Sugarcane drink with a twist of lime in Phnom Penh, Cambodia - Day 5 (Final Day)

Woke up at 6am-again! Walked towards the Central Market. Along the way, we saw an interesting building which houses a bar called Broken Bricks.

Stopped for breakfast in one of the coffeeshops. Had plain porridge with side dishes of pickled veg, chicken floss and salted egg. Yum!

Continued on our journey towards CM. Reached and walked around. Spotted a baby sleeping peacefully in a hammock. Asked for permission to take a shot of her. So cute.

You can find anything and everything in Central Market - meat, veg, snacks, clothes, pickles, hardware, kitchen utensils, souvenirs.....EVERYTHING!

Hmmmm...wonder if she was taking orders through her mobile phone!

We combed the entire market and bought more souvenirs. Stopped at a stall selling desserts. Tried 3 different kinds of hot desserts and packed 2 cold ones. Ooo la la…delicious!

Then we walked back to the quay. Drank our 2^nd sugarcane drink with a twist of lime.

This is how petrol is pumped in Phnom Penh!

Then headed to Art Street (St 178). Love the boutiques there. Went to the first one and fell in love with one of the bags but it cost USD18. That’s like more than RM60. Decided against buying it (but Jai went back to the store later to get it for me as a surprise gift! So sweet!)

Walked on and saw a few teenage boys working hard on their wood carvings. The owner greeted us and invited us into his shop. Saw a picture of him receiving an award in his shop. He must be a well-known sculptor and wood-carver in Cambodia.

Saw a few galleries selling paintings but was attracted to one gallery in particular which was located at the street corner. Asasax Art Gallery. Went into the gallery and I was immediately taken in by his paintings. So vibrant and bold. The colours and movements in the paintings were so captivating! He has another gallery in Siem Reap. I will definitely visit the gallery when we go to Siem Reap in Feb next year!

Had our lunch and delicious iced coffee. Headed back to the hotel to pack and freshen up before leaving for the airport.

On our way to the airport, we noticed that a building had been burnt to the ground. What a terrible sight.

Simple but modern airport!

We enjoyed every minute of our stay in Phnom Penh and we look forward to more Cambodian hospitality in our visit to Siem Reap in February next year. But meanwhile, we have 2 more trips to tackle - Medan in Sept and Chiang Mai in Jan '08! Oooo la la! Life is GREAT!

Sugarcane drink with a twist of lime in Phnom Penh, Cambodia - Day 4

Woke up at 6am again. Explored the morning market nearby. The best way to know what the locals eat is to visit the market! They sold fresh fish (by fresh I mean, those that are still ALIVE), a huge array of vegetables and fruits, fresh frogs – we were horrified to see one skinned and beheaded frog leap out of the container!

We had breakfast in the market. Rice with pork and pickled vegetables and it was GOOD. We had difficulty opening the mineral water bottle and the lady at the stall offered to open it for us using her knife. That’s how hospitable the Cambodians are!

We were surprised to find hair salons and beauty salons in one section of the market.

We took a tuk tuk to the Russian Market for some last minute souvenir shopping for friends and family back home. Then we took the same tuk tuk to Boengkak Lake where most of the backpackers lodges are located. Quaint place. On the way there, spotted a local carrying his sleeping child while riding the motorbike. Gestured to him requesting permission to take a photo of him and his kid, and smiled and nodded his approval. Nice of him, yeah?

A mosque at the Boengkak Lake

Took the same tuk tuk back to the hotel.

At 4pm, we went downstairs and hung around the area next to the Tonle Sap river. The place was bustling with locals, tourists and street vendors. That was when we had our first sip of the sugarcane drink with a twist of lime! Ahhhh…I cannot describe the taste. You’ve just got to try one on your own!

There was so much of food to sample – cooked snails, chicken wings and bishop's nose, sugarcane sticks, a local salad, snacks…etc.

They were selling flowers near a temple along the river.

Couldn't resist taking a shot next to our national flag!

We booked for 1.5 hour cruise along the Tonle Sap river. Boarded at 5.30pm. The ride offered us a different perspective of the area.

The cruise ended at 7.30pm and since we still had time to walk around, we headed to Jai's favourite bookstore - BOHR Bookstore.

Nightlife along Sisowath Quay

See how he was smiling from ear to ear?

Looks like my mom caught the Jaibug!