Exploring Phnom Penh’s Markets

The tuk-tuk careened through the city’s streets, dodging a dump truck, motos, and dozens of bicycle riders. Finally, the driver stopped in front of a massive building ringed by flower stalls and food carts. We had arrived at O’Russey Market.

Phnom Penh’s markets are neighborhood centers. Often, tuk-tuk or motorcycle taxis won’t know the names of streets or landmarks, but they all know the city’s markets. The markets hum with the sound of vendors and buyers haggling over prices. Electronics. Kitchenwares. Bags of rice. Buddhist objects. Dried fish. Pillows. Fruit smoothies. Hot bowls of noodles. They’re all found inside the narrow passageways of the city’s markets.

Toul Tom Pong Market (known by tourists and foreigners as the Russian Market) is located one block from my language school. However, it’s filled with souvenirs for tourists and lots of foreign visitors. My language teachers told me that they don’t shop there because it’s too expensive. On Saturday, I went in search of a more local market.

O’Russey Market met my expectations. I did not see any other barangs (the Khmer word for French, which also means foreigner) in the cavernous market. I stopped for a banana and a Fanta at one of the food stalls, and I got to practice my modest language skills with a few food vendors.

Afterwards, I headed to the Central Market, which is housed in modern building with an enormous yellow dome. This market caters to a more foreign crowd, but it has great food stands and amazing fruit shakes. It also has dozens of sewing shops.

Here is a slideshow of the markets:

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Language Class & Apartment Searching

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Cambodia for almost three weeks. So far, my top priorities are learning Khmer and finding a more permanent home.

Khmer (pronounced Kah-meye, not Kye-mer, like I’d always heard in the U.S.) has been a challenge. Mostly, that’s because there is no roman alphabet, so I learn by listening to my teachers say the words and then I write down my own pronunciation. This is frustrating. Sometimes, I will only realize days later that I’ve written the same word four different ways. Inspired by a friend learning Vietnamese, here is a picture of my language notes.

My first attempts at Khmer.

In between classes, I’ve also been searching for an apartment. My current home — a huge, lovely house — is a one-month rental. It’s quite spacious, and it’s great to have pets (two dogs, two cats and two turtles). However, it’s really far outside of the city’s center. Before I arrived, I got a map to the house. The house has no address. The instructions: go across the sewage canal and turn onto the dirt road. Here are a few photos of my house.

My living room.

Bobbie and Pumpkin. My Cambodian companions.

My house.

The sewage canal. Ewww.

Last week, I finalized a one-bedroom apartment in the center of the city. Before I arrived, everyone told me that Phnom Penh is a small city. In some ways, I’ve certainly found that to be true. Since arriving, I’ve met up with friends from law school, friends of friends from Indiana, and everyone seems to know each other. However, geographically it’s not that small, particularly since my main transportation is bicycle — and it’s 100 degrees every day. At the beginning of August (when Jonathan arrives!), we’ll be moving into a much more central location. Also, it’s one block from an amazing Cambodian/Thai restaurant with great pad thai for $4. Yessssss.

I’ve also tried to explore the cultural options in Phnom Penh. A movie theater — the city’s only western-style theater — opened last week. However, the movies showing aren’t really my style (Kung Fu Panda 2, anyone?). I did go to a place called Meta House, a German-sponsored movie theater/art gallery/cafe, where I watched a really interested documentary. Called “We Want (U) to Know,” it was an attempt to let Khmer villagers tell the stories of the Khmer Rouge in their own words. Here is a link to the film.

I’ve also been searching for a gym. Apparently, it’s quite common for foreigners to use hotel gyms around the city. The hotels charge a fee by the day or month. Last weekend, I tried out a hotel’s gym and pool. Here’s how I spent my Sunday afternoon:

My new gym?

Life in Phnom Penh

I moved to Cambodia nearly two weeks ago. I’m doing a year-long fellowship here. Hoping to cleanse myself from any lasting effects of law school.

I think that the first few weeks in a new place are incredible. My brain always feels like it’s expanding in weird ways. Before I lose those first feelings of terror and delight and confusion, I wanted to share a few quick thoughts:

Phnom Penh is hot, really hot. I haven’t felt such overpowering heat since my days as a reporter in Florida. Back then, I’d stand outside a crime scene, and sometimes I’d feel sweat coming out of every part of me. In Florida, even my wrists and my ears would sweat. Well, same thing here. I actually really missed that when I left Florida — it’s sort of glorious.

The traffic. People warned me about crazy traffic. I pictured Chicago freeway traffic or the SF Bay Bridge at 6 p.m. on a Friday. Totally wrong. Here, no one ever stops in a traffic jam. Everyone is in constant, unpredictable motion. Driving motorcycles, bicycles, and tuk-tuk taxis. Pushing through crowds in massive Range Rovers with tinted windows. Pulling old wooden carts filled with bottles and cans. Three days ago, I bought a bicycle with a little basket and a bell. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

The incredible, random architecture. In Phnom Penh, most of the tuk-tuk drivers use wats (monastery temples) as their landmarks. The wats are these enormous, golden structures that appear seemingly at random throughout the city. I hope that I never stop staring at them in total amazement, even as they become part of my daily landscape. Also, like Cape Town, South Africa (where I spent the last five months), Phnom Penh has tacky displays of wealth right next to impoverished areas. Faux Spanish villa McMansions (again, not unlike Florida) seem to be the current home of choice. Not far away, the majority of Cambodians live in tiny apartments or in ramshackle structures of wood and corrugated metal.

Below are a few photos from my first days here:

A shrine outside of a business.

A detail from fabric in the Central Market

Fabric in the Russian Market