Lovely Creature Comfort (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) - 26 April 2015

I recently moved into a brand new one-bedroom apartment near the Russian Market and have been busy getting situated. Apparently there is high confidence in foreign direct investment in Phnom Penh as many new apartment buildings are rising around me. Many if not all of them are catered to the expat market as locals in general cannot afford the rent.

Relative to California, however, rent is ridiculously low in Phnom Penh. The rent for my one-bedroom unit is US$350/month and is furnished as follows:

• Bedroom - air-conditioner, large king-size bed, wardrobe, desk, and cable TV
• Living area - a fan, sofa, two arm chairs, and coffee table
• Kitchen area - gas stove, sink, cabinets, dining table, dining chairs, and refrigerator
• 1 Washer
• 2 Bathrooms - water heater in one
• 1 Balcony
• WiFi
• Marble tiled floors

My third-floor apartment is spacious and brightly lit with windows on three sides. In the heat of the day and at night, dark curtains provide for cover from the sun's rays and privacy. Separate costs are water, which is US$5/month, and utilities, which is estimated to be about US$30/month (US$0.25/kwh).

The Russian Market area, also known as Toul Tom Poung I & II, is a delightful enclave of boutiques, restaurants, cafes, and western and local markets - anchored of course by its namesake, Psar Toul Tom Poung (Russian Market), a great place to find bargains, souvenirs, exotic stuff, parts to build a bike, etc.

I was glad to have the service of a rental agent to help with the apartment search. It's easier, their service is free, and knowledge invaluable (they get their commissions from the property owners). I found my agent, Kheang Sok, at the expat-blog site. I liked his patient and not too in-your-face style. We scheduled a day to view a few apartments on his motorbike and when I saw this apartment, my heart was settled. It felt right and the owners are super nice. I went with my gut and secured the apartment with a month's deposit and a 6-month contract and moved in 2 days later. (For privacy reasons, I will not post pictures of my abode.)

I met a friendly neighbor, Marie from Manila, who lives a floor above me and we immediately connected. She took me to her favorite shopkeeper at the Russian Market to buy some household stuff and later we went to an English Vigil Mass at World Vision. I'm so blessed to meet helpful, friendly, and kind angels along my way. Thanks be to God.

Above left: Kheang Sok, my rental agent; Above right: View from my apartment's balcony

Above: Views from my apartment's balcony

Above left: Marie, my new neighbor; Above right: Mee rebus and iced Milo (US$5) at Divine Cafe next to the Russian Market

Above left: Jackfruit hanging from a tree on my street; Above right: A Caucasian saffron clad monk

Next post: Visa Extension and My New Ride (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) - 4 May 2015

Previous post: More idle musings from Phnom Penh, Cambodia - 23 April 2015

More idle musings from Phnom Penh, Cambodia - 23 April 2015

I witnessed my first torrential downpour in Phnom Penh yesterday afternoon. The saying, "When it rains, it pours" is literally befitting of the situation. For those of you in California, constant rain like this may turnaround the years of drought. You were in my thoughts when I shot this video below (taken from inside a mall and thankful to have averted it). Relish the sound and sight of this sky juice:

On another note, a week in the country and I have developed a mild case of gastroenteritis (stomach irritation and diarrhea). Alas, it's inevitable no matter how careful I was with where and what I eat or drink. This is an accepted part of life in an emerging country. I've been loading up on liquids and staying indoors to rest.

Still on the subject of food, I came across these tropical fruit the other day and thought they were pretty to look at with their interesting shapes, textures, and colors. I didn't buy any to try although I've had cherimoya and mangosteens before in the past.

Above left: Snake fruit; Above right: Cherimoya fruit

Above left: Mangosteens; Above right: Spinach quiche and lemonade (US$5.70) at Joma Bakery

By the way, for those of you who read my previous post about A New Way of Travel, I have to add that my mobile phone has doubled as a GPS device for tuk-tuk drivers. I learned that many tuk-tuk drivers do not know street names and are, instead, more familiar with landmarks. They may claim that they know the destination but in fact, they don't. A couple of times, I (the newly arrived!) had to give them directions using my mobile phone. Patience, I remind myself, is a virtue and like muscle memory needs to be trained and formed.

On the upside of things, I found a nice, newly-built, and furnished one bedroom apartment to rent and will be moving in tomorrow (more on that in a separate post).

Until then, adios for now. God bless y'all!

Next post: Lovely Creature Comfort (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) - 26 April 2015

Previous post: Self Care and Social Enterprises (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) - 20 April 2015

Self Care and Social Enterprises (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) - 20 April 2015

After breakfast Monday, I took the tuk-tuk to Pasteur Institute to re-up my vaccinations since I never got around to doing it in the States before I left. The speed, ease, and value of their professional service really put the U.S. health care system to shame. I showed up without an appointment, talked to a doctor, paid for the service (US$70 for Hep A, B, and Typhoid inoculations), and received the injections in less than 10 minutes.

With my vaccinations done, I walked to Raffles Hotel Le Royal, which was less than 10 minutes away, and sat down at the lobby to have tea and do some work. The posh environment inside was seductive and enticing and a nice escape from the outside reality of harsh heat, pollution, and chaos. Service was impeccable. An attentive hostess asked if I needed an adapter after she saw my disappointed look at the sight of a three-prong outlet. I had left my three-prong plug behind in the hotel room as thus far, I've only seen two-prong outlets around (Cambodia uses two types of outlets). When I said I needed one, she swiftly brought it to me. Close to where I was sitting, a young man played the roneat ek (a type of Cambodian xylophone), which was very soothing and nice. Here's a sample:

For lunch, I headed back to my hotel area to have lunch at Friends, The Restaurant, a popular training restaurant that is run by former street youths and marginalized young people and their teachers. Managed by local NGO, Mith Samlanh, in collaboration with TREE Alliance, this social enterprise strives to impart self-esteem, self-respect, good hygiene, and hospitality skills to the students. Many graduates from this restaurant move on to find paid work in other hospitality establishments and build a new life. Such a great concept.

I had dinner at River Crown restaurant near the river and then spent some time people watching from the second floor. I ended the day with a full body massage at Khmer Angkor Seeing Hands Massage, another social enterprise near the hotel that intrigued me. They hire blind people as masseuses, which I thought was a novel idea. My masseuse was a 50-year-old man who exuded a gentle vibe. With his rough hands, he massaged me from head to toe and would periodically pull out his phone and press a button to hear the time. The 60-minute massage cost US$6; I wore a comfortable top and pants that the business provided. According to the owner/manager, the blind live with them at the shop and their basic needs are provided for by them. Occasionally, they would return home to visit their family (like in the past week for the holidays).

It is encouraging to see local social enterprises such as Friends, The Restaurant and Khmer Angkor Seeing Hands Massage in Phnom Penh that serve some of the needs of the less-privileged. There is a high demand for support and assistance in this city of contrasts and complexity but buyer/traveler/volunteer beware; there are shady voluntourism organizations in the Kingdom that exploit the young and disadvantaged. You can read more about this here. Do some research first before you invest any time and money.

Above left: Iced green tea latte with complimentary banana chips at Raffles Hotel Le Royal (US$5.00)

 Above: A musician playing the roneat ek at Raffles Hotel Le Grand's lobby

Above: Khmer heritage pieces for sale at Raffles Hotel Le Royal ~ having seen statues with their heads pilfered or whole bodhisattvas carved out from rocks at Siem Reap temples in previous travels, I'm a little skeptical of the sources of these artifacts

 

Above left: A concierge at Raffles Hotel Le Royal; Above right: Lunch at Friends, The Restaurant

 

 Above right: Beetroot, carrot, and orange juice (US$3.75) at Friends, The Restaurant

 Above left: Pumpkin gnocchi with tomato sauce, bechamel sauce, and parmesan (US$7.00) at Friends, The Restaurant

 Above left: Street people in Phnom Penh; Above right: Chilling at River Crown by the Riverside with a glass of lime juice (US$2.00)

Above left: Cheese quiche with baguette and salad at River Crown - food looked limp in the humidity but it was tasty (US$6.50)

Above: Another social enterprise in Phnom Penh - feel good and do good, what's not to like?

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