella dishes, plus happy hour tapas and sangria specials–to find out which stand out as the most mouth-watering.

La Plaza Spanish Tapas Bar
22B Street 278, Phnom Penh
T: 012 825 443

Review: Postcard from Nomad’s Land

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Frances Duncan

A picturesque but nonetheless decaying dock at Nomad’s Land

Fresh off the plane from Bangkok, with a bellyful of that Cambodian breakfast of champions, pork and rice, I packed myself — along with Lina and two of our friends— into an aging beige Toyota Camry, the driver of which seemed none too pleased to be carting a bunch of pale-skinned Westerners on their winter holiday.

Our destination: Nomad’s Land, an earthy little beachside guesthouse on the island of Koh Totang, in the Gulf of Thailand.

Boarding the boat at Poyopone

Take a load off

Sign pointing the way to Nomad’s Land from the other side of the island

We sped out of the city on what I came to realize was a typical hair-raising Cambodian road experience, and through the ravaged Koh Kong province forests, along red dirt roads flanked by isolated stilt houses and the occasional bicyclist. At one point, we approached what I was sure was a dead end — a river bisected the road. We watched, across the river, as a diminutive barge about the size of two cars — and seemingly powered by an old lawnmower engine — slowly sidled up to ferry us, and our car, across. Eventually, we arrived at the tiny, trash-strewn seaside village of Poyopone, ramshackle except for the occasional black Lexus. From here, a small fishing boat piloted by two teenaged boys took us on the thirty minute journey across the gulf to Koh Totang.

Fish in the Sky bungalow

Care for a nap?

The view from the Fish in the Sky bungalow

Don’t miss sunrise from the beach — you can always go back to bed

For this northeastern-bred American, the trip to Nomad’s Land was nothing short of spectacular: the turquoise water lapping at the boat, the lush green islands dotting the horizon, the palm trees lilting in the wind, the gray, weatherbeaten dock extending from the shore. We were greeted on arrival by proprietors Ariane and Karim (and Nomad, the somewhat bedraggled but friendly island dog) who welcomed us warmly, showed us to our bungalows, and filled us in on some basics.

Karim walks the path — straight to the kitchen, and beer

Nomad’s Land is an eco-friendly guesthouse. In this case, that means minimal, solar-powered electricity (device charging hours are strictly observed, and the evening’s lighting is dim — don’t expect to stay up late here), composting toilets, rainwater catchment showers (complete with the occasional tiny fish!), and fresh, local food. The accommodations are minimal, but a step above the typical thatch-roofed bungalow. Lina and I shared the Fish in the Sky double overlooking the ocean — the porch outside was the perfect place to watch the sun rise — our friends’ bungalow had a fun little sleeping loft and second-story balcony. The food is delicious, the staff welcoming (when they aren’t all speaking French) and the island itself sublime. There are strategically placed hammocks all over the island — no need to worry about a shortage of relaxation.

The food is simple, but well-made and delicious

Gorgeous breakfast fruits

There are no other services on Koh Totang — no banks, no restaurants, nothing. (Bring enough money to get there and back — and pay for your stay — to avoid having to sheepishly hit up your friends.) Just jaw-dropping sunrises, phosphorescent plankton, and the kind of simple fare that’s easy to serve up when you’ve got fresh ingredients from the mainland and the sea at your feet. During communal dinners, we ate some simple grilled squid, curried yellow lentils, and other earthy, uncomplicated but tasty fare. The breakfast fruit bowls, topped with toasted sesame seeds, are delicious. (The regular and Khmer coffee seemed to be instant, which was kind of a bummer.) Anchor in the can is imported from the mainland — we spent a lot of time in the comfortable beachfront lounge quaffing brews while gazing out over the water.

The view from the beachfront lounge

Pretty little seashell details

Take a long walk off a…well, a long pier

Nomad’s Land is a great way to spend a few days decompressing from the sweaty hustle of city life. (And if an ass-crunching car ride is not your idea of a great way to start a holiday, they offer pickups near Koh Kong and Sihanoukville as well.)

Nomad’s Land
Koh Totang
T: 855 11 91 61 71

is a freelance interactive designer and content strategist — and the designer of the �鶹��ýӳ�� website.

Cool Cambodia

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Marissa Carruthers

A monk takes a cool walk through the park.

Santa delivered the best Christmas present ever �鶹��ýӳ�� a few days early when the temperature finally dropped.

After weeks of being reassured the cool season would land within the next few days, I either trudged on painfully through the sticky heat or became a prisoner stuck in the confines of an aircon-cooled room.

Then at the weekend, I woke up and suddenly the temperature had changed. A cool wind blew and I actually managed the walk to get my morning coffee without breaking into a sweat.

Once I got inside and the daily chorus of “good mornings” were out of the way, one of the waitresses asked me if I was cold.

I struggled to stifle my shock because, with the temperature still stuck in the early-20s, this was definitely not my definition of cold. “Cold? Are you cold?” I asked to double-check I’d heard her right.

“Yes, very cold,” came my answer. Wow.

Later on that day, the security guard at my apartment block had the same complaint. “Very cold,” he said shivering as he wrapped his arms tightly around himself while I remained comfortably warm in my shorts and t-shirt.

Despite Cambodians complaints about it being too cold, I’ve relished in the drop in temperature.

On Christmas Eve I was able to enjoy drinks with a fresh breeze to cool me down rather than an army of cranked up fans and on Christmas Day, I walked off the hefty portion of turkey with all the trimmings that I’d scoffed at Paddy Rice’s along the riverside without dripping in sweat.

And best of all, finally the frizz that’s plagued my hair ever since stepping foot in Cambodia has disappeared. Long live the cool season.

Christmas in Cambodia: Children dressed as Santa Claus

Posted on December 25, 2012 by Lina Goldberg

One of the most magical things about Christmas in Cambodia is the local tradition of dressing children up as Santa Claus. (One of the others is the tendency of Cambodians to say “Happy Merry Christmas” to foreigners around this time of year.)

The origins of said tradition are unclear, but what is sadly obvious is that as Cambodia becomes more developed and its people more urbane, the practice is starting to fade away. So if you see a toddler dressed up like Mrs. Claus this year, be sure to wish her a happy merry Christmas.

Happy merry Christmas from your pals at �鶹��ýӳ��!

Expat Q&A: No more good-bye parties

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Lina Goldberg

In this series we talk �鶹��ýӳ�� expats about what they wish they had known when they first moved �鶹��ýӳ�� that they know now.

This week we talk to Ramon Stoppelenburg. Originally from the Netherlands, Ramon has been in Cambodia since 2010 and has no plans to leave anytime soon!

Ramon Stoppelenburg driving a moto with two passengers in Cambodia

Beep beep! Ramon coming through!

MTC: Ramon, what do you know now that you wish you had known when you first moved �鶹��ýӳ��?

RS: “When I decided to move �鶹��ýӳ�� for the obvious reasons of the tropical temperature, great food, fascinating, friendly people and less hard work for less necessary bucks, I didn’t know about the giant black hole I would fall into within the first few months.

Once you make a big move–a giant change in your life–you’ll get great support by everybody who you have left behind and whom you can contact on a daily basis by Skype or even in real-time by Facebook and Twitter, but you are still a new arrival in a new city, possibly in a newly-rented apartment and with a decent internet connection. You are safe, set, but still new.

In the first weeks I met up with loads of ‘Western’ friends, as those are the most easy ones to connect with if you don’t speak Khmer. I met them at the coffee shops, where they all used the WiFi and wrote their thesis, human rights reports, blogs and novels. They were teachers, volunteers, tribunal interns and waterpump installers.

And after three months of hanging out with them, my new friends, I was invited to all their parties. Sounds great, right? But I was invited to their Goodbye Parties. Their times were up, the contracts finished, the school seasons ended and they loved to go back home again. Back to civilisation. Thank you, Cambodia.

And in comes the black hole I started about.

Suddenly I realized I had made the wrong friends. They were great friends, but for someone who actually moved here with the intention to stay as long as the temperature stays up, the food is great and the people friendly, they weren’t the people I should have hung out with.

After a few months in Phnom Penh I had to start all over again. That’s when I extended my social network by actually meeting and hanging out with like-minded Western people who own bars and manage restaurants. (They also taught me to forget me about ever wanting the run a bar, restaurant or guesthouse. Too many heartaches.)

And through them I met other people who’ve been living here longer then me and were not on a contract bases and also hated those damn Goodbye Parties. Goodbye Parties are for leavers.

After living here for five months I decided to take over on Street 95. The owners were selling it as one of them got a full time job and their hobby of running a movie house would become too much of a requirement for them. Me taking over a business in Phnom Penh woke up other long-term expatriates.

Suddenly a new social circle opened up to me. Suddenly there were the people who I had seen before, but never really connected with. Ends up it was their choice: they didn’t know if I was one of those short-termers and not sure if they should invest time in a new friendship. As a new business owner, it all made sense to them: I was going to stay here for a while. I was okay.

And there were the dinner parties on roof tops, the boat rides on lakes and rivers, the weekend getaways and the regular cocktail nights. With the right people.

I have not become like my many of new long-term friends in Cambodia as I still like to meet people who are here only for a short time. But I know how to handle them now. Have fun hanging out while you are here, but never – NEVER – invite me for your Goodbye Party.”

You can learn more about Ramon (and the novel he’s writing) at his . If you want to meet him in person (he’s practically a celebrity to Dutch people) or just want to kick back, relax and take in a movie, be sure to check out for a fully air-conditioned, cinematic, popcorn-y experience.

Marissa’s first Christmas in Cambodia

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Marissa Carruthers

Marissa Carruthers is a freelance journalist who, seven weeks ago, left behind life in the UK for the sun and smiles of Cambodia. In her weekly column, she will be sharing the ups and downs of settling into life in Phnom Penh as a new expat.

Bah humbug, it’s nearly Christmas. I usually get dirty looks when I say this but I’m not a huge fan of Christmas, bar the parties and days off work that come hand-in-hand with the festive season back home.

When I landed in Cambodia at the beginning of November, I was delighted to slip into a world where it was easy to forget that Christmas was just round the corner.

It wasn’t cold and I wasn’t surrounded by the constant reminders that seem to land earlier and earlier each year back home. Yes, Christmas was going to be easy to pass by un-noticed in Cambodia…

I enjoyed living in this land of oblivion until precisely December 1 when I went to Lucky supermarket and walked straight into a Christmas tree and staff sporting Santa hats.

Since then, the Christmas momentum has been snow-balling and there are reminders round every corner– something I rather naively didn’t expect in Cambodia.

I didn’t for a second imagine I’d be sipping on mulled wine while eating seasonal nibbles in a beautifully, festive-decorated apartment at a friend’s Christmas party on Sunday.

And there’s a never-ending list of places playing host to carol services, nativity plays and other entertainment with a seasonal touch. There was even a panto the other day!

Cambodia is the last place I thought my Christmas spirit would be rekindled for the first time since I was a kid and that I’d be left desperately craving the traditional serving of turkey with all the trimmings on Christmas Day.

Thankfully, I’m among many expats demanding a traditional festive feast and there are plenty of places offering Christmas dinners. In fact, there’s so many I’m still deciding which to choose.

So for anyone worried about missing out on Christmas, Cambodia seems to cater for every single need except the snow.

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