AsiaLIFE Cambodia February 2018

022018 ISSUE134

note from the editor AsiaLIFE Group

Marissa Carruthers The road ahead looks bright for Cambodia’s growing number of successful start-ups.

As the resources and support available to the increasing number of budding entrepreneurs rises, hopes are running high that this sector is set to truly shine within the next few years.

As this month’s cover feature reveals, the seeds are being planted to ensure the scene blooms in coming years. And as more innovative ideas enter the market and creativity continues to blossom, this is definitely one exciting area to keep an eye on.

Elsewhere in the issue, I tick off one of my New Year’s resolutions to try something new and join Cambodia’s first Gaelic football club, Cairde Khmer, for a training session. And despite my initial fears, had heaps of fun.

It was also great to hear their plans for the future, as they set out on their mission to introduce the sport into schools across Cambodia.

Miguel Jerónimo takes a sneak peek at Khmer Sight Foundation’s latest venture – the country’s first dedicated eye hospital – as well as their pioneering work across the country to reduce blindness.

And AsiaLIFE publisher Mark Bibby Jackson gets behind the wheel, taking a tuk tuk tour through the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai. Of course, there’s the usual helping of restaurant reviews to get your mouth watering, news, fashion and some suggestions for Valentine’s Day dates.

Enjoy February’s serving of AsiaLIFE.

Group Editor-in-Chief / Director Cambodia: Mark Bibby Jackson bibbyjackson@icloud.com

Group Director Sales & Marketing / Director Vietnam: Jonny Edbrooke jonny@asialife.asia

Managing Editor Cambodia: Marissa Carruthers marissa.asialife@gmail.com

Director Thailand: Nattamon Limthanachai (Oh) oh@asialife.asia

Contributing Writers: Matt Surrusco Miguel Jerónimo

Art Director Cambodia: Thang Pham L.C. leo@asialifemagazine.com

Siem Reap: Sarah Brown

Photographers: Enric Català Lim Sokchanlina

Accountants / Distribution: Seang Seiha 012 887 118 Distribution: Son Veasna 096 222 7231 Printing: Sun Heang Printing House

Advertising Sales: Hannah Morris hannah.asialife@gmail.com 011 955 464 Accountant: Sorn Rathana

Special thanks to: Darren Gall, Paul Dodd, Pet Grooming Cambodia, Ryan Drewe Taylor and Cambodian Living Arts for their contribution.

022018 ISSUE134

On the Cover Design & Art Direction: Thang Pham L.C. AsiaLIFE is a registered trademark.

No content may be reproduced in any form without prior authorisation of the owners. © 360º Media.

AsiaLIFE Media Vol. 119

|FEBRUARY 2018

WALKING WITH GHOSTS IN SAIGON HAPPY FARM HOMESTAY COCO BEACH CAMP

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS PUBLISHING HOUSE

www.asialifemagazine.com

4 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

FOR SALES ENQUIRIES: Hannah Morris hannah.asialife@gmail.com 011 955 464

Next time you're in Vietnam, check out the latest issue of AsiaLIFE or download it from www.asialifemagazine.com

t h e p l a c e t o e at

OYSTERS

oyster lovers be tempted one dollar each everyday 6 to 8 First Floor, maline apartment building, street 214, between norodom & street 51 tel: 092 776 552

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 5

022018 ISSUE134

08 Events

front

10 Openings

getaway

38 Travel With Jen

food

42 919 Quick Hamburg and Curry

11 Trending 12 News 14 AsiaLIFE's Picks

43 The Pelican Food Company

17 Cambodia Profiles

44 De Map

18 Photo Essay

45 Dib Club

22 Q&A: Motorgirl Tour

on the cover

24 Start-up Scene

storyboard

30 Rewarding Work 32 Good Craic 34 Phnon Penh's Noir Portraits

style & design

46 Smallest Details

back

52 Listings

48 Fashion

72 Map 78 Pub Quiz

36 Eye Checks In Phnom Penh: The 101

14 6 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

32

38

46

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 7

EVENTS Flipbook Workshop @French Institute The flip-book is like a pocket movie: light, easy to carry around and to understand. It’s the perfect object to introduce a wide audience to the basis of cinema. It’s also an excellent first step in the making of a stopmotion clip. Led by Sarah Richardot, in partnership with Fotokino association. From 10am to 12.30pm. $10. Register at helene.leduff@institutfrancais-cambodge.com.

6 FEB

3 FEB Gin Social @Roots and Burgers Gin Social Phnom Penh is a monthly gathering for gin enthusiasts and like-minded individuals who appreciate a great tipple, in addition to members of the Phnom Penh Gin Club. A new cocktail list is developed at every social, featuring fresh and thoughtful creations from the team. From fruity and refreshing to strong and bold; there is something for everyone. A welcome G&T or gin cocktail greets you on arrival. From, 6pm to 8pm.

8 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

10 FEB Bookbinding for Beginners Workshop @N o w h e r e Art Studio Kep, Cinema and Photo-souvenir @Bophana Audiovisual Resource Centre In partnership with Vimana Organization this is an amazing walk through the Cambodian 1960s in Kep-sur-Mer. Films, pictures and magazines concerning Kep City, from its modern history known as The Golden Age will be on display. Films include Joy of Living, a fiction film by former King Father Norodom Sihanouk on Feb. 10 at 5pm; Twilight, also by former King Sihanouk, on Feb. 17 at 5pm and Short-films in Kep Then and Now on Feb. 24 at 5pm. The exhibition opening takes place on Feb. 7 at 6.30 pm.

Taught by Chelsea Middendorf, an artist and educator who has been involved in numerous exhibitions during the last eight years. Learn three traditional stitch techniques, working with authentic book and paper art materials and tools, such as awls, curved needles and beeswax. Students will also learn about cutting and gluing methods, and how to awl and attach pages to an individually designed book cover. Each participant will go home with a personalised book. $30 per person. To book, call 017 891 772. From 3pm to 6.30pm.

7 - 28 FEB Valentine’s Day @Raffles Le Royal

A Musical Soirée Under the Stars @Raffles Le Royal

Treat your sweetheart to a romantic time at Raffles Le Royal with its sumptuous selection of options. The popular brunch takes place at noon, followed by caviar and champagne at The Elephant Barfrom 5.30pm. A seafood buffet takes over Café Monivong at the same time, while a special Valentine’s dinner takes over Restaurant Le Royal in the evening.

In partnership with ArtPlus Foundation, Raffles Hotel Le Royal presents works by Stamitz, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven, performed by a talented trio led by Anton Isselhadt. The concert begins at 8pm in the garden terrace. $10 for concert or $35, including buffet dinner, from 5.30pm. To book, call 023 981 888 or email dining.leroyal@raffles.com.

14 FEB 18 FEB AsiaLIFE Cambodia 9

OUT & ABOUT This month, we throw the spotlight on art and an award-winning hotel.

BROOKLYN-BASED ARTISTS SHOWCASES WORK

AFTER almost a year of intense work, Brooklyn-based artist Julia Haw returned to Cambodia for the launch of her first international solo exhibition at One Eleven Gallery in Siem Reap.

Opening to a full-house on Jan. 11, Same Same But Different is the latest series of work

by Haw, who spent three months in early

2017 volunteering at Colors of Cambodia, an NGO offering free art education to Cambodian children.

It was during this time that she formulated the new series surrounding her observations and experiences in a country that she says has “changed the landscape of her mind”.

Extensively detailed, Haw’s hyper-realistic

paintings focus on actual scenes she encountered during her stay here, most of which would be familiar to everyone living in Cambodia.

From the depiction of a dentist office in ‘Cambodian Smile’ to the statue of Daun Penh in Wat Phnom in ‘Lipstick Queen’, the series examines the similarities and differences between Southeast Asian and Western cultures, utilising political and historical realities, social interactions and humour.

The featured piece of the exhibition, ‘Bokator Twins’, features Haw’s twin friends Phany and Sophanin – two women currently studying the ancient art form of Bokator, a traditionally male dominated sport.

Referring to it as a feminist and political piece, as well as a tribute to her friends, Haw explains that she wanted to address the “overall subtle and at times overt repression of females in Cambodian society”.

While the exhibition closed on Jan. 31, it can be seen this month at Nung Ay Bong Pop Art Gallery and Vinyl Emporium – formerly Space Four Zero, which has relocated to Street 240 ½ in Phnom Penh.

It will open on Feb. 17 with a launch event from 6pm to 11pm, featuring DJ Brian Offenther from Shanghai.

SIEM REAP HOTEL CELEBRATES TRIPADVISOR AWARD

SIEM Reap’s Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel is celebrating after being named the world’s ninth best bargain hotel in TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards.

Additionally, the hotel was named second best bargain hotel in Asia, and the top choice in Cambodia.

The awards are dished out based on reviews and opinions collected annually from TripAdvisor travellers worldwide.

“We are extremely proud to receive this 10 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

award, and thank our valued guests for their support. We are especially indebted to Baby Elephant’s exceptionally talented team of Cambodian hospitality professionals for their hard work”, says managing partner and marketing director, Ilana Tulloch.

“Together we are looking forward to continuing to innovate in areas of service, food, cocktails, design and more in 2018.”

Tulloch adds that the hotel, which operates as a social enterprise, offers much more than just a bargain: this stylish, LGBTfriendly, and ethically- and sustainably-run property has so much to make it unique.

An intimate three-star property, Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel offers a range of excellent-value accommodation to suit couples, families, solo travellers and large groups of guests.

Facilities and amenities take in a restaurant and bar with a 50 percent vegan offering, a saltwater pool, in-house spa, yoga, wellness and cooking classes.

Hotel owners Tulloch and Adam Scott opened Baby Elephant in 2015, moving from careers in media, hospitality and music in Australia and Indonesia.

Their community commitment at Baby Elephant is an extension of their previous projects and passions.

The hotel’s sustainability efforts have seen it create full-time ethical employment for 25 disadvantaged Cambodians in the local community since launching, and countless more contract positions, benefiting many micro-businesses.

The team’s other initiatives include installing street lighting in the hotel’s neighbourhood, and conducting regular ‘Go Green Baby Elephant’ street clean-up days.

Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel has consistently ranked highly in the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards, including being rated the third best property of its kind in Cambodia for a number of years.

OPenings

DANGEROUS SNEEZE

ONE ELEVEN GALLERY ART ATTACK Siem Reap’s only international contemporary art gallery has opened its doors by the river between Old Market and Wat Damnak Village. The chic space houses a range of work from Siem Reap-based artists, including renowned Belgian painter Christian Develter, well known for his larger than life vibrant Chin Series, and Hungarian photographer Antal Gabelics and his meditative, mandala-esq Angkorian prints. Not to be missed is the gallery’s bar, which stays open after gallery hours to serve up quality drinks and signature cocktails. The space also regularly hosts a variety of events – from private functions to live musical performances by visiting artists.

Vishnu Traffic Circle, Old Market Bridge, Siem Reap.

Tel. 095 930 090. Gallery open Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 7pm, and bar, from 10am to 10pm.

A “fit and well” man was hospitalised for a week after his attempt to contain a sneeze ruptured his throat. The 34-year-old Brit found himself unable to swallow or speak when he held his nose as he sneezed, causing a spontaneous perforation of the pharynx. It's an unusual condition that occurs after trauma such as vomiting or heavy coughing. He spent seven days in hospital, being fed through a tube and given antibiotics through an IV drip, as doctors were concerned about complications that could arise.

TOILET TIME

IKEA has released an advert that encourages pregnant women to urinate on it. The ad, which is running in one of Sweden’s most widely-read women’s magazines, states: "Peeing on this ad may change your life." It adds: "Pee on the marked area and wait a moment. If you are expecting, you will get a surprise right here." If a pregnant woman's urine is detected, a discount appears beneath the price of a Sundvik cot, taking it down from 995 Swedish Krona to 495 Swedish Krona.

DUCK FOOT A duck found without a foot shortly after it hatched is waddling again thanks to a prosthetic leg designed by young scientists. The 14 and 15-yearold students in northeastern Arkansas used a 3D printer to create a new foot for the eight-month-old Indian runner duck named Peg. His owner told TV station KAIT that when she found the bird a turtle had apparently chewed off his foot. "I was just elated. And it's been a wonderful learning experience," she said of the students' desire to help.

O’TAPAS EAT AND DRINK The concept of O’Tapas comes from a team of three young and dynamic guys, whose idea was to provide a relaxed place in the Tuol Tom Poung market area, where friends can gather together to enjoy a drink and grab some simple topclass tapas. The tapas menu will be tweaked to include new dishes, including adding roasted camembert after suggestions from customers following the success of O’Tapas’ first event surrounding the French delicacy was hailed a hit. Asian-style tapas will also be added in the coming weeks. The eatery will also host special events throughout the month.

6B 155 Street 02A, Phnom Penh. Tel. 012 979 517. Open daily, from 5pm to 1am.

KARAOKE TROUBLE A sumo champion has been fined $4,500 for hitting a junior wrestler with a karaoke machine remote control. Former grand champion Harumafuji Kohei, 33, was ordered to pay 500,000 yen for assaulting rising star Takanoiwa Yoshimori, 27, while drinking at a bar in Fukuoka, south Japan. Takanoiwa's skull was initially thought to be fractured by the karaoke remote and he had to withdraw from a tournament as he was hospitalised for three days.

However, doctors later revealed his injuries were not so severe.

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 11

news

FEB BY KATE 2018 BURBIDGE

GEARING UP FOR CAMBODIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

THE Kingdom’s film lovers are in for a treat as the country prepares to host the eighth Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) next month.

Taking place from Mar. 5 to 11, the event brings together films, filmmakers and film lovers from across the world to celebrate cinema in Cambodia.

Filmmakers from France, Belgium, USA, Japan, Thailand, Canada, Australia, Vietnam, Myanmar, China and Singapore have already confirmed their participation in the event, which will present a selection of more than 120 international feature films, short films, documentaries and animation films.

Jointly organised by Cambodia Film Commission (CFC) and Bophana Audiovisual Resource Centre, with the support of the

Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, CIFF is the largest and most significant industry driven film event in Cambodia.

Last year’s edition was hailed a hit, attracting a record audience of 18,200.

For its 8th installment, CIFF is hoping to bring more films to more people in more venues. There will be screenings at all cinemas in Phnom Penh during the festival, as well as at Chaktomuk Theatre Hall and outdoor screenings at Koh Pich.

CIFF 2017 involved more than 160 screenings, events, performances, parties and receptions held across 10 venues, including Major Cineplex and Legend cinemas, but also smaller, independent venues dotted throughout the capital, such as Diamond Island, French Institute,

Bophana Audiovisual Resource Centre and the Chaktomuk Theatre.

Highlights included Angelina Jolie becoming patron of the event and receiving a Silver Lotus for her contribution to the Cambodian film industry.

CIFF, in partnership with major industry players, is dedicated to promoting films on the big screen, thus maximising their exposure, and to connecting film creatives with each other and their audience.

The event showcases films shot in Cambodia, promotes Cambodian films internationally and discovers quality films from the around world.

Admission is free to most events.

For more information, visit cambodia-iff. com.

HEALTHCARE RECEIVES BOOST HEALTHCARE in Cambodia is set to get a boost as a cutting-edge Singaporean medical centres announces it will open in the capital.

Singapore Medical Center (SGMC) will open a medical and wellness centre at Phnom Penh’s The Bridge development, with a focus on comprehensive preventative health screening, holistic wellness, chronic disease management, general surgery and aesthetic treatments.

The SGMC medical team of doctors and physicians are specialists from Singapore, with additional visiting doctors from Thailand and the US. It will start operating from Q3 this year as the first facility in Cambodia to be managed under DrMap (Medical Applied Processes) to ensure transparency, professionalism, 12 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

personalisation and privacy. “DrMap is able to design, procure, and manage processes to help patients, physicians, and medical providers promote a multi-disciplinary platform of quality and trusted healthcare,” says DrMap director Anthony Jude Tan, noting that DrMap is currently being implemented in countries such as China, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Representatives from SGMC’s medical board spoke of the great importance of regularly checking one’s health to ensure a high quality of life, and longevity.

“The principal foundation of SGMC is based on the desire to not only treat and diagnose illnesses, but to also give patients the capability to achieve peak health and wellness,” Interventional Endocrinology specialist Dr Mark Gordon says.

Singaporean breast cancer specialist Dr Felicia Tan also highlighted the particular need for women in Cambodia to have a facility where they can feel safe and secure.

“Women around the world often putoff visiting medical professionals due to a range of sensitive procedures, and this is something SGMC seeks to address here in Cambodia. We are confident that women will receive the best possible care and support in an environment they are comfortable in,” she said at a panel discussion on women’s health, at the launch event.

The SGMC board also visited the Sihanouk Hospital Center for Hope, where they met local hospital staff to learn more about Cambodia’s specific medical needs, and how the SGMC can become a valuable addition to the country’s health industry.

JAVA SEEKS THE NEXT CREATIVE GENERATION THE hunt is on for the next generation of Cambodian artists.

Creative Generation at Java Toul Kork is a series of exhibitions highlighting the work of young Cambodian artists. The project is inspired by the growing number of young creatives emerging in the Kingdom; not just in fine arts but in other creative industries, such as fashion, architecture and design.

It aims to provide a platform to celebrate young artists, giving them the confidence and opportunity to expose their work to new audiences and to expand their education in the process.

This year sees Java Creative Café launch the second edition of its Creative Generation projects, showcasing Cambodia’s newest artistic generation. The project hopes to build on last year’s success when 13 creators put on five exhibitions over five months and attracted over 25,000 visitors.

Each exhibition will last five weeks, with the first one starting in April. The selected projects will be provided with all materials and support for the exhibition in addition to a $250 grant to produce their artwork.

This year Java will present six exhibitions. The exhibitors will be selected by a committee of experts drawn from Cambodia’s contemporary art scene. For 2018, Moeng Meta has risen to the position of creative producer to manage the project and work with each of the winning artists.

INSTINCT, A DEBUT SOLO SHOW BY TITH KANITHA

Under the auspices of the project, the young artists selected for exhibition have the chance to show previously created but never before exhibited works; as well as the opportunity to create new works that they formerly lacked budget, resources or space to create and exhibit.

BOOST FOR ENDANGERED A FOUNDATION has been launched to preserve the country’s remaining iconic cyclos. Drivers who register with the foundation will gain several benefits, including free public hospital medical treatment, a monthly subsidy of $52.50 for vehicle rental and meals, and two new sets of clothing every year. At the launch ceremony, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the benefits for those working in the struggling industry.

INSTINCT brings together 16 steel wire sculptures of varying sizes and distinctive, biomorphic forms.

The artist has playfully staged them as characters throughout the exhibition space in both conventional and surprising ways – they hang, drape and dangle at different levels from the ceiling and walls, and rest on or slightly off open-ended pedestals.

Instinct is the artist’s first solo exhibition. Tith Kanitha’s sculptures are grounded in material, process, and time. A graduate of the interior design programme at the Royal University of Fine Arts, Kanitha found steel wire through handicraft practices at the school over a decade ago.

Describing it as an “insignificant material whose primary function is to support others”, she began experimenting and slowly transforming its craft and industrial associations.

Her first forms were representational – balloons as symbolic of freedom, a

mosquito net inferring the domestic.

Subsequent exhibitions saw her focus on sculpture, pairing the steel-wire works with fabrics and frames.

Kanitha’s process is a physically, conceptually, and metaphorically laborious negotiation with her material.

After unspooling her wire, she works through the natural entanglements, handcoiling around a thin copper dowel to create great lengths of modular spirals.

Kanitha actively challenges socially and culturally assigned roles of sexual difference, repeatedly renegotiating her role in a society where she does not neatly fit.

She demands her freedom not to cook, to prefer a messy house, unkempt hair, natural skin and, above all, she demands her freedom to be an artist who resists notions of authority deemed inherited, linear and rational.

The exhibition runs throughout February at Sa Sa Bassac.

1ST NATIONAL CANCER CENTRE CAMBODIA has its first cancer centre, The Techo Santepheap Centre at Calmette Hospital.

It forms part of the country’s national strategy to increase cancer care coverage. Until this year, Cambodia only had one radiotherapy machine.

Last month Cambodia opened the doors of its first ever national cancer centre. The facility was built with the support of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

AIRPORT IN KANDAL PROVINCE THE Cambodian government has approved plans, in principal, to build one of the world’s largest airports in Kandal province, although key actors have yet to work out the details.

A document from the Council of Ministers approves an investment proposal from Cambodia Airport Investment Co Ltd to build a $1.5 billion, 2,600-hectare airport in Kandal Steung district.

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 13

February brings with it Valentine’s Day so this month, AsiaLIFE looks at some ways to woo your boo on Feb. 14.

14 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

Pack a Picnic For a DIY Valentine’s Day, stock up on goodies from Digby’s on Street 63 or head to MU Gourmet on Street 51 for a range of luxury eats. The grocery is also giving customers the chance to win a Valentine’s Day gift in the form of a pre-packed hampers and other sets. Spend $50 in store and enter the lucky draw, with the winners announced on its Facebook page on Feb. 12 at noon. With the picnic packed, take the ferry to Koh Dach and find a spot on the river, or head out of town to Tonle Bati Lake – a popular picnic place among locals and also home to Ta Prohm temple. Kien Svay, about 1.5 hours away by tuk tuk, is another option, with plenty of picnic spots surrounding the lake there.

Indulge in Dinner An intimate option is to cook up a romantic feast at home, but for those lacking the time or skills, then leave the hard work to the professionals. Raffles Le Royal is inviting love birds to a couple sharing, four-course menu that takes in seafood and imported beef, from 6.30pm to 10pm. The cost is $140 per couple, with an additional $40 for rose wine and champagne pairing. Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra’s Do Forni is also putting on a feast. Italian chef Fabrizio Aceti is cooking up a four-course menu, made of blue French lobster, from 7pm. The cost is $85 or $115 with wine pairing. Alternatively, enjoy an early dinner and then inject some passion into the evening with some salsa at Duplex’s salsa class party night, from 8pm.

Take a Weekend Break Valentine’s Day falls on a Wednesday, making taking a break on the day itself tricky for those who work. However, surprise your loved one on the day with a weekend away. For those wanting to stay closer to home, Le Kroma Villa on Koh Dach serves up idyllic surroundings. Or check into accommodation on Kampot River. Sabay Beach is a relatively recent addition to the growing collection of guesthouses that dot the stretch of water out of town. Champa Lodge is another option.

Then, of course, there’s Koh Rong Samloem and its powder white sands.

Lazy Beach gets our thumbs up.

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 15

Kick back with a Cocktail An upside to Phnom Penh’s swathe of construction is the number of stylish rooftop bars that are opening, offering stunning views of the capital twinkling below. Book a table at Sun & Moon Urban Resort’s Cloud 9 rooftop terrace on Street 136 to look out across the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers.

Vehaa on Sothearos Boulevard is a relatively recent addition to the capital and from its ninth-floor positioning offers great views. Or enjoy Deva, on Mao Tse Tung, and its spacious and sophisticated surroundings for a cocktail or two.

Enjoy a Sunset Cruise Drift along the Mekong and watch the sun sink with a sunset cruise. Cambo Cruise puts on daily sunset dinner jaunts along the capital’s waterways. The two-hour cruise, which departs at 5pm, includes a buffet dinner to the backdrop of live traditional Khmer music. Tara River Cruises also puts on dusk trips from 5pm that include a barbecue and free-flowing drinks. Alternatively, book a trip with Mekong Bungalows to its floating restaurant and bar on the Mekong. With a new menu launched this year, guests can enjoy an al fresco dinner and cocktails while watching the sun set. It also boasts a floating suite in the form of a detached bungalow with terrace and double bedroom.

16 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

ANTIDEPORTATION ADVOCATE

VICHET CHHUON Words by Matt Surrusco.

Photo by Lim Sokchanlina.

V

ichet Chhuon landed in Phnom Penh in early January for the first time in 10 years. He was visiting Cambodia, where he was born, to interview Cambodian refugees with similar histories to his own.

But where he and two professors from the University of Minnesota intend to focus their research is where Chhuon’s story and that of his subjects diverge.

While he returned home to the US after 10 days abroad, the Cambodians he spoke were deported by the US government and are not allowed to return to America – where they grew up after their families fled war and genocide in Cambodia.

Chhuon is aiming to better understand the social, emotional and psychological impacts of “forced separation” on families.

From his academic research to advocacy against deportations, Chhuon’s professional interests are inextricably tied to his personal biography.

“And part of my biography is being a refugee, being born in a Khmer Rouge

labour camp, spending time in [Thai refugee camps], growing up in LA,” he says.

Chhuon, 40, was born in a Battambang province labour camp in 1977 under the Khmer Rouge regime and immigrated to the US. with his parents and three sisters in 1981, at the age of three. He became a US citizen 10 years later. Because of his US citizenship, Chhuon is not at risk of being deported, but he has a deep connection to his Cambodian-American community because of their shared Khmer culture.

Since 2002, 575 Cambodians have been deported from the US. to Cambodia under US. immigration laws that made them eligible for repatriation due to past criminal convictions. Nine Cambodians were repatriated in December and dozens more are expected to be deported this year.

Some deportees were born in Thai refugee camps, having never before stepped foot on Cambodian soil. They entered the U.S. as child refugees, like Chhuon, and later served prison sentences there. Some say deportees are being punished twice: first with prison and then

by deportation. In regard to the social impacts, Chhuon calls deportations “manmade loss.” Families may lose a financial breadwinner and face economic hardship, and social ties between parents, children and spouses are severed by distance.

Ultimately, the researcher opposes the separation of Cambodians from their families in America and supports “more humane policies,” he says.

As an advocate, Chhuon has attended anti-deportation rallies, lobbied US officials and worked with the Americabased Release MN 8 campaign, which aimed to stop the deportations of eight Cambodian men living in Minnesota – five were deported last year, while three had their deportations halted. For the professor, it’s not just his cultural connection that has inspired him to choose a side.

Principles of fairness and humanity are being undermined, Chhuon says.

He adds, “This issue is so troubling and interesting to me because it is really making us ask some hard questions about who belongs.”

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 17

PHOTO ESSAY

H

ei Nek Ta is a Chinese spiritual event that translates roughly to “procession of the spirits”.

Each year, during a few days marking the end of Chinese New Year, spirit mediums march through the streets of Phnom Penh enduring great physical pain while individually blessing crowds of followers.

The Chinese-Khmer believe the spirit mediums are possessed by a revered Chinese grandfather spirits, which renders them oblivious to pain.

The spirit mediums sit on thrones of nails, cut their tongues with knives, stick needles through their faces, pull out facial hair and move about the streets of the city in a trance like state.

It is a sheer spectacle that is not to be missed.

Todd Brown is a photographer and filmmaker based in Phnom Penh.

For more information, visit Asiamedialab.com, Toddbrownphoto. com andinstagram.com/toddbrownfoto.

18 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 19

20 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 21

Q&A

MOTOGIRLS

22 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

What started as a tool to pay Chea Renou, 27, through school has grown into a fullyfledged female-led moto tour operation. Marissa Carruthers speaks to Renou and co-founders Chea Chanraksmey and Horm Sreynich, both 23, about how it got started.

Photography by Enric Català.

How did MotogirlTour start?

CR: I worked at a financial business for nine months, then my dad got sick and I stopped to help my mum at the market. My parents sell groceries and deliver. My mum couldn’t do it alone so I was the delivery person.

When my dad recovered, my parents still needed help so I thought what kind of job can I have where I’m flexible and can help sometimes? My aunt lives on the Thai border and said Thai girls were taking local people around on their motos to make some money for their studies. I thought, my cousin is a tour guide and only works when she has a tour, and I can speak English, like meeting new people and sharing my culture and experiences, so why not combine them all as a tour. In December 2015, we started MotogirlTour.

How did you develop the tours?

CC: We spent the first year after coming up with the idea doing a lot of research. A challenge was deciding on the best places for customers to experience. We want them to go away feeling they know what Cambodia is all about; what we like to eat, what we believe, our culture. So we try to give local experiences, like taking them to the temple to meet a fortune teller. We also wanted to give an option of city life and countryside. Tourism is growing a lot in Cambodia and this is one more experience for visitors to do in the capital.

Which are the most popular?

HS: Our adventure tour is popular because customers get to go out into the countryside and see buffalos, experience the bumpy roads and get some great views of the Mekong. The night tour is also popular.

Many visitors say they don’t know what to do at night apart from eat and drink so we take them around the city and show them what local people do and eat.

How were the tours initially received?

CR: We had no finance to advertise the company at first so really pushed it through social media channels, such as Facebook and Instagram, and encouraged customers to write reviews on TripAdvisor, which really helped. At first, we got mostly men but now it’s about 50/50, with six female drivers, usually on Yamaha 125CC scooters.

Although we can source more motorbikes and drivers for larger groups.

HS: Initially, the aim was to make a small business to provide us with our school fees and support our living, but now we are doing it full time. We work with some tour operators, deliver brochures to hotels and get a lot of bookings through our website.

driving a Western guy around Cambodia so some people think we are prostitutes. We would go to pick customers up from their hotel at the start of the tour and the security guards, or whoever, think we’re there for something else and would often make comments. That was upsetting because you try to work on your own and start a business to make a living, and then face this. It still happens sometimes but after we’ve been to a hotel a few times for a pick-up, they know who we are.

How do you cope with the increasing traffic?

HS: The traffic can make the tours very difficult, especially if we have a big group.

But we all know what we’re doing and where we’re going so we drive slowly and stay together. Another challenge we face is the size of Phnom Penh. While we have many repeat customers – one has been five times – it can be difficult to find new, interesting places because the city is quite small. We’re always looking for new destinations and experiences to add. We also offer custommade tours, where people can tell us what they want to see and we can make plans around that.

What have been some of your highlights?

The aim was to make a small business to provide us with our school fees

CR: The best thing is being able to meet so many people and making some great memories. One time, we got locked inside the National Museum with a customer. I was thinking, “What kind of a tour company must he think we are?” But he was so excited and said it was a real adventure; like being in a movie. I joked with him that at least now he will never forget his trip to Cambodia. He booked another tour.

CC: Sometimes when we go on the countryside tour, customers will see a chicken or water buffalo crossing the road and they start screaming with excitement and it surprises us because this is normal to us. We don’t know what will excite customers or surprise them, so learning about that is always nice.

What are your future plans?

What has been your main challenge?

CR: It’s unusual to see a Khmer woman

CC: We want to continue to grow the business and add more activities. Eventually, we want to expand to Siem Reap and run tours there.

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 23

24 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

“I

Cambodia’s nascent start-up scene is on the brink of booming as the country’s bright young sparks tap into the growing wealth of opportunities in the Kingdom. Marissa Carruthers finds out more. Photography by Lim Sokchanlina.

’ve noticed a lot of changes,” says Kongngy Sav, founder of My Dream Home, surrounded by the interlocking Lego-like bricks he has created in a bid to solve the country’s growing issue of affordable housing.

My Dream Home is one of an increasing number of Cambodian start-ups that are taking up the challenge of creating their own company. And as a new breed of entrepreneur emerges, hopes are high that this wave will elevate the country’s economy while providing a platform for future generations to shine.

Propelled by a series of factors – budding entrepreneurs inspired by the success stories of start-ups abroad, an increase in creative thinking and a rise in facilities and initiatives targeting the sector – the country’s start-up scene looks set to explode in the next few years.

“I believe with higher internet penetration and digital use, the fact the economy is growing, the government is much more supportive, as is the private sector and universities, is all very promising,” says Mélanie Mossard, director of community at Impact Hub. “All of these are important stakeholders, who are playing a big role in developing this entrepreneurial eco-system.”

Sowing the Seeds

“We’ve been planting the seeds and expect to see the results in the next few years,” says Mossard.

In 2015, Impact Hub opened its doors in Phnom Penh as one of the capital’s most successful co-working spaces, business incubators and social enterprise builders.

Noting the swathe of NGOs in the

country – Cambodia has the second most NGOs per capita in the world after Rwanda, according to the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia – its ultimate aim was to look at ways of taking a business approach towards these organisations, and creating profitable businesses with a heart.

“This was a bit of a new concept for Cambodia,” says Mossard. “Our first desire was to inspire and raise awareness about social entrepreneurship and connect stakeholders. We wanted to enable aspiring entrepreneurs to start a business by providing training, mentoring, access to networks and working space.”

Impact Hub – previously Social Enterprise Cambodia – quickly started shaping the market by hosting a variety of events and programmes aimed at helping budding entrepreneurs validate their ideas, prototype them and build a strong business plan that makes them stand out from their competitors.

“One problem in Cambodia is we see a lot of copycat businesses,” says Mossard.

“But the creative mind set is something we see growing.”

And it is this development that has helped move the start-up scene along nicely. “Young people are beginning to understand more about starting their own business and are more interested in creating a unique venture,” says Sav. “Globalisation is helping with the ideas that they want to implement, which is good.”

Following in the footsteps of Impact Hub’s opening came a series of other co-working spaces and incubator hubs, such as Emerald Hub; each bringing with them their own expertise, programmes, events and competitions to help develop

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 25

26 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

the scene to the next level. However, Adrienne Ravez, co-founder of Geeks in Cambodia, an online platform targeting the sector, said this created an oversupply in options. “There was a period where a lot of stakeholders created incubators and there was a lack of balance between the number of entrepreneurs that were ready and the number of resources. As an investor, it was difficult to find start-ups to fund.”

Other challenges included the fact that many start-ups were not registered, meaning even if they caught the eye of a potential investor, they could not receive any funding – and funding a few years back was scarce.

“Four years ago, the scene was very different to today,” says Sav. “For example, there weren’t many angel investors and locals could only get the advice from foreigners. Now, there are local role models here for young Cambodians to follow and much more information and help available.”

Finding Footing

While starting a business in Cambodia is nothing new, it is the country’s younger generation who are pushing entrepreneurialism to the next level.

“By nature, Cambodians are very competitive and entrepreneurial,” says Tomas Pokorny, who founded payment and lifestyle app Pi Pay with another foreigner and three Cambodians.

“They have it running through their blood; it’s in their DNA. But there is a big difference between the woman running a coffee cart and starting a company.”

With 63.5 percent of the population under the age of 30, according to data from UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), the country’s growing economy, education increasing and opportunities for young Cambodians to travel abroad, the country’s creativity is also rising.

According to Ravez the majority of start-ups tend to focus on technology.

“They can see the success stories in Silicon Valley,” she says. “So, we see a lot of ideas relating to mobile apps, websites and e-commerce.” Educational and social enterprises are other sectors that are surfacing, with the social aspect presenting a swathe of business ideas.

“The most promising start-ups are the ones that have impact,” adds Ravez.

“NGOs are really part of the economic

landscape and have influenced the youth. Often, when they want to launch a business, even if they want to make money, they also want to have an impact on their country. I haven’t seen this in other countries in the region. I think it is one of Cambodia’s fortes.”

And it is this sector that Impact Hub is nurturing. Mossard says the main profile of their members and those who sign up to programmes are young Cambodians who speak English, have been exposed to foreign countries for exchange programmes or short educational trips, and care passionately about their country.

“They want to do something that helps society but don’t want to be involved in the NGO world,” says Mossard. “In the last two years, Cambodians see that they might not have received all the knowledge they need from universities, and go out to develop their soft skills through volunteering and community-based projects and see a lot.”

Despite the over-supply of co-working spaces, plans are being formulated for them to work together to create a “pipeline” to jointly provide the best entrepreneurial support.

Universities are also getting in on the action. For example, Impact Hub ran a programme 18 months ago with the capital’s institutes, giving talks and inviting successful entrepreneurs to share their experiences in the hope of inspiring a new generation of start-ups.

“We are planting seeds,” says Mossard.

“When we run a programme, we don’t expect all of them will be entrepreneurs and raise investment in the next year.

It’s such an early stage market that you need to plant seeds first and develop the entrepreneur mind set. We believe we will start to see the results of this investment within the next few years.”

Entrepreneur’s Life

The reality of entrepreneur life is often very different to the dream of making a fortune and being your own boss.

Hard work, family pressure and gruelling hours are a must, with no guarantee of success at the end.

One of the major challenges Cambodians face is a negative response from the family.

“In Cambodia, the culture is more orientated towards community and family spirit,” says Ravez. “Being an entrepreneur AsiaLIFE Cambodia 27

28 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

means that for a few months or years you’re not going to be profitable, your salary won’t be big and you won’t count the hours of work. Some families may not be ok with that or understand this individual mind set.”

This was an issue that Sav faced when launching My Dream Home. Inspired during a trip to Australia at the end of 2013, he returned to his homeland, quit his job as a social researcher and started looking into how he could solve the Kingdom’s lack of affordable housing using an interlocking brick system that is similar to Lego, hugely cutting costs.

It took 18 months to research, recruit a team, develop a prototype and test the market before launching in May 2015.

During that time, he was without a salary, investing his seven-years’ of savings.

“I worked with no salary for more than two years,” he recalls. “It was really hard and not easy to convince my wife and kids that we are going to do something for society, we know we are going to lose some money but in the future, we may make it back.”

Other challenges faced while starting up are finding partners and convincing the market and other stakeholders that the idea is a winner.

“To start, the important thing is to have followers that strongly believe in your idea and what you can do in the future,” says Sav, adding at the beginning he was unable to pay wages but managed to pull together a strong team, who believed in his idea, on a voluntary basis.

Several of them quit their full-time jobs to back him.

“Our main challenge was to convince other partners that we’re building something tangible,” says Pokorny, adding it took 16 gruelling months before the company launched in July.

Within seven months, it has secured 190,000 downloads, with a 70 to 80 percent conversion into active users. More than 1,700 merchants have also been signed and trained.

“Initially, when you go with papers saying Cambodia, which is mainly cashbased, is ready for something they’ve done in China, for example, it’s hard,” he says.

“We had to convince everyone from our first banks and merchants, to the initial group of users and partners.

That initial trust and conviction is the hardest. Don’t lose hope when someone

says no because the journey of starting a company is trial and error. There will be a lot of no’s before you get that yes.”

Mapping the Future

“I’m very optimistic about the future of Cambodia’s start-up scene,” says Mossard with confidence.

As well as Cambodians becoming savvier when it comes to coming up with innovative ideas and the process of setting up a business, a swathe of initiatives and developments have been launched.

The last 18 months have seen a series of formal angel investment groups operating in the country, offering funding to bright young sparks to turn their idea into reality.

This takes the financial burden off startups in the initial phases.

The private sector is also starting to engage in the industry. “There is a lot of interest from this sector as they can see innovation as the future of development for Cambodia,” says Mossard.

In 2017, Smart Axia launched SmartStart, a young innovator programme to enable university students to launch their own tech start-up. A total of 120 students from the University of Phnom Penh were selected to take part in a two-day hackathon. This was eventually whittled down to five, who were set to pitch their finalised ideas as AsiaLIFE went to print.

The winners will go to Singapore to visit Google, Microsoft and Facebook to gain valuable experience and inspiration.

Ravez also last month launched Start-Up Cambodia, an online platform containing an up-to-date database of start-ups, angel investors and other stakeholders.

And the government is also on board, encouraging companies to be compliant and helping with the registration process, which has been made much simpler in recent months.

“This is a positive step,” says Ravez.

“If you’re not compliant, then you can’t receive investment. Things are becoming more formalised.”

With all the pieces of the puzzle starting to fit into place, the future certainly looks bright for Cambodia’s start-up scene.

“Cambodians are starting to think more creatively and out-of-the-box,” says Sav. “We have more resources available and more interest from other countries. It is a very exciting time for the start-up scene here.”

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 29

V Blindness in Cambodia is one step closer to being a problem of the past, with the opening of a new eye clinic in the capital. Miguel Jerónimo catches up with Khmer Sight Foundation’s latest progress. Photography by Lim Sokchanlina.

30 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

olunteers Victor Norris and Huot Cheng are wrapping-up from another mission that saw international doctors visit Phnom Penh to change dozens of lives in just a couple of days.

As previously reported in AsiaLIFE it is through these missions that Khmer Sight Foundation is helping to stamp out blindness in the Kingdom. And the opening of its new hospital – the largest eye care centre in Cambodia – is just another step in accomplishing its aim.

Sean Ngu, founder and project mentor, said in 2017, more than 10,000 free cataract surgeries were delivered to some of the country’s most vulnerable and impoverished people.

It all started in 2007, when Australian Dr

Kim Frumar volunteered his time to come to Cambodia and operate on patients for free. Ngu brought him to a public hospital in Kampot as it was his grandfather’s hometown who, suffering from cataracts, endured life as a street food seller in order to feed his 14 children.

Ngu’s grandmother used to tell how he always had burns on his arms due to not seeing properly while cooking.

Cataracts, a clouding of the eye’s lens, causes 75 percent of avoidable blindness in Cambodia.

Something as simple as a 20 minutes operation has the power to reverse this, and that was what triggered Ngu and Frumar to launch Khmer Sight.

“That day when we arrived at the hospital in Kampot, we had 2,000 people

waiting,” says Ngu. “When we asked which ones were the eye patients the doctors said, “All these people are for you”.”

After performing 120 surgeries, they organised regular missions where international doctors from across the world came to Cambodia voluntarily to operate on those in need.

As well as cataracts, glaucoma, refractive issues, corneal disease and pterygium are also tackled. About 600 doctors are registered with the programme, which is expanding annually.

With a new hospital mooted to open in April, for now Metro Medical Center, on the corner of Norodom Boulevard and Street 240, is serving as a clinic.

Once open, the hospital will boost services, with 10 doctors able to operate

simultaneously while teams of volunteers visit remote villages to carry out health checks at pagodas.

It will also serve as the first independent training center in the country, allowing post-graduate medical students to finish their specialisation on-site.

It will also be kitted out with a swathe of state-of-the-art equipment, including laser machines to treat glaucoma.

As well as changing the lives of those who cannot afford access to health, the foundation is building capacity for the next generation of doctors. And, hopefully, inspiring them to work for those in need.

Norris recruits volunteers via a Facebook group aimed at medical students, giving them the chance to work alongside worldclass surgeons.

Ngu says, “We are not here forever, knowledge has to be passed on.”

And in a country which has one of the lowest rates of ophthalmologists per capita, passing the skills from international doctors to local students is the most sustainable approach possible.

The stories of gratitude are the main reward, says Norris a typical story of the impact of Khmer Sight Foundation.

He recalls an elderly man, who for many years could see less than one metre in front of him. After the surgery, he was able to see more than six metres and walk alone without help, stating he was felt like he was “born again”.

He adds, “We are giving a lifetime gift for them.”

Visit khmersight.com.

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 31

32 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

Editor Marissa Carruthers joins Cambodia’s first Gaelic football team for a training session to find out more about the club’s mission in Cambodia. Photography by Enric Català.

I

t’s fair to say the nerves kicked in as I arrived at BKK primary school to take part in my first Gaelic football training session. As I watched the ball being kicked across the pitch dotted with sprinting players, I gulped – it had been many years since I engaged in any form of active sport, and I questioned whether I was going to be able to keep up.

In fact, I’d tried to bottle it 30 minutes earlier, but team coach and co-founder of Cambodia’s first Gaelic football club, Conor Wall, was having none of it. “Bring your kit along, it’ll be fun and there’s a few new players so you’ll not be alone,” he said.

Reluctantly I agreed. And I’m glad I did.

What ensued was an hour of the unexpected. After a short warm up of stretching exercises and running up and down the pitch, we split into male and female teams, and the training began.

Wall gently led us through some of the moves essential to the game, splitting us into groups so we could practice hand passes, kicking and catching the ball before it was time to take part in my first mini-match, where I was able to put my newly-learned skills – not-so-successfully – to the test.

It was while watching the All-Ireland finals in a bar in Siem Reap in September that Irish expats, Patrick Campbell, Jennifer Ryan and Derek Culligan decided to set up a Cambodian GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association), to enter the Asian Gaelic Games tournament in Bangkok.

Wanting to get the capital in on the action, they contacted Wall and agreed to join forces to recruit and train players in the respective cities. In October, Cairde Khmer was formed and six weeks later the men

and women’s teams were competing in the Thai tournament.

“After seeing, first hand, what great community spirit can be created while playing GAA abroad, Patrick and I wanted to bring that community feel to others in Cambodia,” says Ryan, who enjoyed a short-lived Gaelic football career in her youth before rekindling her passion after moving to the UAE in 2016, playing in Middle East leagues.

“We both benefited hugely joining our respective GAA teams abroad and wanted to allow others living away from home access to a welcoming club.”

After launching their recruitment drive, Cairde Khmer rounded off 2017 with 60 members, spanning a range of nationalities, including Cambodian, Irish, Canadian and Japanese. Wall says the aim this year is to double membership, with 25 percent of players being Khmer.

Culligan adds, “As a club, our future goals are to get involved in the Cambodian community as much as possible and to empower Khmer people, especially women, to get involved in sport.”

The club is also working with local schools, with the aim of training 200 students in the sport. “This is the first GAA team in Cambodia, and we really want to get the local community involved,” says Wall. “Gaelic football is a real community sport and that’s what we want to promote.”

It was Cambodian Tam Sreylark’s first training session. The previous week the 24-year-old had just watched the others practice. A week later she was back, this time throwing herself into the sport.

“I was a bit too scared to play because I don’t like sports at all,” she says. “I knew

I needed the exercise so came to watch and run around the pitch on my own while they were training. They asked me to join so I thought I’d try the next week. I’ve never played anything like this before and I’ll return; it was a lot of fun.”

Cairde Khmer has secured sponsors, including The Mad Monkey and Irish charity Scoop Foundation, which has been building schools in Cambodia since 2008. Andy Sweeney, Scoop founder and CEO, says, “We now want to introduce the sport into the rural schools we have built in Cambodia and get GAA to be one of the number one sports in schools.”

With the game fully on, the Cambodian Gaelic football push is already reaping the rewards, with Cambodia gearing up to host its inaugural tournament on Mar. 3 at ISPP. This will see teams from Thailand and Vietnam take part in men and women’s matches. The country’s first hurling game – another of Ireland’s national sports – will take place at an exhibition match.

Player Peter Downey, who was the team’s top scorer at the Bangkok tournament and played for Bishopstown in Ireland, says, “It’s good craic, good fitness, as well as a great way to meet new people; it’s a real community game.”

I may well have gone into the training session apprehensive but I came out invigorated, and hoping that the old adage, practice makes perfect is true. I guess I’ll find out in the coming weeks.

Training takes place in Phnom Penh every Wednesday at 7pm and in Siem Reap every Sunday and Thursday at 6pm. New members are welcome. For information, follow Cairde Khmer GAA Club – Cambodia on Facebook.

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 33

34 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

Fascinated by the diversity of faces found in Southeast Asia, artist Chris Cole has spent the last two decades immortalising Phnom Penh and Bangkok’s notorious nightscapes. Marissa Carruthers catches up with him ahead of his latest exhibition.

“I

’m not a moralist, I’m not glamourising sex tourism,” says artist Chris Cole, who originally hails from the US. “I’m showing real Cambodian girls with real lives. I don’t think I degenerate the women, I show them in a story. There’s a subtext there and that gives a certain poignancy.”

Cole's latest exhibition features his signature style: vivid colours portray an array of almost demonic faces, ogre-like figures towering over women and distorted late-night scenes featuring the sex workers that dot pockets of Phnom Penh.

As a graduate of the UK National Film School, Cole spent 25 years working in the film industry on big budget hits, including Superman, Chaplin and LA Story.

His last film was Cutthroat Island, which was filmed in southern Thailand and initally introduced him to Southeast Asia – a place he continued to return to until about 15 years ago when he bought a small condo in Bangkok as a base to explore the rest of the region.

Having always had an interest in art and drawing – with an artistic streak running through his family from his grandmother to aunt and mother – Cole became fascinated by the faces he encountered.

“The genetic diversity in Southeast Asia is incredible,” he says. “There are so many different people coming here from across Asia that help this genetic make-up. The real Khmers have really chiselled features, like the statues at Angkor Wat. I found it so interesting that I started doing portraits.”

Inspired by German expressionists such as Emil Nolde, who painted Berlin’s nightlife in the 1920s and 30s, Cole decided to use this medium to bring the modern-day night scenes of Bangkok and Phnom Penh to life.

“A lot of these German expressionists’ paintings from Berlin at that time are very similar to the Bangkok night scene that dances with visuals and degenerate faces,” he says.

“It’s not realistic painting because it’s such a distorted vision of humanity; it’s this

distortion that I’m trying to capture.”

Since launching his painting career in 2001, Cole has immersed himself in the two capitals’ nightlives, capturing more than 2,000 scenes on canvas. He has gone on to showcase his work across the globe.

Despite his seemingly seedy subject matter – Cole is quick to state he doesn’t indulge in any “extra” activities with his models, claiming sex workers have been used by artists, citing the Paris scene in the 1900s and Berlin in the 1920s and 30s as examples – the artist says his main aim is to paint these women in a different light and give them a sense of humanity.

“I show the girls their paintings and they love that someone is giving them a little bit of a voice and explaining their lives,” he says. “They’re real people, often taking care of their kids. Many people think of them as a piece of meat but I’m treating them as the mother of two kids supporting their family. I’m giving a voice to their struggles; I like to give them a sense of dignity.”

While Cole says Bangkok’s sex industry is much larger and more mainstream than Phnom Penh’s, Cambodia has still provided him with a wealth of material.

“Walkabout was always a goldmine for me,” he says, adding Pontoon, Heart of Darkness and Candy Bar have also given him a wealth of material. He adds his art features almost no nudity and no sexual activity.

Often starting his work as a small watercolour on paper as a kind of sketch, he then transforms those that work into the pieces he puts on display.

“I like to think that this is a world where these women have managed to get through to the other side, like the gladiators,” he says. “Most people who enter this world become casualties; there’s a lot of collateral damage.”

Catch Cole’s latest exhibition, Noir Nights in Phnom Penh, featuring 23 large paintings, which are acrylic on canvas, at Meta House throughout February.

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 35

HEALTH & WELLNESS

36 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

Writer Lauren Cameron looks into ocular health and how to keep your eyes healthy in the Cambodian capital. Photos by Romain Garrigue.

E

nsuring proper eye health is important wherever you are in the world, but if you are a resident in Southeast Asia – boy, do you need to keep on top of it.

Cambodia’s dust-riddled air coupled with rising pollution and car fumes, make the city a hotspot for eye irritation, dry eyes and disease such as allergic conjunctivitis. The stresses of Phnom Penh living can also impact our vision.

Experts also claim getting enough sleep at night is essential to maintaining good eye health.

Refractionist Nguyen Ngo Vinh Tai, says, “People who get fewer than six hours sleep are at greater risk of having their vision impacted,” he warns.

As well as getting enough shut-eye, Tai recommends that Saigonites wear antiglare, anti-scratch, UV protection glasses whenever outside or riding a motorbike.

“Particularly in the morning when pollution and glare are at their worst,” he said. “You should also wear polarised glasses at night ‘without power’ to protect your retinas from dirt flying into them."

Ophthalmologists also advise motorbike riders to wash their eyes using natriclorid 0.9 every time they complete a journey, and to use an artificial tear solution three to four times per day to prevent dry eyes.

How often should i get checked?

Standard international practice advises people to have a full eye exam at least once between age 20 to 29 with at least

another two between the ages of 30 and 39.

Local eye specialists, however, recommend getting tested every three to 12 months if living in Phnom Penh.

Once you hit 40, it is recommended adults not showing symptoms of eye disease get a baseline eye disease screening and then, based on the results, follow the ophthalmologist’s advice for follow-up examinations and treatment.

If you are above the age of 65, it is recommended you have a complete eye exam annually.

And for kids?

It’s worth noting kids require eye exams every year or less because their vision changes rapidly with growth.

You should have your child undergo their first comprehensive eye exam at six months of age, followed by another at age three and another around age five or six.

Early identification of a child’s vision problem can make a huge difference to their long-term prospects, as children are more receptive to treatment following an early diagnosis.

How much?

Many opticians in the capital offer free eye checks so there’s no excuse not to get regular check-ups.

Where to get your eyes checked?

You will be pleased to know that Phnom Penh boasts a large number of medical

centres, hospitals, clinics and retail stores that specialise in onsite eye examinations. +Modern Optics 673 Monivong Boulevard, with the corner of Street 360.

Tel. 078 787 876 +E-Optics Cambodia (Main Branch) 78Eo Sihanouk Boulevard, with Street 51.

Tel. 023 993 769 +Paris Optics 7 73DE0 Street 217, Khan 7 Makara.

Tel. 023 880 670 +Grand Optics Monivong Boulevard Tel. 077 757 547

Signs you should book into an eye exam

1. If you have sudden or gradual blurry vision.

2. If you are seeing floaters, flashes of sight and other odd visual disturbances.

3. Frequent headaches. These can be a sure-fire sign that you have a vision problem.

4. If you are experiencing eye fatigue or strain.

5. You find yourself squinting.

6. You suddenly have sensitivity to light.

7. Your eyelids are swelling and you sense itchiness, redness and/or discharge.

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 37

Mark Bibby Jackson spends 10 days driving a tuk tuk around the hills of northern Thailand with The Tuk Tuk Club and receives a hospitality he has seldom encountered previously.

38 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

A

crowd has gathered around Jen. I am used to this by now for she has up-staged me throughout the trip. And I was the one to sleep in Angelina Jolie’s bed – but more of that later. Never act with children and animals, they say. Well, don’t travel with a tuk tuk either. All the staff of the Fern Resort have congregated in the car park, two of them pause by Jen as I get behind the wheel and pretend to drive away with them as my passengers, while the smartphone cameras silently click. Then the rest of the staff line up beside the tuk tuks and more photos are taken. Everyone is smiling. It feels good.

If you have not gathered it already, Jen is a tuk tuk, one of the troupe that The Tuk Tuk Club drives around the hills of northern Thailand from their base just outside of Chiang Mai. I don’t know why this memory stands out so clearly in my mind. It could have equally have been the time we stopped for lunch at Mae Chaem, only to discover all the restaurant staff standing beside Jen

taking photos of themselves next to her.

Or at the eclectic Ching Ching bar in Mae Sariang, where our guide Smithy struck up a conversation with a group of young Thais who had seen our small convoy – two bright orange tuk tuks and a support 4VD – entering the border town, and explained how they just loved what we were doing. Or the numerous occasions that Thais smiled at the crazy foreigners driving their tuk tuks up and down – the latter is far scarier – the sweeping mountain roads to Doi Thannon, at 2,565 metres above sea level the highest point in Thailand, and beyond.

This is the Thailand they sell in tourism brochures and on videos – the real Land of Smiles. Not the modern-day Thailand you encounter in Bangkok where people sit on the Skytrain, their faces buried in their mobile phones just like their distant cousins do on the London Underground or Paris Metro, or the false tourist smile of the islands to the south.

Our trip started with an hour’s drive from Chiang Mai, where I enjoyed a most relaxing

massage the previous evening at the Anantara – just to get myself in the mood – to the tiny village of Maewang where our training took place.

At first Jen and I don’t exactly hit it off.

Quite understandably she takes umbrage at my cumbersome use of the gear with only passing reference to the clutch. And as for the break, the least said of my heavy right foot, the better. Jen gives me the cold shoulder, as she repeatedly judders to a halt on the small basketball court that is our training circuit, in the middle of which a family of Karen farmers are drying rice.

“Maybe, you can try reverse,” Smithy, our guide and also my driving instructor, suggests, as my badly positioned tuk tuk is clearly in the way of the other learners – a family from Suffolk. With little faith, I turn the ignition again and release the clutch, only for the vehicle to ease its way backwards, slowly. Like Tony Curtis steering the motor boat in Some Like It Hot, I have found my metier – driving a tuk tuk in reverse. After

all, nobody is perfect. “Perhaps I can drive backwards on the tour,” I suggest to Smithy.

“That would take 30 days,” he says, a broad smile sweeping across his face.

After receiving a blessing for the journey ahead at nearby Wat Tham Nam Hoo, we drive the following day to the Maevang Elephant Home. Up to 18 months ago, Maevang was very much like many other places around Chiang Mai providing elephant rides for ill-informed tourists.

However, now people come to feed the mammoths and walk beside them to the river where they have their bath.

“Here you can feel they are like a friend; you can touch and feed them,” explains Num, who works at Maevang. Seeing him here comes as a bit of a surprise as the previous day he had helped me learn to drive a tuk tuk, after serving us lunch at the hotel. Later he would explain that the V in Maevang – as opposed to MaeWang the name of the river and town – stands for “victory” in their campaign to improve the lives of elephants.

Having fed the elephants, who fortunately have a far greater appetite for water melon and sugar cane than for cellphones and selfie sticks, we trundle down to the river.

There is a childlike quality to the elephants’ play. One of the smaller ones tries to duck his younger sibling’s head under the water, just like any ‘normal’ child would in a swimming pool; only this time mum stands by imperviously as she shoots a jet of water at us, rather than yelling at her children to behave. Clearly, they are having fun – something that is not often said of their cousins who trudge their way through the forest carrying gap-year travellers or selfie trigger-happy tourists on their backs.

We spend the third night at Ban Kuhn Klam, where Jen takes a well-earned rest having climbed her way up more than 1000 metres – higher than Ben Nevis – that day. A small community set in the middle of paddy fields, this is the epitome of rural Thailand.

The following day we set off on foot on the Pha Dok Seaw trail in Doi In Thannon national park, following the course of the Mae Klang river.

An easy walk, the obligatory guide is more a much-needed income generation scheme for the local Karen people than a life-saving necessity. We pass by an opening where farmers are growing chrysanthemums rather than the opium of distant travel yarns. At one point, our guide, Lung Dee (“good uncle”), stops to point at a tree. All I can see is a mass of green leaves, but he keeps on pointing. Gradually, one by one all our group can make out what has drawn his attention while all I can see is leaves. A green viper has curled itself around some branches.

Fortunately, it’s taking a siesta. Apparently, it has been resting here for the past two weeks having partaken of a particularly substantial meal which it is still digesting, hence its slumber.

The following day’s drive is our first long stretch, some 160km to Mae Sariang on the Myanmar border, so Smithy and I share the driving. This is the first day I truly feel comfortable behind the wheels – instead of dreading the emergence of the next tight bend I find myself enjoying the challenge of sliding through the gears, confident in my new-found acumen.

I have discovered my driving rhythm, instinctively sensing when Jen wants to change gear and when to give her a bit of welly. I even discover the art of descending a mountain in third gear without touching the breaks – although Jen does make the most frightful noise whenever I do this.

After a night – and too many beers ¬– spent in Ching Ching bar, we head to Mae Hong Son some 170 kilometres to the north. On the opening stretch we pass through a boulevard of trees, which provides a delightful dappled shade. Now, relaxed behind the wheel I sense Jen moving towards the 60kph mark – although The Tuk Ruk Club stipulates a 50kph speed limit – and I have to release the throttle, when Smithy gently reprimands me.

I even begin to obey the Highway Code Thai-style, indicating left when it’s safe to be overtaken and right when I am approaching a tight bend or an oncoming vehicle – not that the overtaking vehicles take much note of the latter.

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 39

We don’t quite reach Mae Hong Son, as our destination is some 10 kilometres before the town – the Fern Resort. Angelina Jolie stayed here on a visit in her pre-Brangelina days and then again with Brad Pitt. There is some commotion as we check in. Then the keys are handed out and I am allocated number 16 – Angelina’s room.

Now, I am not normally one to suffer celebrities lightly, but as I am led to my accommodation I find myself wondering how extravagant it will be – a four-poster bed perhaps with fine silk drapes – before my guide explains it’s quite “simple”.

True enough, I open the door to discover no Aladdin’s den, but a simple wooden bungalow. Still, I think to myself – this is the bed that Angelina slept in. That night, I sleep even better than Jen, who will have the following day off.

After a brief visit to Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu, we spend the rest day searching for some white flowers. At the outset of our trip, the monk at Wat Tham Nam Hoo gave us some candles to burn while we were to make a wish.

The only problem was that we each needed nine white flowers in order to perform the ceremony. Smithy had planned to buy some white chrysanthemums from local farmers on the Pha Dok Seaw trek, but the flowers were not yet in bloom.

Unfortunately, Mae Hong Son is very much a yellow flower kind of town, as our brief excursion confirms.

Eventually we find some white flowers at the local market, only to discover a white flower shop as soon as we have made our purchase – isn’t it always the way.

Despite the inviting prospect of spending our day of rest lazing by the pool, we opt to hike a trail that leads from the back of Fern Resort. Now, the weirdest thing about the walk is our guides. As we assemble at the starting point, the owner of the resort claps his hands several times and four dogs appear before scampering off down a path, while we duly follow.

How difficult could the walk be? I ask myself, if dogs are our guides. An hour or so later as we are scrambling up and down some rocks and traversing stepping stones either over or through a stream, I have discovered the answer to my question.

In truth, I feel totally at home on the short trek. And I don't even get my feet wet – at least not accidentally; a small waterfall proving a temptation too far. As I feel the refreshing waters resurrect my soul, I realise this is the reason I fell in love with travelling in the first place. Rachael, the mother of the family from Suffolk, probably wouldn’t agree with me – at least not presently. This is her 50th birthday. As she slides her way down the slope we have just climbed, once we realise we are heading in the wrong direction – as our four-pawed guides rummage in the undergrowth – I think she doubts she will ever make it to 51.

Still, we survive to celebrate her birthday.

And as the bottle of champagne that Smithy has carted around with him, is opened, all thoughts of her near-death experience are banished from our minds.

Then comes the ceremony. Rachael

40 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

divvies out the white flowers and the candles, and we decamp to one of the bonfires in the resort’s grounds to light the candles and place the flowers beside them, as one of our errant guides joins us. It is actually quite a moving experience, even to a hardened travel cynic.

The following day’s drive to Pai is the most spectacular on our trip with sweeping panoramas of the verdant countryside.

We arrive at the Phu Pai Art Resort, a few kilometres outside of Pai, mid-afternoon.

Set in some farmland, this really is getting back to nature, and as I relax in the pool I feel that I am an intruder in a foreign land, especially as a farmer strims the now unwanted rice paddy in a neighbouring field.

In the evening, we take a minibus to Pai, a town which in truth could be anywhere on the Asian backpack circuit, and for the first time on the trip I feel disappointed, something which winning a few games of pool only partially alleviates. The next day is another one of rest for Jen, which is probably a good idea as the final day’s drive is also the longest. We will travel some 178 kilometres taking the scenic – for that read potholed – route back to Maewang, avoiding the heavy traffic that plies the road to Chiang Mai. The clouds start to roll over and there is a genuine possibility that I may have to use the windscreen wiper – there is only one – for the first time. A bunch of bikers pass us on the tight bends. Then we ascend some more before pulling over to the side of the road to enjoy the view at what Smithy helpfully describes as “the viewpoint” about half way to our destination.

The bikers have arrived here first. They all congregate around Jen, needing little encouragement to pose for the camera. I am clearly an optional extra.

This will be my most biding memory of the trip; the way that Thais have welcomed the crazy foreigners driving their orange tuk tuks around Thailand. I have never felt so true a welcome in all my travels. There is a genuine warmth but also respect for what we are doing, especially as we are taking Jen and her colleague Flo on roads that no self-respecting urban tuk tuk would ever dream of driving.

Shortly afterwards Jen starts misbehaving. Smithy thinks we – namely I – have been over-revving the engine as we descended the steep slopes. I suspect that, like myself, Jen has no desire for our adventure to come to an end. He takes over driving, relegating me to a role on the bench for the rest of the trip.

What at first feels like a slur on my tuk tuk driving skills – after all I am now a ten-day veteran – soon turns out to be a reward.

Sitting in the back I can enjoy our welcome as we pass through some idyllic villages where locals smile or wave at the most unexpected visitors.

Eventually, we turn onto the road upon which we started our trek, and I recognise landmarks we passed a week ago. With the chequered flag almost in sight, Smithy rediscovers his trust in my driving ability, and he allows me to take Jen home.

The hotel where we stayed our first two nights now in clear view, I indicate left and pull Jen into the grass verge by the side of the road, stalling her for one final time as I forget to apply enough clutch and we slam to a halt.

At least some things have not changed.

The Tuk Tuk Club runs day trips from just outside of Chiang Mai as well as the longer 11-day trip. For more information, visit www. thetuktukclub.com.

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 41

919 QUICK HAMBURG AND CURRY 68 Street 51, Phnom Penh. Tel. 096 952 8051. Open Monday to Saturday, from 11.30am to 3pm and 6pm to 10pm.

Matt Surrusco and photographer Enric Català sink their teeth into 919 Quick’s meaty Japanese bar fare – from a fried-egg-topped burger and crispy fried chicken to cheesy curry and, well, another juicy burger.

There’s a duality to the burger patties served up at 919 Quick Hamburg and Curry that leaves one’s mouth watering and mind wondering how they could taste so good.

The flavourful meat is a mix of beef and pork from Australia and New Zealand, says manager Omura Shin. After being shaped by hand, patties are first grilled and then baked. They’re cooked well and not greasy, but still moist and juicy on the inside.

Whether served over rice and Japanese curry, with a bun or without, the “hamburg” at the diner-like bar and grill, which is situated in an alleyway near Phnom Penh’s Wat Lanka, is the standout on the menu.

One “burger” option is the teritama hamburg steak ($6.90), comprising a flavour-filled beef42 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

pork patty served sans bun and topped with a fried egg, which is partially grilled and then seared with a butane torch, leaving the yolk just slightly runny. With hints of salty teriyaki sauce and meat that nearly melts in your mouth, the patty is far beyond your average beef burger.

The sides of grilled corn and carrots, cooked on the same grill as the burger with similar flavour, red cabbage and mashed potatoes are great complements.

For those who prefer their burger with a sesame-seed bun and fries, the more Westernstyle cheeseburger ($6.90), which includes the same beefpork patty with mozzarella and gouda, was a delicious experience, messy and with all the fixings – tomato, lettuce, onion, pickles and green olives.

The thick-cut fries are seasoned well with salt, dried parsley and a bit of chicken stock powder, so even the chips have a slightly meaty flavour.

One of Shin’s favourite dishes, the baked cheese hamburg curry ($9.50) is a traditional Japanese curry served over rice with a hamburg patty, melted mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan, which transforms it into a diner-like, cheesy classic and is easily shared among two or three diners.

Another staple of Japanese casual dining, the fried chicken side ($3.90) is essentially a meal with five pieces of crispy chicken fried in a breaded coating that includes ginger, garlic, gin and soy sauce, Shin says. It’s served with mayo and soy sauce for dipping and a side salad.

If that wasn’t enough meat for one meal, the chicken steak ($5.90) is an alternative to the burger. While the first few bites were overly salty, adding some Japanese sauce helped dull the salt flavour and sweeten up the tender, grilled chicken. It also comes with grilled vegetables, cabbage and mashed potatoes.

With low-lighting and seating for 25 people at a long, stainless steel bar counter, small tables or a larger booth in the back, 919 Quick is an intimate, casual restaurant offering hearty Japanese comfort food.

Not a good choice for vegetarians, but a great one for meat-loving couples or friends, this burger and curry joint is sure to leave you full and glad you forgoed usual bar fare for something more satiating.

THE PELICAN FOOD COMPANY 52 Street 282, Phnom Penh. Tel. 070 436 703. Open daily, from 7.30am to 8.30pm.

Matt Surrusco and photographer Lim Sokchanlina taste the breakfast, lunch and dinner options, including pepper ham and eggs, savoury pies, satisfying pierogi and fresh baked bread and desserts, at the Pelican Food Company.

The Pelican Food Company started as a small shop selling savoury pies, mostly for takeaway, on Phnom Penh’s Street 278 in 2010. Since then, it has morphed into a larger catering and wholesale operation and expanded its offerings.

But despite its growth, Pelican’s cosy café, situated just a few blocks from its original location, retains a homey aesthetic and a menu full of homemade comfort food, including pies, sandwiches, Polish dumplings, and fresh baked bread and desserts.

The eatery provides a comfortable setting – with kitschy, mismatched decor and repurposed crates, gates and wood pallets for furniture – to nosh and nibble with friends or colleagues.

Owner Ewa Jankowska, an economist by education from

Poland who bought Pelican from the original owner in 2013, started us off with the big breakfast ($6). It includes two eggs, spicy slices of Kampot pepper ham from local butchers, Danmeat, cheese, tomato and homemade bread.

We tasted slices of sourdough with seeds and challah, slightly sweet with sesame seeds, both distinct and especially delicious with a smear of dried cranberry and apricot jam, also homemade.

To perk up, order a French press ($1.95), with a sand timer provided to clock an optimal three-minute brewing time. The robust coffee is from Rumble Fish Roasters in Kampot.

Another option is one of seven organic herbal teas ($2.50 for a small pot). The stinging nettle tea was earthy and refreshing, and,

according to the menu, “helps relieve muscle and joint pain” and other bodily ailments. Later, we sipped a ginger-honey-turmeric lemonade ($2), which was super sweet, cool and refreshing.

Moving on to lunch, the salad is big enough to share ($4.50), and comprises green lettuce, tomato, grilled courgette and a generous spread of walnuts, sunflower seeds and sundried tomato, served with your choice of grilled chicken, tuna, feta cheese or hard-boiled egg and homemade bread. The feta crumbles paired pleasantly with the simple dressing of olive oil, lime, salt and pepper.

Next up, Poland’s version of dumplings. The five varieties of boiled pierogi ($3.85 for 10) we tasted were each delicious, some with especially tasty

fillings, including the chicken, spinach and sundried tomato, and mushroom and parsley.

The latter filling, Jankowska says, is her grandmother’s recipe – although she used wild mushrooms from the forests of Poland. And the fried onion and sour cream fixings only add to the flavours hidden inside each pocket of unleavened dough.

With half-dozen savoury puff pastry pies to choose from ($3.85), we tasted the beef and green peppercorn pie which was spicy and delicious, and highlighted the whole Kampot peppercorns, the youngest of the pepper varieties.

For dessert, the pecan pie and cheesecake ($3.85 per slice) were both sugary, satisfying and luckily available by slice or the whole pie or cake.

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 43

DE MAP 37 Street 310, Phnom Penh. Tel. 017 483 338. Open daily, from 9.30am to 10pm.

As a venture started by two friends with the aim of bringing a variety of Thai food at reasonable prices to Phnom Penh, De Map welcomes Miguel Jerónimo and photographer Enric Catala for a friendly lunch in its cosy environment.

As we enter the intimate and cosy room of De Map restaurant, we are met with marine-blue walls, hip wooden furniture, and wide smiles and friendliness from the staff.

The founders – young Cambodian friends, Heng Chamraeun and Keo Lykoun – were college classmates, who shared a common passion for Thai food. Determined to launch their own restaurant, they quit their jobs to start their first entrepreneurial adventure.

Chamraeun grew up in Koh Kong, near the Thai border, with cuisine from the country playing a prominent part of his childhood, as he delved into the variety of dishes available from across the border.

He cites the world-famous dishes everyone knows and 44 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

loves – pad Thai, tom yum soup, green curry and spicy papaya salad, som tam – which are included on the extensive menu that takes in 43 dishes.

As a bonus, they all come with a reasonable price, with the average meal being $2 to $3.

Our attention was grabbed by the lanh nah with pork or seafood, a form of crispy noodles, which Chamraeun says is quite uncommon to find in Cambodia, the chi chhay seaweed soup, the century eggs, the chicken soup with coconut milk or the lab, spicy minced pork from Isaan province.

One of the stars is the fried octopus with egg salad (15,000 riel), but the salad that made our taste buds fall in love was the glass noodles with shrimp, pork, octopus and vegetables – spicy

and fresh at the same time due to the generous portion of parsley.

For some hot goodness, the spicy pork rib bone soup is a nourishing option, and for those looking to fill their belly, the kopi fried rice (10,000 riel) fills the requirements. It combines sweet pork, green mango, pineapple, onions, dried shrimp and slices of omelette, all cooked with a twist using kopi, a fermented shrimp paste that is Thailand’s equivalent to the Cambodian fish-based prahok.

As snacks, we recommend the fried shrimp or fish balls with red paste, both making you feel you’re on a street-food stall on a Bangkok street. Other options are kopi with vegetables to dip or the fried chicken wings which are marinated in a delicious home-made sauce (12,000 riel).

As a side dish, we had a corn salad, which was simple but filling with vegetables, dried shrimp and fresh chili (6,000 riel).

Enjoy it while drinking a delicious red lemon tea (3,500 riel) – it’s as Thai as you can possibly get – or one of the mojito mocktails if you have a sweet tooth (blueberry, orange, kiwi, peach or strawberry are the main flavours).

The duo often go to Bangkok in search of more recipes and this month 20 more dishes will be added to the menu, including fried frog with spicy red paste.

“Some people say if you have a restaurant with tastes people are not used to the business will fail, but we don’t believe in that, we want to focus in new experiences,” says Chamraeun.

8

DIB Club Koch Pich Street, Phnom Penh. Tel. 099 997 740.

Open Monday to Thursday, from 9am to 8pm, and 10pm at weekends.

If relaxing next to the pool with a cocktail in hand sounds like your cup of tea, then head to DIB Club. Words by Marissa Carruthers, photography by Enric Català.

There’s no question what DIB Club’s selling point is: the pool. And it’s not just any old swimming spot, it’s a sprawling mass of water that forms the venue’s striking centre piece.

Since taking over in early 2017, Dara Hotels has transformed the venue into a stylish spot, adding a restaurant and bar, as well as sprucing up the surroundings to evoke a relaxed beach club vibe.

Situated on rising Koh Pich, next to HUIONE Golf Club – hence the large net that hangs above the pool to prevent any potential harm from rogue golf balls – DIB Club is the perfect place to kick back and relax throughout the week, or bring the kids at weekends, although reservations are recommended as general manager Frederic Bachelet says it fills up quickly with families. He adds DIB attracts a healthy mix of locals and foreigners.

With plenty of stylish seating sitting in the dappled shade, or sun loungers for those wanting to top up their tan, this is the perfect place to kick back with a cocktail.

The drinks menu takes in the usual range of spirits, wines and beers, with champagne available for those wanting to splash out.

The cocktail menu inclues all the classics, from a cosmopolitan and tequila sunrise, through to caipirihna (all cocktails $5.50).

The pina colada fits perfectly with the vibe, fusing together rum, coconut milk and pineapple juice. Well balanced, the coconut shines through, complimented by

the sweetness of the pineapple without being too strong on the alcohol front.

The vodka passion is refreshing, with its smooth blend of vodka, passionfruit, mint and sugar syrup providing the perfect remedy to Phnom Penh’s many steamy days.

The mojito is another cocktail done right, and is one of DIB’s best-sellers.

The mint and lime juice pack a punch in the classic offering, with passion, ginger and lemongrass options also available for those looking for a slight twist.

The blue margarita – tequila, triple sec, blue cara cao, lime juice and sugar syrup – isn’t for the light-hearted. However, the salty rim helps to ease the alcoholfuelled kick that comes with the concoction.

On the food front, a range of salads, pasta and pizza are served, as well as burgers, sandwiches, wraps, Asian dishes and desserts.

Also home to the Magic Castle playground and a range of activities, from yoga and capoeira, to zumbafit and aqua gym classes, as well as its popping first Friday of the month pool parties, DIB Club has something for everyone to enjoy, even if it’s simply chilling on the stylish seating among the tropical fauna or sunbathing by the pool.

Use of the pool is free for those who spend $5 or more on food and drinks.

Follow DIB Club on Facebook to find out more about its events.

45 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

TheSmallestDetails

THE ATHENEE BANGKOK Words by Mark Bibby Jackson.

46 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

A

s I walked into the Black Swan - a common haunt on my flying trips through Bangkok - I could detect a change of atmosphere when I answered the traditional question that greats my arrival. “The Athenee,” I said, “I’m staying at the Athenee.” Clearly my drinking buddies were not accustomed to my booking into such illustrious hotels.

“Plaza Athenee,” one of them – also called Mark – immediately corrected me, quite erroneously. “Very HiSo,” before adding that he knew the sous chef there.

He was in the business.

His mistake was understandable for it was only in October 2017 that the Plaza Athénée Bangkok rebranded as The Athenee Hotel, as it became part of the Luxury Collection.

Mark was right about one thing. The Athenee is most definitely HiSo. This is where rich Thais marry their children off to other rich Thais, a fact reinforced by the wedding reception that was taking over the hotel’s mezzanine level as I arrived. It also has a Sunday brunch held in high esteem by the capital’s expats.

The Athenee stands on the grounds of the Kandhavas Palace, the residence of Princess Valaya Alongkorn, aunt of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The princess was noted for her love of travel and her modern style, and it is this which The Luxury Collection has tried to capture in its multi-million-dollar renovation.

Combining authentic Thai motifs with contemporary luxuries, such as an Illy espresso capsule machine and the latest wireless technology, and with an exquisite eye for detail, the transformation is an unquestionable success. So much so that it has received the Best

Hotel Interior Thailand at the Five Star Asia Pacific Property Awards.

Not that the sensual satisfaction of The Athenee Bangkok is solely to do with the eye, with four signature restaurants on the third floor, the Glaz bar, and The Rain Tree Café, where breakfast is served in three separate dining areas on the ground floor, your stomach is well looked after as well.

And if relaxation is what you are after, the pool area has also been redesigned to create an excellent green oasis where you can relax or enjoy chic evening soirees in the adjoining bar. Next to the pool, the spa has therapists who will tailor treatments to your personal requirements, and even your blood type.

As I am leaving after a most delightful, and restful stay, I notice a three-piece band playing in the foyer outside the Rain Tree Café. It’s late on a Sunday morning, and the staff are gearing up to serve brunch. How about sampling that brunch? I take a quick escorted tour inside. Able to resist anything but temptation, sadly I recall a prior engagement to meet some friends in a jazz bar. An appointment that I resolve to make, despite the lure of the inviting fresh seafood on display.

Well, there is always next time. However, if there is a next time at The Athenee Bangkok at least, I better not tell my drinking friends, after all I don’t want them getting too jealous, do I? The Athenee Bangkok Hotel A Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok 61 Wireless Road (Witthayu), Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand - T. (+66) 2650 8800.

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 47

Photography: Ra Yuth Models: Jennifer and Pagna Hair and Makeup: Kosal at The Dollhouse Styling: Ryan Drewe Taylor

Wrap Dress – Ambre

48 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

On her: Jumpsuit - Ambre On him: Jacket and Pants - Don Protasio

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 49

On On him her : D : Su re it ss A - A rma rm da ad by ab A y A bel be lo llo

50 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

by Abello d Pants - Armada On her: Jacket an - Lee & Taylor et ck Ja bre; Crop On him: Pants - Am

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 51

LISTINGS

Tel: 023 219 911

hotel & travel

Korean Air 254 R03 Monivong Blvd.

Phnom Penh Tel: 023 224 047 023 224 049

Airlines Air Asia Domestic Terminal Arrival Office A17 Phnom Penh International Airport Tel: 023 890 035 Asiana Airlines Room A16 Phnom Penh International Airport Tel: 023 890 441

Term 4 enrolment Full and half day programs from Early Learning to Pre-school Term starts 18th April NO CAPITAL FEE until August

Call 017 373 376 for more infomation No. 4A, Street 75, Sangkat Sraschark Phnom Penh canta.pdf 1 1/12/2016 8:54:51 AM Princeton School Phnom Penh www.princeton-school.com

Bangkok Airways 61A Street 214 Phnom Penh Tel: 023 722 545 Bassaka Air 335 Preah Sihanouk Blvd.

Phnom Penh Tel: 023 217 688 Cambodia Angkor Air 206A Preah Norodom Blvd. Phnom Penh Tel: 023 666 6788 Cambodia Bayon Airlines 174ABCD, Mao Tse Toung Blvd.

Phnom Penh Tel: 023 231 555 Cebu Pacific Air 333B Preah Monivong Blvd Phnom Penh Tel: 023 219 161 China Airlines 32 Preah Norodom Blvd.

Phnom Penh Tel: 023 222 056 China Eastern 68 Street 606 Phnom Penh Tel: 016 985 668 / 016 985 304 China Southern Room F-G-H-I, Ground floor 53 Phnom Penh Hotel, Monivong Blvd Tel: 023 424 588 DragonAir 168 Monireth Blvd Phnom Penh Tel: 023 424 300

C

M

Eva Air Suite 11-14B Street 205 Phnom Penh

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

52 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

Jet Star Asia 333B Monivong Blvd Phnom Penh Tel: 023 220 909

Lao Airlines 58B Preah Sihanouk Blvd.

Phnom Penh Tel: 023 222 956 Malaysia Airlines 35-37 Street 214, Phnom Penh Tel: 023 218 923 023 218 924 Myanmar Airways International 90-94Eo Charles de Gaulle (Street 217) Phnom Penh Tel: 023 866 404 Qatar Airways 296 Mao Tse Toung Blvd.

Ground floor, Intercontinental Hotel Phnom Penh.

Skywing Asia Airlines IOC building Monivong Blvd.

Tel: 023 217130 Silk Air Regency Complex C, Suite 2-4 Samdach Monireth Blvd Tel: 023 988 629 Thai Airways 294 Mao Tse Toung Blvd.

Phnom Penh Tel: 023 214 359 Tiger Airways 296 Mao Tse Toung Blvd.

Intercontinental Hotel, Suite 16B Phnom Penh Tel: 023 5515 888 Vietnam Airlines 41 Street 214 Phnom Penh Tel: 023 215 998

Kampot Bokor Mountain Lodge Riverfront Tel: 033 932 314 017 712 062 Beautiful French colonial building situated on riverfront with well-fitted air-conditioned rooms.

Has a good restaurant and bar.

Epic Arts Café Old Market Street Employing deaf staff, this café next to the old market has a good range of bagels, shakes,

brownies and coffee. Is also the centre for the community arts programme. Open from 7am-6pm.

Les Manguiers 2km north of Kampot Tel: 092 330 050 Small resort with bungalows and rooms set in beautiful gardens overlooking the river with a restaurant which has daily changing menu and freshly prepared food.

Mea Culpa 44 Sovansokar Tel: 012 504 769 Email: meaculpakampot@gmail.com Accommodation established by the former manager of Bokor Mountain Lodge set in the French Quarter. Six rooms have AC, hot water, DVD and TV. The large garden has a patio pizzeria and bar.

Rikitikitavi Riverfront Tel: 0 12 274 820 012 235 102 www.rikitikitavi-kampot.com Western food served in large portions in this river-facing restaurant, bar and three-room guesthouse. A more upmarket venue for Kampot, the upstairs seating affords great sunset views.

Restaurant and bar open daily.

Rusty Keyhole Riverside Road Tel: 012 679 607 Friendly British owner has recreated the atmosphere of a rural British pub in outer Kampot, or at least as close as it gets. The ribs remain as good as ever. Open 8.30am until midnight.

Kep Knai Bang Chatt Resort Tel: 078 888 557 www.knaibangchatt.com An exclusive resort offering personal service in private grounds housing a collection of remodeled 1960’s style colonial villas. Offering 18 rooms, infinity pool, spa and media centre.

All rooms refurbished to international standards.

Choice of two dining options – upscale The Strand or the adjoining Sailing Club.

Le Bout du Monde Tel: 011 964 181 www.leboutdumondekep.com Individual and separate bungalows in traditional Khmer architecture located on a hill-top with good views and nice gardens. Serves French and Khmer cuisine. Rooms have hot water, mini-bar, fan and safe.

Spring Valley Resort /Mr. Mab Tel: 036 666 6673 mrmab.com www.springvalley-resort.com Spring Valley Resort, at the base of Kep National Park, is just a short walk to the beach. The rooms are scattered throughout vibrant green gardens, connected by walkways that wind through vines, trees and flowering plants.

Their restaurant, Mr Mab takes a fresh look at traditional Khmer street food.

Villa S’aat Tel: 017 383 185 www.villa-kep.com Elegant and spacious villa for rent in Kep during holidays and weekends. Located around 2km from the crab market, with spacious rooms, fully equipped kitchen, swimming pool, large terrace, garden and household staff. Maximum capacity of 12 guests.

Phnom Penh – Apartments Bellevue Serviced Apartments 68 Tonle Sap Street Tel: 023 432 999 www.bellevueservicedapartments.com Located in a deluxe hotel complex on the riverbank of the Tonle Sap, Bellevue offers spacious, contemporary accommodation 10 minutes away from the city.

Himawari Hotel Apartments

313 Sisowath Quay Tel: 023 214 555 Email: reservation@himawari.com.kh www.himawarihotel.com Choose from panoramic views of the Mekong Delta or the city skyline backdrop with the Royal Palace, the spacious and well-appointed suites are a home away from home, both for tourists and long-stay guests. Amenities include fullyequipped kitchen, daily housekeeping services, international pool, fitness centre, tennis court, spa and various food and beverage outlets.

Season Residence Apartments 109-133, Street 144 Tel: 0 23 990 628 012 457 408 www.seasonresidence.com Season Residence is self-catered accommodation located only 9km from the airport. Featuring spacious apartments with free Wi-Fi access.

Silvertown Metropolitan 251 Street 63 www.silvertowncambodia.com Located in BKK1, one of the most vibrant neighbourhoods of Phnom Penh, the fully serviced apartments take everyday living and lifestyle at the highest quality. Features include a tranquil rooftop skybar and infinity swimming pool.

Sokea Suites Extended Stay 168 Monireth Blvd. www.sokeasuites.com The 21 apartments ranging from 37 m2 to 95 m2 are designed with one idea in mind: to make guests feel at home in Phnom Penh.

TAMASA Serviced Apartment Located next to Cambodia Country Club Tel: 023 995 594 The 26 rooms all have different designs and layouts. A café is located on the ground floor of the building and it also has an infinity pool on the top floor, which is opened for residents and guests.

Phnom Penh – Deluxe InterContinental 296 Mao Tse Toung Blvd.

Tel: 023 424 888 www.ihg.com One of Phnom Penh’s most luxurious 5-star hotels, the 346 air-con rooms have all the expected facilities including in-room safes and king size beds. Also has a large swimming pool, a fitness centre and spa.

Raffles Hotel Le Royal Street 92 Tel: 023 981 888 www.raffles.com/phnom-penh/ Emanates the same class as its more famous namesake in Singapore. The Elephant Bar is a popular expat haunt during the 4pm to 8pm happy hour.

Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra 26 Old August Site, Sothearos Blvd.

Tel: 023 999 200 www.sofitel.com Set on the riverside amongst landscaped gardens this 12-storey, 5-star colonial style hotel is close to key attractions, embassies and the central business district.

Phnom Penh – Mid The Billabong Hotel 5 Street 158 Tel: 023 223 703 www.thebillabonghotel.com Phnom Penh’s premier boutique family hotel with 41 well-appointed rooms surrounding a large free form salt water swimming pool. Poolside alfresco dining.

Mito Hotel 11 Street 174, corner Monivong Blvd.

(North of Wat Koh Pagoda) Tel: 023 213 999 023 220 188 023 220 199 Email: reservation@mitohotel.com www.mitohotel.com

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 55

Mito Hotel is a newly renovated business hotel in the heart of Phnom Penh. Blessed with premier central location, diverse international clientele of business men, entrepreneurs, adventures with affordable luxury. Mito Hotel is the preferred choice for business and leisure travellers.

Rambutan Resort 29 Street 71 Tel: 017 992 240 www.rambutanresort.com Urban modern oasis located in a quiet residential area only 5 minutes from all major sights in Phnom Penh. Deluxe pool view and garden rooms with outdoor bathtubs. Salt water pool and private spa room for some unwinding treatments.

bar and restaurant. Nicely furnished rooms.

Colonial style.

Villa Samnang 15 Street 302 Tel: 023 221 644 www.villa-samnang.com Boutique hotel with 14 rooms, swimming pool, bar and restaurant.

Villa Srey 16 Street 306 Tel: 023 213 219 www.villasrey.com Charming hotel, six rooms with terrace and swimming pool. Very quiet in the heart of Phnom Penh.

The 252 Boutique Hotel 19 Street 252 Tel: 023 998 252 www.the-252.com Conveniently located close to major attractions, the small boutique hotel offers a quiet and peaceful retreat from the bustling city. Spacious and stylishly decorated rooms with all amenities, swimming pool surrounded by a leafy tropical garden, outdoor restaurant and bar.

LISTINGS

Mid-Range

siem reap

Almond Hotel 128f Sothearos Bld. Tel: 023 220 822 Owned by Cambodia’s top chef, Luu Meng, this hotel boasts 70 guest rooms, and is aimed at the visiting business community. Tasty dim sun is served from the ground floor restaurant, YiSang.

Sister hotel about to open close to Aeon Mall.

The Artist Guesthouse 69 Street 178 Tel: 023 213 930 www.the-artist-guesthouse.com Located across from the National Museum, The Artist is an 11-bedroom guesthouse has a modern feel.

The Quay Sisowath Quay Tel: 023 224 894 www.thequayhotel.com Five-storey, 16-room riverside boutique hotel has beautiful contemporary rooms designed by Gary Fell. The stand-out features are the roof-top Jacuzzi and the very contemporary ground-floor bar and Chow Restaurant with WiFi. Samsara Villa Boutique Hotel 43z5, Street 466, Phnom Penh.

Tel: 011 562 629 023 219 136 www.samsaravilla.com Located in a quiet alley, between Aeon Mall and Russian Market, 15min from Riverside and Central Market, Samsara Villa is charming, peaceful with a small but luxurious garden, a pool, 20 rooms, restaurant & bar open from 7am to 10pm, transportation & tours.

Tama Hotel Phnom Penh Tower – The H22 Phnom Penh Tower, 22nd Floor Tel: 023 964 020 www.d22h22.com Many of the rooms feature large windows allowing guests to easily take in the beautiful city view from your room on the 22nd floor of PPT. Room available from $25.

TEAV Boutique Hotel 14 Street 310 Tel: 023 981 818 / 017 989 191 Email: stay@teavgroup.com www.teavboutiquehotel.com Located in a quiet, peaceful setting in the prestigious central heart of Phnom Penh near the Independence Monument, the uniquely designed art deco style TEAV Boutique Hotel provides single travellers, couples, families, leisure and business with a relaxing and highly personalised stay.

Villa Borann 235A Street 19 Tel: 023 211 518 www.villa-borann-boutique-hotel.com Business boutique hotel in the historical centre of Phnom Penh with 14 rooms, swimming pool,

54 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

siem reap

Bars Laundry Bar Old Market Extremely chilled music bar just off Pub Street with great mellow decor and extremely cool t-shirts. Free drink during the 6pm-9pm washing hours. Open 6pm until late.

Linga Bar Alley behind Pub Street Tel: 012 246 912 www.lingabar.com Laid back, gay-friendly bar with extremely chilled Buddha Bar tunes and amazing light boxes. Range of cocktails. Open 5pm until late.

Mezze 13a (1st floor) Street 11 Tel: 097 766 7343 mezze.siemreap@gmail.com www.mezzesiemreap.com Enjoy signature cocktails, original Cuban cigars, fine Champagne and fusion tapas.

Open daily 6pm-1am.

Miss Wong Lane off Pub Street Tel: 092 428 332 Imagine yourself in China at the turn of the last century and you won’t go much wrong in Miss Wong with excellent and original cocktails and dim sum. Open late.

Nest Sivutha Blvd.

Tel: 063 966 381 Up-market drinking and dining, serving light Mediterranean and Asian food in a unique, highly stylised setting, with loungers and table settings.

The Warehouse Old Market Tel: 012 530 227 Popular expat bar plays great music with good fusion cuisine. Best stocked bar in town and homemade infused vodkas. Open 10am-3am.

Galleries Happy Cambodia Gallery 2 Hospital Street, next to Pub Street Tel: 063 963 114 www.happypainting.net The distinctive and highly colourful work created by long-time Cambodian expat artist Stef.

McDermott Gallery I & II FCC Complex Pokambor Avenue/Alley behind Pub Street Tel: 092 668 181 www.mcdermottgallery.com Two galleries devoted to photographic works.

With permanent exhibition of photographs taken

Food for Thought Sarah Brown If I’m truly honest, one of the things I miss most about life in the UK – aside from friends and family, of course – is the convenience of supermarket shopping.

Yes, I know monster supermarket chain stores are terrible in many ways, but when the general business of modern life takes over, there’s something deeply satisfying about being able to buy everything from mozzarella to mandarins under one roof.

But while there are certainly moments that I wish I didn’t have to moto to 20 different locations around Siem Reap to do my weekly food shopping, I also appreciate how lucky I am to live in a little city in which such fresh, delicious produce is available.

With that in mind, here are a few of my favourite foodie haunts in Siem Reap.

If organic produce is important to you, then the Happy + Co farm shop is certainly somewhere that should be on your shopping list. The Happy + Co team pride themselves on growing ethically and efficiently, saying no chemical pesticides, harvesting rain water, and composting waste matter.

They offer a wide variety of produce – including fruits, vegetables and leafy greens – from Monday to Saturday at their farm shop on Street 26, and even have a free next-day delivery service for orders over $5.

To order online, visit happyandcofarm.com.

For fresh produce, the local markets are also, of course, a great option. While prices aren’t fixed and bargains somewhat depend on both your Khmer language and bartering abilities, I love diving into the hustle and bustle.

I like shopping at the Old Market (Psar Cha), but if you have the time and patience, there’s certainly a wider and arguably more interesting variety available at Psar Leu. Aside from fruit and veg, the local markets are also a great place to pick up freshly grated coconut, palm sugar, raw nuts, spices, herbs, baguettes, and local desserts.

If you’re interested in health food, Vibe Café in Kandal Village offers a wide variety of vegan ingredients and deli items as well as delicious eat-in dishes.

Here you’ll find everything from natural health supplements such as maca powder and nutritional yeast, to dried fruits and granola. If, on the other hand, cheese and cured meats are more your thing, then make a stop at the newly installed deli counter at Paris Bakery on Wat Bo Road.

While there, you can also get your mitts on some delicious antipasti, jams, and even breads and baked goods.

So, while there may not be a Tesco supermarket in sight, those of us lucky enough to live in Temple Town certainly aren’t short on shopping options.

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 55

LISTINGS

food & drink Cafés Blue Pumpkin 245 Sisowath Quay, and at Monument Books on Norodom Blvd.

Tel: 023 998 153 At multiple locations in Phnom Penh, serving breakfast sets, Asian and Western entrées and an array of ice cream flavours in air-conditioned comfort. Open daily from 6am-11pm.

Brown Coffee & Bakery 17 Street 214, and other locations throughout the city.

Tel: 023 217 262 Stylish, locally owned café with bakery on the premises serves a variety of coffees and pastries, with the green tea latte a house speciality. Open 7.30am-8pm.

Café Yejj 170 Street 450 Tel: 012 543 360 092 600 750 Quiet, cosy café serving bistro-style Western cuisine, with extensive range of coffees, pasta dishes, pannini and wraps and fabulous cheesecake, making this an ideal spot to escape the bustle of the nearby Russian Market. Open every day from 7am-9pm.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf 30 Street 57 Tel: 023 988 027 Peaceful coffee shop with different locations in town (BKK1, Phnom Penh Tower, Vattanac Tower & Aeon Mall) provides you good quality products and excellent service.

Chocolat 26 Sothearos Blvd Tel: 023 999 200 Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra’s casual cafe . Enjoy your morning tea or freshly brewed coffee, paired with warm French pastries.

Savour pies and macaroons and a range of handmade chocolates and truffles.

Java Café & Gallery 56 Sihanouk Blvd.

Tel: 023 987 420 Great coffees, salads, mix-and-match sandwiches and juices served in an elegant setting. The upstairs terrace, overlooking the Independence Monument, is a good place to watch the chaos below, while the downstairs space is a great place for coffee and catching up on your emails. Has exhibitions both upstairs and down. Open 7am-10pm.

The Deli 13 Street 178.Tel: 012 851 234 The Deli is a simple Bistro Gourmet where the chef changes half the menu every few weeks and the wines per glass are selected to sit alongside the dishes to help customers make the perfect pairing.

The Shop 39 Street 240, Tel: 092 955 963 023 986 964 Stylish café, with a wide range of fresh bread, tempting patisseries and juices, excellent salads and sandwiches. Crowded at lunchtime, but the small, cool courtyard at the back creates a perfect haven from the sun.

Has a Chocolate Shop three doors along, and a second outlet in Tuol Kork. Open 7am-7pm

Mon to Sat, 7am-3pm Sun.

Cambodian Khmer Surin 9 Street 57 Tel: 012 887 320 Elegant restaurant featuring wood and silk décor with a tropical garden that serves Cambodian and Thai favourites. Dishes are well prepared and large enough to share.

La Table Khmère 11E Street 278 Tel: 012 238 068 www.la-table-khmere.com Taste the flavour of traditional Khmer specialities and fusion cuisine in a stylish ambience and atmosphere on Street 278.

Also serving Western dishes. Open daily from 11am-11pm.

Malis 136 Norodom Bvd Tel: 023 221 022 www.malis-restaurant.com Beautiful modern Khmer restaurant with a courtyard set around narrow water channels and decorated with terracotta floor tiles. Has air-con rooms inside for those who find the midday sun too much. The cuisine is modern Khmer, with no MSG. Open 6am-10pm.

Romdeng 74 Street 174 Tel: 092 219 565 Romdeng serves Cambodian food that ranges from almost forgotten recipes from the provinces to contemporary creative Cambodian cuisine. It is set in a beautiful colonial building featuring wooden carvings, tables, chairs and unique lights all hand-made in Cambodia. Open daily from 11am-10.30pm (kitchen closes at 9.30pm).

Chinese Emperors of China 19 Street 163 Tel: 097 929 2699 Up-market Chinese restaurant, popular with the capital’s large Chinese community, private dining rooms, specialises in Peking duck and dim sum.

Fortune Palace NagaWorld, Hun Sen Park Chinese restaurant with authentic Greater Chinese cuisine and all-you-can-eat Dim Sum buffet on Sundays. Open from 11am-3pm and 5pm-10pm.

Fu Lu Zu Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra 26 Old August Site, Sothearos Blvd Tel: 023 999 200 x 6613 Elegant Chinese restaurant specialising in contemporary Cantonese delicacies and dim sum with private rooms for intimate ambience. Lunch & Dim Sum Buffet: Monday to Friday, from 11.30am to 2.30 pm/ weekends, from 10.30am to 2.30pm.

World Dining 2/F Aeon Mall, 132 Samdach Sothearos Blvd, Tel: 023 90 17 77 Food Court that brings streetfood to the sanctuary of the Mall with 12 booths serving food from Cambodia and around the World. The Cambodian cuisine includes some fantastic, fresh and cheap bahn chhev pancakes, while there are steaks, Indian, Italian, Singapore chicken and rice, pho and chinese food from Yi Sang as cosmopolitan alternatives. Open 9am to 10pm.

Xiang Palace InterContinental Phnom Penh 2/F, 296 Mao Tse Toung Blvd Tel: 023 424 888 x 3562 Xiang Palace is locally acclaimed for its authentic Cantonese cuisine and delicious dim sum, all prepared with the finest ingredients.

Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Yi Sang Chinese Restaurant 128F Sothearos Blvd Tel: 023 220 922 www.almondhotel.com.kh Set on the ground floor of the Almond Hotel, this stylish restaurant specialises in Cantonese food that fuses the traditional with the contemporary, including excellent dim sum.

Open from 6.30am-10am, 11.30am-2pm and 5.30pm-10pm. Dim Sum not served in the evening.

French Comme à la Maison 13 Street 57 Tel: 012 951 869 www.commealamaison-delicatessen.com Sophisticated French restaurant with a beautiful outdoor terrace area at the front, yet secluded from the street. One of the best French kitchens in town. Small delicatessen at the back of the restaurant. Open daily from 6am-10.30pm.

The D22 Dining & Bar Phnom Penh Tower 22nd Floor – Inside Tama Hotel Phnom Penh Tel: 023 964 021 http://tamahomecambodia.jp/tamahotel/ The dining offers French bistro cuisine where you get to enjoy the dishes that go well with wines. The bar has a great selection of wines and also offers cigars that can add spice to your night. Dining 6.30pm-10pm, bar 4.30pm-midnight.

K West 1 Street 154, cnr. Sisowath Quay Tel: 023 214 747 Stylish aircon bar and restaurant below the Amanjaya with an excellent steak menu and good value happy hour from 6pm-8pm Fridays.

Now has a brasserie menu with daily specials.

Also has free WiFi. Open 6.30am until midnight.

Daily happy hour from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

La Residence Restaurant 22/24 Street 214 Tel: 023 224 582 Fine dining on an international scale in this sophisticated restaurant, where French classics meet gourmet, modern cuisine. Open from 11.30am-2pm and 6.30pm-10.30pm.

Le Gourmet NagaWorld Hotel and Casino, Hun Sen Park.

Tel: 023 228 822 Quality ingredients come together in beautiful presentation on the plate, with the luxury of the surroundings complemented by professional and attentive service. Open daily from 12pm-3pm and 6pm-10pm.

Restaurant Le Royal Raffles Hotel Le Royal Tel: 023 981 888 www.raffles.com Treat yourself to the finest French & Khmer cuisine in one of Indochina’s most elegant restaurants. The Chef’s Degustation menu allows you to try a myriad of dishes in a single meal in a refined atmosphere. Private rooms are available on request. Open from 6.30pm10.30pm.

Topaz 182 Norodom Blvd.

Tel: 012 346 555 / 023 221 622 Sophisticated, air-con restaurant with outside dining, upstairs bar, wine shop, cigar room and private rooms. One of Phnom Penh’s finest restaurants. Has a popular piano bar, night club upstairs. Open 11am-2pm, 6pm-11pm.

Van’s Restaurant 5 Street 102 Tel: 023 722 067 French fine-dining in a grand setting awaits at Van’s, located on the second floor of a well preserved colonial-era building near the Post Office. Has an excellent value set lunch. Open daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 5pm-10.30pm.

Indian Sub-Continent

Dosa Corner 15 Street 51 Tel: 012 673 276 This small South Indian restaurant has a wide range of very good value dosa as well as thali and biryani dishes. Air-conditioned. Open 7am-10pm.

International

Sher e Punjab 16 Street 130, Phnom Penh.

Tel: 092 992 901 Phnom Penh is blessed with a vast array of Indian kitchens, but many expats put this small place at the top of their list. Top Indian food, with an authentic Tandoori oven producing fine breads and grilled meats, also excellent for veggies. Open daily, 10am-10pm.

Black Bambu 29 Street 228, Phnom Penh.

Tel: 023 966 895 A not-for-profit training restaurant set up by Cambodian’s Children’s Fun, focusing on fine dining in the form of tapas-style food. With Al Schaaf in the kitchen you can be assured of the quality of the food on offer. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 8.30am to 11pm.

Indochine / Pan-Asian

Café Monivong Raffles Hotel Le Royal Tel: 023 981 888 Wicker armchairs and marble tables covered with crisp white tablecloths create the perfect place to relax and linger over a delightful alfresco breakfast, lunch or dinner. Western and Asian cuisines are available buffet-style or a la carte. Private rooms are available on request. Buffet from 6am-10am, 12pm-2.30pm, 6pm-10pm. A la carte from 11am-11pm.

Indochine NagaWorld, Hun Sen Park With a focus on Southeast Asian cuisine, Indochine offers traditional dishes from Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand in a sophisticated space.

Open 11am-11pm.

Lemongrass 14 Street 130 Tel: 023 222 705 A boutique Asian-themed restaurant with an intimate, casual ambiance featuring classical Thai and Khmer cuisine with affordable price.

Known for authentic flavours and attractive presentation, only the best local produce and choice seafood and meats are prepared fresh daily. Open daily 10am-10pm.

Pangea Fusion Restaurant NagaWorld Hotel and Casino, Hun Sen Park Tel: 023 228 822 Pan-Asian fusion restaurant with a western flair that specialises in all-you-can-eat dinner buffets.

Open daily 6am-10.30pm.

Aussie XL Café 205A Street 51 Tel: 023 301 301 Aussie style bistro food with quick lunch menu and a good selection of house wines and retail wines.

Open 7am-11pm.

The Chinese House 45 Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh.

Tel: 092 553 330 Under new management and having undergone a radical revamp, Chinese House has a fine dining restaurant upstairs serving fusion food, and a bar space downstairs, serving tapas. Still has the ubercool vibe created by the previous management.

Doors Restaurant 18, Street 47 & 84.

Tel: 023 986 114 www.doorspp.com A hub for music, art, nightlife and food. Experience world class Spanish cuisine and mouthwatering Tapas cooked by our resident chef. Open 11am until late.

A Piece of Cake YOUR HOME SEARCH MADE EASY Let HomeConnect Cambodia help you and your family find the perfect home to rent.

We make it EASY. And best of all it’s FREE.

Call us now on: +855 (0)15 831 846 www.homeconnectcambodia.com

FCC Phnom Penh 363 Sisowath Quay Tel: 023 724 014 The first stop for newcomers and it’s easy to see why. Set in a beautiful colonial house with sumptuous views across the river on one side and the National Museum to the other, it’s best to come at sunset when the streets below are most crowded, and enjoy the happy hour. Open daily from 7am-midnight.

Friends the Restaurant 215 Street 13 Tel: 012 802 072 Friends the Restaurant is a training restaurant run by Mith Samlanh, which has worked to build the futures of former street children and marginalised young people in Phnom Penh since 1994. Located near the National Museum, it is famous for its legendary frozen shakes and daiquiris and its delicious blend of Asian and Western-style tapas. Free WiFi available and a dog-friendly restaurant. Open daily from 11am–10.30pm (kitchen closes at 9.30pm).

Hummus House 95 Sisowath Quay Tel: 092 483 759 Authentic Lebanese halal cuisine, offering Middle East flavours including mezze tapas – hummus, shish kebab, baba ganouj, falafel, vegetarian and non-vegetarian kebab wraps. Delivery, takeaway, catering. Open daily from 10am until late.

Irina Russian Restaurant 22 Street 29 Tel: 012 833 524 092 833 524 www.irinacambodia.com Russian restaurant of iconic Phnom Penh status.

If you can walk out of the restaurant after hitting the vodkas then you are doing well. Open daily from 11am until the vodka runs out.

La Coupole Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra 26 Old August Site, Sothearos Blvd.

Tel: 023 999 200

www.sofitel.com Casual and authentic Indochinese and French cuisine with live cooking by chefs in an open kitchen concept. Offers breakfast, lunch, dinner and the Sunday brunch, all set in a stunning restaurant with high ceilings and natural light.

La Croisette 241 Sisowath Quay Tel: 023 220 554 Riverfront restaurant with an ample outside dining area screened off by trees that serves good, reasonably-priced food, also has a cool, air-con restaurant inside. Often arranges special events. Open 7am-late.

Lone Pine Café 14 Street 282 Tel: 078 949 39 095 949 398 Colossal burgers, Memphis hunk ribs, Cajun gumbo, spicy chili, root beer barbecue pulled pork, po boys, wings, big salads, best beer list, great bourbons and fantastic margaritas. Open daily from 11.30am-2pm, 6pm-10pm (evenings only on Sunday).

Lotus Blanc 152 Street 51 Tel: 017 602 251 Run by local NGO Pour un Sourire d’Enfant, this centrally located training restaurant has a monthly changing lunch menu as well as a la carte Khmer dishes. Serves both Asian and continental breakfast. Open Monday to Saturday, 7am-10pm.

Metro Café Cnr Sisowath Quay & Street 148 Tel: 023 222 275 Cool east-meets-west decor and a chic menu offering tapas, starters and mains, comprehensive cocktail menu, favourite among which is the Espresso Martini, Metro also offers a range of classic breakfasts and an elegant lunch spot with free wifi in an air-con and smoke-free (until 10pm) atmosphere. Open daily 9.30am-1am.

rooftop.lounge w i n e c o c k t a i l b e e r e a t e r y

r iver s id e & s t reet 1 5 4 087 600 768 | 087 600 856 fb.com/lemoonphnompenh lemoon@amanjaya-pancam-hotel.com 58 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

imbibe A . # 2 9 , S T. 2 8 8 ( S T. 5 5 ) W. BLACK-BAMBU.COM

A unique art deco buidling, serving an eclectic selection of creative sharing plates and main courses.

For the Love of Grenache Darren Gall The winegrape variety known as Grenache has long been derided as common and somewhat ordinary.

In Spain, it was widely planted to make all manner of inexpensive wines. In France, it was used to bulk up thin Burgundian wines in poor years, and in Australia it was an unimportant variety for cheap fortified and cask wines.

However, the Grenache variety in recent decades has emerged as something of a working-class hero, worthy of not only our attention but also our affection after some TLC in the vineyard and the winery.

There has been a continuing rise in the global demand for Chateaneuf du Pape wines, which come from the Southern Rhone valley in France.

Here, Grenache is a critical part of the wine’s blend and the most widely planted variety in the Rhone Valley.

In Spain, there has been renewed appreciation for Grenache as the primary variety behind the reemergence of the ancient region of Priorat.

In South Australia, there has never been a recorded case of the vine destroying mite phylloxera, which caused what would become known as the ‘Great French Wine Blight’ through the latter half of the 19th century.

Some of the best examples of Grenache vineyards still producing commercially in the world today. These old vines,

many well over a century, dry grown and without trellising, produce fruit of extraordinary concentration, character and complexity when hand-tended and allowed to set very small, manageable crops.

In Europe, the variety often shows a herbal note, with characters of olive tapenade, dark fruits, anise, axle grease and gun-smoke and notes of pan juices, whilst in the warmer climates of South Australia the old vines have a confectionary note to them, offering up musk, raspberry, loganberry and boysenberry fruits with hints of all spice.

In Spain, look to Priorat, Rioja and Navarro for the best examples, while there are also significant plantings in Catalonia and Aragon.

In France, apart from Chateauneuf du Pape look at Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Cotes du Rhone blends as some of the best Rhone Valley examples.

In Italy, there are plantings in Sardinia and in the US, California has some old, well established Grenache vineyards.

I used to make Grenache in McLaren Vale South Australia and have an affection for the old bush vines in the region, which produce some of the best and affordable examples of fine Grenache in the country and indeed the world, a variety well worth seeking out and trying with osso bucco or bbq ribs.

Darren Gall has spent a quarter of a century involved in virtually every aspect of the wine industry and the passionate pursuit of the next great bottle continues. gall.darren@yahoo.com.

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 59

Mike’s Burger House Russian Blvd. Tel: 012 633 971 Hugely popular burger bar that serves food with plastic knives and forks and equally plastic New York Steakhouse 264 Street 63 (cnr Mao Tse Tung Blvd.)

Tel: 023 987 500 Indulge in a seductive dining experience in the famed Phnom Penh Steak restaurant. The innovative menu features New-York Steakhouse signature prime cuts of beef charred to perfection accompanied by decadent sides and desserts.

Open Daily from 11am-2pm and 3pm-midnight.

Oscar Bistro 159 Sisowath Quay Tel: 023 215 179 The popular Bangkok Soi 11 bistro has made its way to the Cambodian capital with its familiar formula of great pizzas, classy cocktails and good wine. Expect the DJs to pump out the beats as you consider where to carry on the evening.

Petra 8 Street 288 (between St 51 & St 57) Tel: 023 666 3222 089 990 150 Authentic Arabic cuisine, ambiance and chef with rooftop shisha lounge. Located in the heart of BKK1. Special dining experiences with great costumes. Open daily from 10am–11pm.

Public House Street 240 1/2 Tel: 017 770 754 Offering fresh, simple and delicious cuisine set in a modern take on a pub. Open daily, from 11.30am-late (Saturdays from 10.30am and Sunday brunch).

Regency Cafe InterContinental Phnom Penh 296 Mao Tse Tung Blvd.

Tel: 023 424 888 ext. 3603 Regency Cafe features sumptuous international and Asian buffets as well as a la carte dining for the most discerning palates. Open daily from 6am-10.30pm Restaurant Tell 13 Street 90 Tel: 023 430 650 Up-market eatery that re-creates the genuine feel of an Alpine chalet, has a spacious indoor restaurant and outdoor terrace with rotisserie and bar. European menu with imported steaks, fondue, raclette and an extensive wine list. Open 11.30am-2pm, 5pm-11pm.

Riverhouse Asian Bistro 157 Sisowath Quay Tel: 023 212 302 www.riverhousecambodia.com Well known as one of the oldest French colonial buildings on the riverfront with breezy views along the Tonle Sap & Mekong River. The elegant restaurant and bar offers a special beverage menu, featuring delectable cocktails, quality wines, single malts and freshly squeezed juices.

Open daily from 10am-2am Samba Brazilian Steakhouse 64 Sihanouk Blvd.

Tel: 023 222 599 Experience the unique Brazilian Churrasco way of cooking with a large variety of meats skewered and roasted to perfection and served piping hot direct from the skewers to your plate!

Open daily 11am-3pm, 5pm-10.30pm.

Steve’s Steakhouse 8 Street 240 Tel: 023 987 320 Longstanding restaurant specialising in local grain-fed beef as well as a large variety of imported steaks, hamburgers, ribs and Greek cuisine. Has a terraced lounge with pool tables upstairs as well as a sports bar with large screen TV and happy hour from 12pm-7pm. Open daily from 11am-10.30pm.

Stonegrill 649 Sisovath Quay

60 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

Tel: 023 999 950 www.stonegrill.com.kh Stonegrill offers a unique interactive dining experience where diners meals are served cooking at the table on natural volcanic stones heated to 400C (752F). Open daily 11ammidnight.

endorsed

The Exchange/The Vault 28 Street 47 Tel: 078 886 889 Large colonial mansion contains The Vault, Phnom Penh’s first private member’s club for those who have $1000 to burn. Underneath, the Exchange has elegant exposed brickwork and low lighting as well as an impressive fusion menu. Open daily, 10am-midnight.

The Tiger’s Eye 49 Sothearos Boulevard After Common Tiger closed its doors in October, chef Timothy Bruyns’ latest venture comes in the form of The Tiger’s Eye, serving up his innovative dishes from the former home of Duck.

The Lost Room 43 Street 21 Tel: 078 700 001 A hidden gem, with eclectic food in an urbane environment. This small restaurant and bar offers small plates of food for sharing.

Using imported and local foods, the menu encompasses global foods and unique cocktail and wine listings at reasonable prices. Caring and experienced staff makes for a pleasant evening. Open from 5pm, Monday to Saturday.

Kitchen closes at 10pm. Lunch by appointment only.

World Dining 2/F Aeon Mall, 132 Samdach Sothearos Blvd, Tel: 023 90 17 77 (See restaurants Cambodia) Zino Wine Bar and Restaurant 12 Street 294 Tel: 023 998 519 Zino offers a comprehensive wine list by the glass and bottle, professionally made cocktails and a constantly evolving Mediterranean and Asian menu. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Kitchen closes at 11pm.

Italian Aria D’Italia 41EO Street 310 Tel: 012 840 705 Cute little Italian pizzeria tucked away between Street 57 and Street 63. Well-priced lunch set menu and homemade ravioli. Home delivery available. Open 10.30am-2pm, 5.30pm-10pm.

Bistro Romano NagaWorld Hotel and Casino, Hun Sen Park Tel: 023 228 822 Best known for its sumptuous Sunday Prosecco Brunch, this stylised Italian restaurant in the NagaWorld complex specialises in Italian cuisine.

Open daily 11am-11pm.

Café Monivong Raffles Hotel Le Royal.

Tel: 023 981 888 Indulge in homemade antipasti, fresh prepared pasta and risotto as well as oven-baked, crispy pizzas and pair it all with the finest selection of Italian wines, every Saturday night 6pm-10pm.

Do Forni Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra 26 Sothearos Blvd.

Tel: 023 999 200 Sophisticated Italian diner set in the grounds of the Sofitel hotel, dishes up much more than your basic pizza and pasta. Excellent range of wines, dimmed lighting and plush surroundings make this an excellent romantic meal for two option.

Open daily 6.30pm-10pm.

Il Forno Restaurant Phnom Penh 11 Street 302 Tel: 081 660 515 Traditional imported ingredients from Italy to keep all of recipes 100 percent Italian. Wine bar for nice aperitivo, lunch special menus.

Life’s a Beach Kate Burbidge Now that the cold snap has abated somewhat, and before the thermo-nuclear heat of April and May hits, it’s time to enjoy the beach. That sandy part of the coastline that is unsuitable for shipping but extremely suitable for humans, body and soul.

Whatever your temperament, there are beach conditions to suit it.

If you crave the company of brightly-clad, beach party types in bars buzzing with music, lights and activity, you can easily find a beach full of volleyball playing, jet-skiing, laughing, partying comrades to splash about with.

The warmer the climate, the better your chances.

If you should tire of this there’s always a shopping opportunity. Useful things (sunglasses), enjoyable things (manni-peddies), healthy things (fruit), and their exact opposites. I will leave you to fill in those blanks as you see fit; in my view, those unnaturally orange langoustiney things will suffice for all.

If the life aquatic is more your scene, the beach is the perfect place to start. From it you can launch your board or small vessel of choice, with or without sails. You can even take to the waves up close and personal, floating on top of or beneath the water, depending on just how up close and personal you want to get with the life subaquatic.

You can even, with scant regard for personal safety or the time you will spend

chasing the wretched thing, take to the water in or on a range of inflatable objects.

The weightless feeling given by floating atop or even drifting beneath the waves offers a serenity, an almost dreamlike state that is associated with possibly the most popular incarnation of the beach, the deserted island. Sun, sea, sand and solitude. Just the sound of the waves to lull you to sleep, to wash away all the cares of the world.

The deserted beach offers time and space to take a step back, to reboot, reassess. It offers an edge, from which to start (again), or even potentially whence to escape.

The combination of wind and waves, salt and sand, spray and surf all serve to exfoliate the skin and mind. This could go someway to explaining why some of the planet’s most expensive properties are not always expected to survive the next storm.

A place to sit and think.

The beach is a liminal space, between the land and the sea. Existing in two states whilst simultaneously not quite being one or the other. And constantly changing from one to the other.

Despite all this flux there are two universal constants on the beach. Wherever you go, whatever you do, whoever you meet, you will never find anything happier than a dog on a beach.

And there is absolutely nowhere better to watch the sun set. Or rise.

Japanese & Korean Hachi Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra Tel: 023 999 200 On the black granite sushi bar, the Japanese Chef prepares guests’ favorite selection of sushi and sashimi with fish imported daily from Japan.

Kan Ji Japanese Restaurant 128f Sothearos Blvd.

Tel: 016 318 383 - 016 312 828.

Kan Ji is three floors of Japanese culinary delight in a bright and modern setting.

Open for lunch and dinner, it features a stylish mix of ancient and modern creative cuisine.

Open daily, 11.30am–2.30pm, 5.30pm– 10.30pm.

Sun Heang

Italian House 2 Street 312 (end of Street 9) Tel: 092 230 207 Italian chef. Wooden fire oven. Pizzeria, antipasti, pasta, salads, desserts, offering delivery and catering around BKK I area. Open daily from 5.30pm-10.30pm.

La Volpaia 20–22 Street 13 Tel: 023 992 739 Part of a global pizzeria chain that includes Florence, Tokyo, Seoul and Phnom Penh, the cuisine is excellent with pizza and pasta cooked fresh in front of your eyes.

Luna 6C Street 29 Tel: 023 220 895 Stunning garden courtyard with day beds and

couches as well as outdoor tables and chairs or air-conditioned interior. Excellent homemade.

Pop Café da Giorgio 371 Sisowath Quay Tel: 012 562 892 Sophisticated, small Italian restaurant located next to the FCC that serves light, contemporary Italian cuisine including fresh pasta and pizzas.

Delivery service available – last orders 9.30pm.

Open daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 6pm-10pm.

Terrazza 1c Street 282.

Tel: 023 214 660 www.terrazza.asia Experience Italy in Phnom Penh.

Fine Italian restaurant and Deli shop.

Open daily from noon-10pm, deli shop, 9am-9pm.

Cafe Sushi 6HEo Sothearos Boulevard Tel: 023 900 185 Following in the footsteps of the success of its Sihanoukville sushi joinT, Cafe Sushi is a relaxed sushi bar serving fresh food cooked by a Japanese chef. Open Monday to Saturday, from 11am to 2pm and 5pm to 10pm.

Tel: 097 716 5000 Popular with the upmarket Khmer crowd, Nova features DJs from across the region. VIP areas cater to those who want to escape the crowded dance floor. Open daily from 9pm to 4am.

Pontoon 80 Street 172 Tel: 010 300 400 As a stalwart on the capital’s clubbing scene, a mix of international and local DJs can be found pumping out the tunes seven nights a week until the early hours. Different themed nights run throughout the week. Open Sunday to Thursday, 9pm-4am, Friday and Saturday, 9pm-5am.

Vito 8 Street 214, Tel: 010 421 421 Pumping out all the memorable classics from the 70s to the 90s, Vito’s dancefloor gets packed at weekends with the nostalgia crowd - both young and old. Open daily from 9pm-3am.

Gay-Friendly

Origami 88 Sothearos Bvd. Tel: 012 968 095 Up-market, contemporary Japanese restaurant with a spacious air-con area downstairs and four private rooms upstairs. Specialises in sushi and tempura, and has Asahi, Kirin and Sapporo beers. Open daily 11.30am-2pm, 5.30pm9.30pm.

Arthur & Paul Males Bar and Spa 27 Street 71 Tel: 023 212 814 077 892 256 www.arthurand paul.com The first gay (men-only) venue in Phnom Penh.

Features steam baths and sensual showers, spa and hotel. Ease muscle tension, chat, have a Jacuzzi or relax in one of the private rooms. After using our facilities or swimming, enjoy a drink in the bar or relax in the restaurant and lounge or around the pool.

Udon Café Green Bowl 29B Street 288 Tel: 086 426 530 Freshly made Sanuki-style udon noodles offer a real taste of Japan. Noodles and accompanying soups and sauces are prepared from scratch using traditional methods and fresh ingredients.

Open from 11am-2.30pm and 5.30pm-9pm.

Closed every second Wednesday.

Blue Chilli 36 Street 178 Tel: 012 566 353 www.bluechillibar.com This welcoming bar run by Thai national Oak is currently the number one gay bar in town.

The drag shows on Friday and Saturday are an additional draw. Open 5pm-late.

Clubs

The Rainbow Bar 73 Street 172 Tel: 097 741 4187 Intimate bar designed to get to know people better has a range of well-designed cocktails to make the night go with a swing.

Darlin Darlin NagaWorld Hotel and Casino Tel: 023 228 822 Top-end nightclub with live music popular among the high-flyers of the city. Semi-private Space Hair Salon and Bar booths in a chic environment make for an 66 Street 136 unrivalled experience. Open daily from 7pm-late. Tel: 016 916 263 Hairdressers by day, gay bar by night, Space Epic attracts a mixed crowd with its friendly staff and Sothearos Blvd. (near Russian Embassy) owner. Impromptu drag shows, cheap jugs of beer and great G&Ts. Relax and enjoy the tunes.

Tel: 010 600 608 As the latest luxury nightspot to hit the capital, Epic is taking elite clubbing to the next level.

Wine Bars The spacious venue serves up a range of top-shelf liquors, cocktails and Champagne to Bouchon Wine Bar the sounds of international DJs. Open daily from 3-4 Street 246 9pm to 5am.

Tel: 077 881 103 Classy wine bar with a wide selection of wines. from across the globe, plus a selection of handNova crafted cocktails and eats. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 4pm-midnight.

19 Street 214

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 61

LISTINGS

culture Cinemas Ecran Movie House Kampot Old Market, Kampot Tel: 093 249 411 Daily 4pm showing of The Killing Fields and other Cambodia-related films. Daily film screened at 7.30pm. Private movie room rentals where customers choose the time and film. Can bring your own food and drink. Open 11am to 9pm. Closed Tuesday.

Major Cineplex Aeon Mall Tel: 023 90 1111 Major Cineplex is located on the second floor of the Aeon Mall Phnom Penh and is the biggest cinema complex in Cambodia with multiple screens, 3D and 4D theatres, showing the latest blockbusters from Asia and Hollywood. Open daily 9am-midnight Meta House 37 Sothearos Blvd (opp. Phnom Penh centre) Tel: 012 607 465 Movie shorts and documentaries from Cambodia and the rest of Asia.

Movies normally start at 7pm, closed Mondays.

Platinum Cineplex 5th Floor Sorya Shopping Centre Tel: 081 666 210 www.platinumcineplex.com.kh International-standard three-screen cineplex featuring the latest Digital 3D technology and the most recent Hollywood and international releases, located in the heart of downtown with ample parking, shopping and eating options. Open 9am-11pm.

The Empire Movie House 34 Street 130 Tel: 077 468 243 As an independent art-house, Empire screens documentaries, indie films, cult classics and regional films. Also features a bar and eating area. Open daily from 4pm to 11pm.

The Flicks 1. 39b Street 95 (BKK3) 2. 85 Street 136 (Daun Penh) 3. 8 Street 252 (Chaktomuk) Local expat oriented movie houses with revolving schedule of international films and art house films, screened in comfy air conditioned movie rooms. Option to hire the movie room for a private session (max 30 people). Minimum two screenings per day.

Cover charge $3.50.

Galleries

collection.

French Institute 218 Street 184 Tel: 023 213 124 Offers cultural activities including exhibitions, festivals, and film screenings to promote French and Khmer culture. Onsite shop Carnets d’Asie offers a selection of French books.

Java Café & Gallery 56 Sihanouk Blvd Tel: 023 987 420 www.javaarts.org Contemporary art gallery with exhibitions of Cambodian and international artists, as well as performing artists. Has second gallery on the ground floor. Website has details about Cambodia’s contemporary art scene.

National Museum of Cambodia Street 13 Tel: 023 211 753 The museum houses one of the largest collections of Khmer artefacts in the world, including sculpture, ceramic and ethnographic objects. Spending a couple of hours here is a good introduction to Cambodia’s long tradition of art and creativity, and a brief insight into the spirit of the Kingdom.

Romeet Contemporary Art Space 34E1 Street 178 Tel: 023 650 9392 Founded by Phare Ponleu Selpak in 2011 as a Phnom Penh platform for emerging and established alumni of the PPS’s Visual Art School in Battambang. Romeet is a dynamic space for contemporary art exhibitions, talks, workshops, local collaborations and international exchange.

Sa Sa Bassac 18 Sothearos Boulevard, Upstairs.

An expansion of the Sa Sa Art Gallery and a merger with Bassac Art Projects, Sa Sa Bassac is an artist-run gallery for contemporary art. Includes a library, reading and workshop room, and a 60-metre gallery space. Ongoing visual literacy programmes.

SPACE FOUR ZERO Gallery 40 street 118 Tel: 069 571 100 www.spacefourzero.com Pop art gallery and music emporium featuring Sticky Fingers Art Prints Cambodia by Julien Poulson of The Cambodian Space Project, rare vinyl, CDs, T-Shirts and music collectibles.

Open daily from 11am to 7pm, or by appointment.

Performing Arts Amrita Performing Arts 128-G9 Sothearos Blvd.

Tel: 023 220 424 www.amritaperformingarts.org Performance art company that puts on contemporary and classical music and theatre.

Apsara Arts Association 71 Street 598 Tel: 011 550 302 Organisation that promotes Cambodian arts and culture.

Open from 7.30am-10.30am

Bophana Audiovisual Resource Centre 64 Street 200 Tel: 023 992 174 Preserving much of Cambodia’s audiovisual material, has regular exhibitions.

Open 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 2pm-6pm Sat.

Cambodian Living Arts 128-G9 Sothearos Blvd.

Tel: 023 986 032 www.cambodianlivingarts.org A non-profit arts organisation devoted to the revival and transmission of traditional Khmer performing arts that puts on performances and provides tours.

Din Art Gallery 79, Street 136 Tel: 017 931 900 Located above Feel Good Cafe, Cambodian artist Din Borin showcases his abstract art, with apsara dancers featuring heavily. Browse his work or buy some unique pieces from the

Chaktomuk Conference Hall Sisowath Quay Tel: 023 725 119 Designed by master Cambodian architect Vann Molyvann, this under-utilised building is worth a visit. Open Monday to Friday, 7am-11.30am and 2pm-5pm.

62 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

inspiring arts

A story from the arts: Thorn Seyma Cambodian Living Arts (CLA) believes that arts and cultural expression are essential to a thriving future for Cambodia.

This month, we tell the story of Thorn Seyma, co-founder of The Khmer Magic Music Bus, which recently became a programme of CLA. Thorn Seyma is co-founder of The Khmer Magic Music Bus (KMMB), which has made trips around Cambodia since 2013 to bring traditional music to rural parts of the country.

Seyma was born in Kampot province, and her father was the winner of the national singing contest in 1968. Seyma used to sing in a restaurant in Kampot, later moving to Phnom Penh. One year later, in 2006, she met Arn ChornPond, CLA founder.

He asked Seyma to join his own CD production company, Waterek Productions. She says, “There were many challenges as a female singer, I had to stay out late at night, and I still couldn’t earn enough income. So I decided to join with Arn”.

After few years in Waterek Productions, Seyma and Arn had the idea to establish The Khmer Magic Music Bus (The KMMB) to bring live Cambodian traditional music to rural areas. They called on musicians from different provinces to form a group.

“We wanted people to experience and enjoy

Cambodian classical music.

We want more support for the art forms so that musicians are happy to transfer their skills to the next generations”, she says.

Seyma said she was at first cautious about cofounding The KMMB; “At first, I didn’t feel confident to lead this group because all the members are men.

I felt they wouldn’t follow my words”. She adds, “Our other challenge was that we didn’t have a regular salary, we performed depend our budget from donations. I was very concerned about the sustainability of The KMMB, and we never had a clear plan for future performances.”

The KMMB has now become a programme of CLA. Seyma was excited to join. She adds, “We now have a chance to improve our planning and budgeting skills. The KMMB now has its own work plans, and we will start having performances every month.”

Seyma adds, “I want to see more performances. There are many classical musicians in Cambodia and they don’t have many opportunities to show their skills. I want see those musicians encouraged and supported to continue passing on these skills to the next generations.”

The Khmer Magic Music Bus perform every month in different provinces across Cambodia.

To learn more about Cambodian Living Arts, find CLA on Facebook, @CamboLivingArts on Twitter, CambodianLivingArts on Instagram, or visit cambodianlivingarts.org.

LISTINGS

leisure & wellness Amusement Cambodian Country Club Street 2004, Group 6 Toeuk Thla Tel: 012 231 755 A peaceful heaven providing tennis, swimming, badminton, fitness centre and horse riding, 15 minutes away from the city. Open from 6.30am-late.

Phnom Tamao Wildlife Park Phnom Tamao, 44 kilometres out of the capital along Highway 2.

Cambodia’s top wildlife centre. All animals are either rescued from traders or bred at the centre. Many of the animals are critically endangered. Open daily 8am - 4pm.

Classes Equestrian Centre CCC, Street 2004, Group 6 Toeuk Thla Tel: 015 231 755 012 704 759 With 31 ponies and horses, an internationalsized arena and spacious stables, the only horse-riding centre in Phnom Penh Tuesdays to Sundays, 9am-11am and 2pm-5.30pm.

La Table Khmère Cooking Class 11E Street 278 Tel: 012 238 068 www.phnompenh-cooking-class.com For all those wanting to learn how to prepare traditional Khmer specialties from scratch in a clean and air-conditioned setting. Morning classes include a visit to the local market. Open daily, classes at 9am-3pm.

Music Arts School 14 Street 360 Tel: 023 997 290 www.music-arts-school.org A NGO school providing music training for Cambodians and expats - of all ages and levels - at affordable tuition fees. Learn guitar, piano, violin, vocals, and traditional Khmer instruments.

Also has a scholarship fund to provide music education to the less fortunate.

Nathan Horton Photography 126 Street 136 Tel: 092 526 706 www.nathanhortonphotography.com Photography tuition and guided tours to Kampong Chnang and Udong, covering technical and creative considerations in the context of travel photography.

NataRaj Yoga Studio 52 Street 302 Tel: 012 250 817 / 090 311 341 Welcome everyone to the peaceful yoga studio.

Wide variety of daily drop-in yoga classes and monthly workshops in many styles with internationally qualified teachers. Also runs an NGO yoga programmes for local kids.

Scuba Nation PADI 5* IDC Diving Centre 18 Sothearos Blvd (near FCC) Tel: 012 715 785 www.divecambodia.com Learn to scuba dive in Phnom Penh. The academic and pool part of the course can be

done in Phnom Penh and you finish with two days in Sihanoukville on the boat. Offers refresher courses, try dives and kids’ pool parties as well as the full range of courses. Open 9am-6pm, Sat and Sun 9am-5pm.

Simphony Music School 243, Street 51 Tel: 023 727 345 / 097 888 8787 www.simphony.com.kh Simphony Music School is the first official music school in Cambodia recognised by the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, Royal Government of Cambodia. The faculty is composed of experienced and qualified music teachers from overseas, speaking fluent English, Chinese, and French. Based on USA curriculum following Orff and Kodály music teaching methods.

The Tennis Club CCC, Street 2004, Group 6 Toeuk Thla Tel: 017 847 802 The two courts are equipped with specially adapted flooring unique in Cambodia, and with quality lightning allowing play past sunset. Skilled English and Cambodian speaking teachers available for private or group lessons. Open daily.

Yoga Phnom Penh 39 Street 21 www.yogaphnompenh.com Daily drop-in classes for all levels with experienced, qualified international teachers.

Classes include Ashtanga yoga, Vinyasa Flow Yoga, Fly Yoga, Fly Fit and Classical yoga. Regular workshops and Bliss weekend also offered.

Chemists U-Care Pharmacy 26-28 Sothearos Blvd. Tel: 023 222 499 39 Sihanouk Blvd. Tel: 023 224 099 41-43 Norodom Blvd. Tel: 023 224 299 844 Kampuchea krom Blvd. Tel: 023 884 004 / 023 207 209 Sisowath Quay Tel: 023 223 499

194 Tro Sork P’em Tel: 023 224 399 www.ucarepharma.com Provide international cosmetic brands, leading imported health & beauty products, only certified medication. Professional advice and convenient and strategic locations. Open daily from 8am10pm.

Counselling Services Alcoholics Anonymous 11 Street 420 Tel: 012 813 731 www.aacambodia.com Meets on Friday, Wednesday and Sunday.

HCM Educational Psychology Services Tel: 011 955 464 Professional educational psychology assessment and consultation services for children and young people with learning or developmental needs. UK registered, English speaking.

Narcotics Anonymous 11 Street 420 Tel: 012 813 731 NA meets on Monday, Thursday at 8pm and Saturday at 7pm.

Dental Dental Touch #47, St 75. Tel: 012 854 408 www.dentaltouchcambodia.com European Dental Clinic 160A, Norodom Blvd. Tel: 023 211 363 www.europeandentalclinic-asia.com Total dental care, Implant, Orthodontist Treatment by expat dentists. Open Mon - Fri 8am-12pm, 2pm-7pm. Sat, 8am-1pm Roomchang 4 Street 184 www.roomchang.com Tel: 023 211 338 Emergency: 011 811 338

Phnom Penh Salt’n Pepper Cookie The Perfect Souvenir of your trip to Phnom Penh !

Spicy! New Style Cookie!

100% Cambodian Pepper 100% Cambodian Salt Aeon Mall Supermarket - Ripple CAFE (#34B, St.306) BAYON Market (Toul Kork) Green O Farm (#216CD, St.63, Boeung Keng KangⅠ) Nature Garden (213BC, St.63, Boeung Keng Kang I) PHNOM PENH DREAM FACTORY Co., Ltd. 015 64 37 82

ppdfcookie@gmail.com fb.com/p.p.dream.factory/ Shop: 11am-3pm (Tue,Wed,Fri,Sat) Factory & Office: 9am-5pm (Mon-Sat) (Delivery available) 34AEo, St. 75 AsiaLIFE Cambodia 63

World leader in clinical implant dentistry.

Complete state of the art dental hospital. In depth consultations on all procedures. True precision with digital and robotic technology for an optimum clinical result. Excellent customer service.

wellness

Shigeta Dental Clinic 25 Street 294 cnr Street 21 Tel: 023 223 225 / 010705083 Email: info@shigetadental.com www.shigedental.com High-end Japanese Dental Clinic that caters for your dental needs. Open from Monday to Sunday 8am-8pm.

Zenith Dental Clinic # 41A Street 306 BKK1 Phnom Penh Tel: 023 989 868 / 099 789 188 www.zenithorthocenter.com Dental clinic offering a wide range of professional services.

Gyms

Aromatherapy: An Art of Healing Jean-Claude Dhuez Aromatherapy is an art, the art of healing by using essential oils.

The use of essential oils for healing purposes dates back to ancient times. Essential oils were first used in China, Egypt, India, and in the Mediterranean Basin, all those countries containing a wide variety of aromatic plants.

An essential oil is one of the extracts of aromatic plants, and it can be found in leaves, petals, roots, flowers, bark of trees and peels of fruit.

The main two 100 percent natural processes guaranteeing the quality of essential oils are the following: extraction by steam distillation, and cold pressed extraction.

The quality of essential oils always depends on the quality of the plant, and on how it is cultivated, whether it is organically farmed or cultivated with artificial fertilisers.

For a quality essential oil, it is important to choose organic or chemical free farming.

The quality, efficiency and properties of the final product depend on which part of the plant was extracted and distilled (leaf, flower, peel).

Therefore, for an appropriate use, it is necessary to know which type of plant is used.

For instance, lavender can be of four or five different types, each type having distinct specificities and properties.

Essential oils can contain up to 100 active compounds. It is the combination of all those active compounds, as well as the essential oils chemical

molecules, that give all their properties to a specific type of essential oil.

The therapeutic actions of essential oils are manifold: antibacterial, virucidal, fungicidal, antiparasitic, stimulating, antiinflammatory, antiviral, muscle relaxant, expectorating, etc.

Essential oils can be used in three different ways: breathed by atmospheric diffusion, applied on the skin (certain essential oils can be applied pure, however most of them must be diluted in vegetable oil in the most classic way), or taken orally by diluting one or two drops in honey or alcohol (vodka, rice wine).

Although it is commonly referred to as an alternative therapy, aromatherapy is a real therapy, with its indications and contraindications.

Essential oils can be aggressive for the skin, photosensitizing, toxic for the nervous system and the liver.

Some can even be abortive.

Unlike antibiotics, which destroy bad bacteria and good bacteria alike, essential oils foster the development of life, stimulating the immune system, helping the body to heal by itself and fight disease.

Aromatherapy is one of the companions of a holistic therapy approach.

It is common to combine therapies such as massage, acupuncture, osteopathy, physiotherapy, nutrition, yoga, Pilates, and aromatherapy, in order to achieve an overall therapeutic result.

Jean-Claude Dhuez is a certified Physiotherapist and Massage Therapist. He’s the owner and founder of Sâmata Health & Wellness Studio, 54 Street 306, Phnom Penh. Tel. 012 802 2725, info@ samatahealthwellness.com 64 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

Phokeethra Sports Club Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra Tel: 023 999 200 Combine the latest fitness equipment with a range of exercise classes and specialised training programmes, two squash courts and four tennis courts. Open daily from 6am to 10pm.

Pet Services Pet Grooming Services 4 Street 604, Toul Kork, Phnom Penh Trapeang Treing Village, Selka Villa Road, Siem Reap Tel: 089 491 039/ 092 208 902 Pet grooming, salon and spa. Pet sitting and homestay. Day care. Pet store and supplies, pet relocation export assistance, pet food (dry and wet).

Spas

Amara Spa Cnr Sisowath Quay & St.110 Tel: 023 998 730 www.amaraspa.hotelcara.com Day spa providing a wide selection of facials, body massages and treatments, arranged in a four-storey modern facility at riverfront. Open 11am-11pm.

Aura Spa 21 Mao Tse Toung Blvd. (near corner of St. 63) 23 Street 294 (between St. 21 and St. 9) Tel: 023 555 3209 Mobile: 015 991 688 Aura Spa creates its own signature massage therapy with well-trained therapists to enhance a traditional blend of ancient health and beauty practices which have been passed down from generation to generation. Open every day from 9am–11pm.

Aziadee Spa 16 a/b Street 282 Tel: 023 996 921 French-run spa offering a good choice of treatments, a range of massages, scrubs, facials, floral baths, manicures, pedicures and waxing in relaxing and tranquil surroundings. Open 9am-9pm.

Bodia Spa 26-28 Sothearos Blvd.

Tel: 023 226 199 www.amaraspa.hotelcara.com Using natural, own-brand products Bodia spa offers body wraps, floral baths, scrubs, facials, aromatherapy, massages and mani-pedies, alongdside Jacuzzi and steam. The peaceful atmosphere is enhanced by scented oils and soft music. Open daily 9am–9pm.

Derma-Care Skin Clinic 161B Norodom Tel: 023 720 042 / 012 415 552 Two qualified dermatologists, this professional skin clinic offers a range of beauty treatments

First two parts of the Cambodian trilogy by award-winning author Mark Bibby Jackson.

To Cook A Spider - national winner for Best Self-Published Book and Best Asian Cuisine Book at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2016.

“Great title, by a talented writer with deep Cambodia experience.

It is a great book, a pleasure to read, and a help for those interested in Cambodia and all Southeast Asia cuisines.” Edouard Cointreau, President of the Jury, Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, on announcing the national winners.

Available at Monument Books, Ds Books, Friends 'n' Stuff, Kampot Pepper Shop, Kampot Head and as an ebook at Amazon

using American Derma-Rx products, minor dermatologic surgery, antioxidant boosters, chemical peeling, and lipolysis. Open 9am-9pm.

LISTINGS

Raffles Amrita Spa Tel: 023 981 888 Raffles Amrita Spa offers relaxation and rejuvenation through a wide selection of services and facilities including treatment rooms, outdoor lap and fun pool, Jacuzzi, fitness centre, sauna and steam room. Open daily 6am-10pm.

So Spa Sofitel Phnom Penh Tel: 081 222 037 Worldwide ancient traditions meet the refinement and skill of the latest in French cosmetology to create So Spa.

Tattoos & Piercing

rambutan hotel&resorts

family Cafés & Restaurants

Blackstar 5A Street 90 Tel: 070 200 900 you’re just passing through the Penh, or you’re a resident, this is the place to come for the highest quality tattooing money can buy.

Farm to Table 16 Street 360 Tel: 078 899 722 Bring the coutryside to Phnom Penh at this healthy café that sources produce from Discovery Farms. Organic grub is served in a farm setting with free-range hens running around the courtyard and a static tractor for kids to play on.

RSD Tattoo Street 51 Tel: 016 787 816 RSD launched in 2003 as a sticker design shop and became the capital’s first tattoo parlour.

Our tattoo specialist started their training with a Cambodian teacher, professional Thai teacher and a Singaporean tattoo artist.

Java Café 56 Sihanouk Blvd.Tel: 023 987 420 Kid’s menu includes chicken nuggets and pizza bagels. Colouring pages and crayons to keep the kids amused. High-chair is available on request and baby-changing facilities are in the toilet.

Open daily 7am-10pm

Sports General Ball hockey Played every Thursday night at City Villa, corner of streets 360 and 71, at 7pm. To play, contact Mike at michaelwarford@ispp.edu.kh.

Phnom Penh Social Rugby Club Touch rugby on Tuesdays from 7.30pm to 9pm and Saturdays from 3pm to 5pm. Contact rugby is played on Wednesdays from 7.30pm to 9pm and Saturdays from 2pm to 3pm. Email phnompenhrugby@gmail.com for information.

Phnom Penh Waterpark 50 Street 110 Tel: 023 881 008 Traditional mix of slides and wave pools. Open daily, from 9.30am to 5.30pm.

Amara Spa Cnr Sisowath Quay & St.110 Tel: 023 998 730 www.amaraspa.hotelcara.com Day spa providing a wide selection of facials, body massages and treatments, arranged in a four-storey modern facility at riverfront. Open 11am-11pm.

Amara Spa Cnr Sisowath Quay & St.110 Tel: 023 998 730 www.amaraspa.hotelcara.com Day spa providing a wide selection of facials, body massages and treatments, arranged in a four-storey modern facility at riverfront. Open 11am-11pm.

Yoga for Life 126 St 19 Tel: 077 589 458 Learn to release stress and tension, find peace and live a healthy life with yoga classes taught by yoga and massage virtuoso Azmi Samdjaga from Singapore. Classes every Wednesday, from 7.30pm, with a range of other classes available.

Healthy food and wifi is also available.

Cambodia Flying Disc Association www.amaraspa.hotelcara.com CFDA accepts all flying disc sports and strives to bring the joy of the sport to as many Cambodian people as possible. Training is on Sundays.

Phnom Penh Basketball Academy Tel: 0666 99 076 Advanced basketball classes for kids aged 8 to 16. Email kidsbasketballacademy@gmail.com.

cambodia

The Shop Too 38 Street 337 Tel: 012 952 839 Little haven of calm with a wide range of fresh bread, patisseries, chocolates, juices and excellent salads, sandwiches. All products such as croissants, cakes etc. are baked on the spot.

With a big garden in front and nice courtyard at the back, it makes it a perfect place for family as well. Open daily 7am–9pm.

Entertainment Arey Ksat Equestrian Trail Arey Ksat, Phnom Penh. Tel: 077 35 77 74 Join experienced instructor Guillaume Larivain on a series of pony trails through the Cambodian countryside.

BluO Bowling AEON Mall, Sothearos Blvd.

Tel: 023 901 000 The country’s latest bowling alley with private lanes available for parties. Open daily from 9am to midnight.

Cambodian Country Club Street 2004, Group 6 Toeuk Thla Tel: 012 231 755 Sports centre and a peaceful heaven providing tennis, swimming, badminton, fitness centre and horse riding in an amazing landscape 15 minutes away from the city.

Dedicated to leisure, rest and entertainment, CCC is suitable for children.

Open daily 6.30am until late.

Kids City 162A Sihanouk Blvd. www.kidscityasia.com Indoor entertainment centre with climbing walls, ice skating, laser tag. toddler town and other attractions.

International Schools Canadian International School of Phnom Penh Bassac Garden, Norodom Blvd.

Tel: 023 727 788 077 503 778 www.cisp.edu.kh Offers a Canadian curriculum in English, certified through the Canadian province of Alberta.

Eton House International School 16 Mao Tse Tung Blvd.

Tel: 023 22 8818 www.ehis.co Eton House is committed to the pursuit of excellence in education. Eton House is

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 65

represented in 10 countries with over 56 pre-schools and schools around the world.

The early years programme offers play-based, ‘Inquire, Think, Learn” pedagogy inspired by the I.B programme and the Reggio Emilia schools of Northern Italy.

Footprints School 220 Street 430, Tumnub Teuk Tel: 077 222 084 Established in 2007 Footprints School offers nursery (age 2) through Secondary and has four campuses. The curriculum is designed for the dynamic needs and interests of students and staff are hired for their experience and love of children.

The Giving Tree Pre-School Nursery & Pre-school 17 Street 71 BKK1, Phnom Penh. Tel: 017 997 112 Baby playgroup 6-12 months; Early years, 12 months – 5 years. English, French, Japanese and Khmer is spoken.

Primary International school that follows the International Primary Curriculum. Grades 1 to 3.

50 Street 322, BKK1, Phnom Penh. Tel: 017 997 112 Tuol Kork Branch 5 Street 325, Phnom Penh. Tel: 077 993 073 iCAN British International School 85 Sothearos Blvd.

Tel: 023 222 416 www.ican.edu.kh iCAN offers affordable, high quality education, using the IPC, IMYC and English National Curriculum. Learners are encouraged to be thoughtful, creative, think critically, collaborate and achieve their best. iCAN is the learning environment of choice for parents who value the development of their children.

International Learning Jungle School 104 Street 315, Boeung Kak II, Toul Kork Tel: 095 222 557 095 222 558 095 222 559 www.learningjungle.com, www.facebook.com/ LearningJungleCambodia The only Franchise School from Canada. A proud provider of education for children in Canada, Cambodia, USA and Philippines.

International School of Phnom Penh Hun Neang Blvd.

Tel: 023 425 088 www.ispp.edu.kh Founded in 1989, this non-profit, non-sectarian international school currently has students from Pre-K to Grade 12. The largest international school and a fully-authorized IB programme the new campus has large grass playing fields, canteen, library, theatre, swimming pool and basketball courts.

Northbridge International School 1km off National Road 4 Tel: 023 886 000www.nisc.edu.kh Founded in 1997, NISC is a fully-authorised IB World School with a growing enrollment of students aged 3 to Grade 12. Purpose built campus unlike any in Cambodia.

Raffles Montessori International School of Phnom Penh 18 Street 294, corner of Street 57 Tel: 023 993 999 International standard school from Singapore lets children experience independent education with a team of Montessori-trained teachers.

Offering Kindergarten from ages 1.5 to 6 years old in a loving and encouraging environment.

Zaman International School 2843 Street 3 Tel: 023 214 04 www.zamanisc.org International school that teaches a full

pets’ corner

Vitamins for Dogs: Part 2 Donabelle Zuzart Lack of Vitamin A in puppies directly relates to low growth rates, muscle weakness, poor vision and loss of hair coat.

Skeletal and nervous disorders are also common results. Females will not ovulate properly and males can become sterile if they are deficient in Vitamin A. The amount of Vitamin A needed in the first two years of life is sufficient to warrant supplementation in the diet.

Later in life, once full growth is attained, the need for it is still important, but reduced.

From a practical standpoint, Vitamin A supplementation is necessary especially to the growing puppy. Infants are born with no liver storage of this vitamin. The colostrum (first milk) is rich in Vitamin A and provides an important first source.

Vitamin A is one of the two vitamins in which over supplementation can have negative effects. Toxic doses of Vitamin A can produce muscle weakness and bone abnormalities.

Even though most dog food say they’re “complete and balanced”, the nutrition often comes from a bunch of synthetic vitamins and minerals. These are not absorbed by your dog’s body and be harmful.

Alternatively, there are a lot of natural ways to provide your pet with the right vitamins and minerals using natural herbs.

There are some companies who make natural vitamins from whole foods. So, if you want the convenience

of a bottled vitamin, buying one of these is better than the synthetic kind produced in a laboratory.

Herbs can contain carbohydrates, fats and proteins along with the vitamins and minerals necessary for good nutrition. They can also boost the immune system and cleanse and alkalize (detoxify) the body.

Whole plants nourish the body on a deep level, reaching the brain, bones, muscles, skin, coat, heart, lungs, liver and kidneys.

Which brings about the next question. What are the right herbs and in what quantity?

Burdock root is a common weed that’s an excellent addition to improve your dog’s overall diet, and is high in carbohydrates and inulin and very high in iron, magnesium, silicon, thiamine, sodium, potassium, phosphorus and chromium.

Burdock is a cleansing herb with a balanced mineral content and acts as a good long-term liver tonic, helping to cleanse the blood.

It stimulates digestive juices and bile secretion, which aids digestion and appetite, and absorbs toxins from the bowel and is also useful in treating skin conditions which help remove systemic imbalances that may be a cause to skin problems.

It’s a delicious mild sweet tasting food that you can cook like potatoes or carrots in a stew. Dogs love the taste and if you need some ready powder look us up.

Pet Grooming - Salon & Spa / Pet Sitting & Homestay/ Daycare / Pet Store & Supplies /Pet Relocation Export Assistance / Pet Food Day & Wet Phnom Penh: 4 Street 604, Phnom Penh & Trapeang Treing Village, Selka Villa Road, Siem Reap. Tel. 089 491 039.

66 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

curriculum to children from four to 18. Facilities include basketball and volleyball courts, a football field and a science lab.

Pre-Schools Gecko & Garden Pre-school 3 Street 21 Tel: 092 575 431 www.geckogarden-preschool.org Not-for-profit pre-school emphasises learning through creative play in a supportive environment for children aged 18 months to 5 years. Open daily 7.30am-12pm. After school programme offering a range of fun activities is available 2.30pm-5pm daily.

Sambo’s Tots www.sambostots.com Playhouse and playschool provides fun edutainment experience for babies and toddlers from 3 months to 5 years where imagination comes to life.

Ocarina French Day Nursery 56 Street 350, BKK3 (near Toul Sleng) Tel: 089 257 430 www.ecole-ocarina.com The first French “Micro-crèche” welcoming max 10 toddlers in a warm and encouraging place, under the supervision of a qualified French early childhood educator.

Shops Little Phnom Penh 194eoz Street 306 Tel: 017 877 471 French and Italian designers for kids fashion brand produce children’s wear from new born to 16 years, using local fabrics and mixing it with their taste of European fashion. The collection includes printed T-shirts with graphic designs that recall beautiful Cambodian icons. Open daily from 9.30am-6.30pm.

Monument Toys 111 Norodom Bvd.

Tel: 023 217 617 To the rear of Monument Books is a well-stocked toy section. It features an excellent range of well-known board games and toys including Barbie dolls, Transformers, Magic 8 balls and more. It has to be the best place in the city for brand named toys and games. Open daily 7.30am-8pm.

money matters

Pitchoun 25DE0 Street 294 Tel: 017 555 325 Selling stylish baby clothes and shoes, cute dresses and skirts, and trendy shirts at reasonable prices, to please both children and parents. Open daily, 9am-7.30pm.

Toys & Me 159A Mao Tse Toung Blvd.

Tel: 0 23 212 081/ 016 808 676 www.toysnme.net Established in 2007, Toys & Me is a leading toys shop in Cambodia. A one-stop shop you can trust when it comes to educational needs for your children.

Baby and Me 171 Street 63 Tel: 016 755 866 As well as a range of baby items and accessories, Baby and Me Baby Shop specialises in cribs, with and without canopies, and cots, as well as change tables with storage drawers and other nifty equipment.

Mere Baby Shop 63B Street 214 Tel: 077 571 111 We stock mum’s favourites, from a wide range of brands around the world. This includes amber teething necklaces, breast milk supplements and tea, nipple creams, tea for first, second, and third trimester, as well as postpartum tea, cloth diapering covers, cloth diaper liners, biodegradable diaper liners, swimming/pot training diapers, sitz bath from motherlove brand, and the list goes on.

Registrations open May 1st

17b street 105 | near Toul Kork Antenna | +855 23 4545 006 | www.niraisc.edu.kh

It’s Chinese New Year Paul Dodd Feb. 16 is Chinese New Year and will see many Cambodians celebrating in the hope that the Year of the Dog will bring them happiness, good luck and good fortune.

When it comes to financial fortune, many will be wondering if the sustained bull run in the equity markets will continue to bring Chinese investors the pedigree returns that they seek or whether the Year of the Dog will turn out to be a howler.

I’m writing this in December having just read yet another article fearing a repeat of the dotcom crash of the early 2000s. In it, one fund manager warns, “Investors have forgotten about risk and this is playing out in inflated asset prices and inflated valuations. There are so many lights flashing red that I am losing count.”

This is particularly true of China, described as “the fulcrum of world capital markets”.

With no recent history of failure and no memory of just how severe an impact a downturn would have on the economy, many Chinese investors seem to be forgetting that bears follow bulls and are displaying a seemingly insatiable appetite for risk.

I was discussing this with Gareth Lewis, managing director of The Tilney Group, Infinity’s investment management partner, who told me, “Excessively loose monetary policy, a state controlled banking system and a failure to let poor companies fail has made Chinese investors immune to the risk of loss.

Bad investment decisions get made as a consequence.”

A recent trip to the beach got me thinking about some of those bad investment decisions.

Lots of cheap constructions are springing up in Chinese coastal developments as developers try to profit from spiralling demand for property.

But Chinese household debt is soaring to worrisome levels as house prices rise, so much so that the IMF has described its growth as being on a “dangerous trajectory”.

When a sector is booming, it is tempting to direct your investments that way to maximise returns.

But whether we are talking about the Chinese property market or bitcoin putting all your eggs in one basket can lead to overexposure.

The key to successful investing is diversification.

The canny investor will ignore the noise in the markets and shun the quick buck in favour of a balanced portfolio of investments with the aim of achieving steady growth over the long term.

That balancing act means that you should diversify not just over different asset classes but geographically and by industry too.

That might sound complicated but it doesn’t have to be. Investment management companies like the Tilney Group have off-the-shelf diversified products such as multi-asset portfolios which are already diversified.

Infinity Financial Solutions provides impartial, tailor-made, personal financial advice to clients in Cambodia and Southeast Asia. Should you wish to contact Paul, please send an email to info@infinitysolutions.com or visit infinitysolutions.com.

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 67

LISTINGS

services

business & services Architecture, Interior Design & Construction Beyond Interiors 14e Street 306 Tel: 023 987 840 012 930 332 www.beyondinteriors.biz Managed by Australian designer Bronwyn Blue, this interior design showroom can provide the ultimate solution. All products from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia have been treated to withstand any climate. Open 9am-6pm Green Goal Ltd 10 Street 296. Tel: 023 223 861 Consultancy offers sustainable and creative architectural and construction services to clients taking into account environmental considerations.

Good Wood Home Designs 24E Street 302, Phnom Penh.

Tel: 011 255 308 / 010 567 036 www.Goodwoodhomedesign.com fb: Good Wood Home Designs Asia Reclaimed teak furniture, decorative items and gifts. FSCÂŽ certified.

I Ching Decor 31 Mao Tse Toung, Phnom Penh

68 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

Tel:023 214 285 092 660 746 Boutique interior design shop offering custom made furniture and accessories as well as imported furniture and rugs. Also offers a full interior design service. Open Monday to Saturday, 9am-6pm.

Bikes & Mechanics CNM Motors 19D Borey Chey Odom 5, Preak Pra, Chhbar Ompov, Tel: 096 7007 434 www.cnmcambodia.com Provides bilingual vehicle consultancy services to expats.

Dara Motorbike 43 Street 136 Tel: 012 335 499 Off-road specialist offers repairs, parts and accessories. Tours arranged by appointment.

Emerald Garage 11 Street 456 Mechanics specialising in maintenance and repair of vehicles, including oil changing and body painting.

Expat Motorbike Cambodia 38Eo, Street 322 Tel: 089 491 436 / 089 518 867 emcjapeng@gmail.com Offers motorbike rental services for expats living in Phnom Penh including well-maintained motors, reliable & responsive service.

The Bike Shop 31 Street 302 Tel: 012 851 776 Repairs trusty steeds as well as renting them out in the first place. Also provides dirt bike tours.

Business Groups AmCham 1st Floor LBL International Building, 34 Sothearos Boulevard, Phnom Penh.

Tel: 015 333 715.

BritCham British Embassy, 27-29 Street 75, Phnom Penh.

Tel: 012 323 121.

Chambre de Commerce FrancoCambodgienne Office 2nd floor, 33 Street 178 Tel: 023 221 453 www.ccfcambodge.org International Business Chamber H7 Russian Boulevard, Phnom Penh.

Tel: 023 964 455.

EuroCham Preah Ang Makhak Vann, Phnom Penh.

Tel: 023 964 141.

Malaysian Business Council of Cambodia Unit G21, Ground Floor, Parkway Square 113, Mao Tse Tung Blvd. mbcc.secretariat@gmail.com

Car Rental ACC Car Rental Services 43 Street 160z Toul Kork Tel: 012 456 003 / 015 456 003.

Professional, prompt and organized rental service that provides vehicles for rent with or without a driver. ACC also rents a range of buses that seat from 12 to 45 people.

Avis Cambodia 62 Street 217 Tel: 078 666 557 www.avrcambodia.com Avis Rent a car license within brand new vehicles and comprehensive insurance. Along with self-drive and chauffeur-drive throughout the country depend on your choice.

Larryta Trading & Travel Co. Ltd. 9 Street 310 Tel: 023 994 748 www.larrytacarrental.com.kh

Vehicle rental for all types of cars, vans and mini-buses with flexible packages in Cambodia and neighbouring countries by the day, week or month.

Royal Limousine Services Attwood Business Center, Russian Confederation Blvd.

Tel: 023 218 808 www.royallimousine.com.kh Fleet of late model Mercedes that provides transport for hotels, embassies and luxury tour operators as well as foreign delegates.

Commercial Banks ABA Bank 148 Sihanouk Bouelvard.

Tel: 023 225 333 www.ababank.com Multi-branch network universal commercial bank offering a full range of products and services through nationwide network. Voted Best Bank in Cambodia 2014 and 2015 by Euromoney.

Acleda Bank 61 Monivong Blvd.

Tel: 023 998 777 www.acledabank.com.kh Specialises in micro, small and medium loans to people throughout the country.

ANZ Royal Bank Main Branch, 20 Street 114 www.anzroyal.com Cambodia’s major commercial bank has brought international standards of banking to Cambodia, with a large number of ATM machines around Phnom Penh. Can arrange money transfers.

CIMB Bank PLC 20AB Norodom Blvd Tel: 023 988 388 www.cimbbank.com.kh Full range of commercial and consumer banking products and services for both Cambodian and foreign businesses and individuals. The first Japanese bank in Cambodia.

services

dentaltouchcambodia.com

TOTAL DENTAL CARE

Porcelain, Ceramic crown starts from 250 USD Orthodontic treatment starts from 900 USD #47 street 75 (North of Wat Phnom) 012 854 408 • 092 221 504 Maybank (Cambodia) Plc Maybank Tower 43 Norodom Blvd, Khan Daun Penh.

Tel: 023 210 123/ 255 contact_us@maybank.com.kh As one of Southeast Asia’s largest banking institutes, Maybank offers a full range of banking services.

IT & Software Cresittel Co., Ltd. Office 705, KT Tower 23 Street 112 Tel: 098 518 888 Provides software solutions and systems, point of sales systems for bars and restaurants, website designing and telecoms consulting. Has showroom at 385 Street 215.

KTOP 4/F Sorya Shopping Centre Tel: 023 6666 763 www.ktop.com.kh Broad range of quality and up-to-date

smartphones, tablets, computers and accessories. Special services for OS upgrade, maintenance, applications, games, music and movies for mobile devices and computers. Open daily from 9am- 8.30pm Netpro Cambodia 11 Street 422 Tel: 023 215 141 www.netpro-cambodia.com IT supports company that delivers high quality and reliable services to home and small to medium size organisations in Cambodia.

Ocean Technology T-20 St Topaz, Sovanna Shopping Centre Tel: 023 211 700 010 624 001 www.ocean-tech.biz Technology company that offers GPS navigation systems, an online map directory and vehicle tracking system.

Insurance AG Cambodia

Hotel Cambodiana, 313 Sovanna Sisowath Quay Tel: 017 360 333 Email: nfo@agcambodia.com Professional insurance agent offering health, home, car, factory, employee and hotel insurance packages.

Infinity Insurance 126 Norodom Blvd Tel: 023 999 888 Professional insurance company offers motor, property, home, marine cargo, personal accident, healthcare, construction and engineering insurance. Group policies can be customised.

Legal BNG Legal 64 Street 111 Tel: 023 212 67 023 212 740 www.bnglegal.com BNG Legal is a leading Cambodian law firm

.providing comprehensive legal services to foreign and local clients.

DFDL Legal and Tax Advisors 33 Street 294 Tel: 023 210 400 www.dfdlmekong.com Law firm providing international standard legal and tax solutions with local and cross-border experience with offices in neighbouring countries.

Gordon and Associates Asia 21 Street 214 Tel: 023 218 257 US lawyer works with local Cambodian lawyers to provide international quality advice. Specialises in foreign investment, joint ventures and advising entrepreneurs.

Sciaroni & Associates 24 Street 462 Tel: 023 210225 www.sa-asia.com Leading professional and investment advisory firm based in Cambodia with legal offices in

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 69 Ad Asia Life Cambodia April 2016.indd 1

3/4/16 2:53 PM

Laos Myanmar, provides skilled counsel, knowledgeable business insight and experienced guidance to leading companies, governments, think tanks and global investment funds.

Media & Design Anon Creative Energy Tel: 089 812 123 Email: anoncambodia@gmail.com Internationally trained advertising talent at your service. Strong, strategic ideas. Available for freelance art and copy writing projects.

Giant Ibis Transport Phnom Penh Phnom Penh: 3 Street 106 Siem Reap: 64 Sivatha Street Tel: 023 999 333 www.giantibis.com Travel in “Affordable Luxury” to Siem Reap and other destinations in brand new 2012 buses with reclining seats, spacious leg room, AC, WiFi, complementary snacks and pick-up service.

Telecoms

Asia Media Lab Tel: 012 818 917 asiamedialab.com Full service video production company specialises in the creation of dynamic visual content to help bring NGO stories to life for fundraising and advocacy.

Cellcard 33 Sihanouk Blvd Tel: 012 800 800 A leading mobile phone operator providing a comprehensive range of voice, data and SMS services to individual and corporate users, both pre-paid and post-paid.

Photography

Emaxx Corner St 214 / Norodom Blvd.

Tel: 023 999 818 Provides a national, high-quality, 4G network service for Internet and multi-media services.

AsiaMotion Tel: 092 806 117 www.asiamotion.net Photographic agency established in November 2008 as a cooperation between local and international photographers. i3 Studio Tel: 017 728 895 095 666 817 092 709 596 Photography services: event, pre-wedding, wedding coverage and videography service.

Nathan Horton Photography Tel: 092 526 706 www.nathanhortonphotography.com Full service professional photographer. Hotels, bars, restaurants, spas and location work. Call for Travel Photography workshops and tours.

Real Estate and Property Services Avebury Asia Partners The Emerald Building 63 Norodom Boulevard www.aveburyasia.com Avebury Asia Partners is a boutique real estate firm specializing in Brokerage, Commercial Leasing Services, Research and Consulting and Owner’s Representation services for the rapidly growing Southeast Asian market. We provide clients with transparent solutions held to international standards.

CB Richard Ellis (Cambodia) Co., Ltd. 9/F , Hyundai Phnom Penh Tower 445 Monivong Blvd. Tel: 023 964 099 www.cbre.com.kh The world’s largest commercial real estate services company offering premier quality real estate, valuations, consultancy, investment and property services.

Independent Property Services (IPS) 182 Street 63 Tel: 077 959 861 www.ips-cambodia.com Property and real estate agent offering apartments, houses and villas for sale and rent in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

Relocation, Shipping Asian Tigers Beton Street, Mol Village, Sangkat Dongkor Tel: 023 212 014 www.asiantigers-mobility.com/cambodia Leading provider of international relocation solutions with over 30 offices in 14 countries.

Crown 115-116 Street 335 Tel: 023 881 004 www.crownrelo.com Global transportation and relocation company with over 150 offices in 50 countries, specialising in expat support and household shipment. Open 8.30am-5.30pm (Mon-Fri), 8.30am-12pm (Sat).

Taxi Services Choice Taxi Tel: 023 888 023 090 882 882

70 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

www.happypainting.net Established in 1995 this art gallery is dedicated to Stef, a local icon artist with a very personal and positive insight into everyday life in Cambodia. Open 8am-10pm

Metered taxi service with rates from US$1 for first 2km.

Ezecom 7D Russian Blvd. Tel: 023 888 181 www.ezecom.com.kh Internet service provider that promises boundless packages suited to everyone’s needs.

Good for those looking for unlimited downloads.

Mobitel 33 Sihanouk Blvd.

Tel: 012 801 801 Largest ISP in the country. Major mobile phone company which issues the 012 SIM card.

Smart 464a Monivong Blvd.

Tel: 010 201 000 One of Cambodia’s leading mobile operator, offering super-fast 4G LTE. Provides a range of phones, tablets and selection of call plans.

shopping

Space Four Zero 40 Street 118, near riverside Tel: 069 571 100 spacefourzero.com Pop Art Gallery and Music Emporium featuring Sticky Fingers Art Prints Cambodia by Julien Poulson, of The Cambodian Space Project.Rare vinyl, CDs, T-Shirts and music collectibles. Open daily from 11am to 7pm or by appointment.

Books & CDS Art Estampe 197A Street 19, Phnom Penh Tel: 012 826 186, A wide collection of vintage items can be found at Estampe. There are originals and reproductions of old photos, books, maps from late 19th and early 20th century.

Documents on specific themes or periods for unique tailor-made collections for hotels, restaurants or house decoration can be made. Open Mon- Sat from 11am-7pm.

Hanuman Fine Arts 13B Street 334, Phnom Penh Tel: 023 211 916 Email: tradition@hanumanfinearts.com High quality, beautiful antiques and art from all over the Kingdom. Furniture, ornaments, silverware, jewelry and more are well displayed in a treasure trove of a store. Very helpful and friendly staff. Open 8am–5pm.

Happy Painting Gallery 363 Sisowath Quay (nr. FCC) Tel: 023 221 732

D’s Books 79 Street 240 / 12E Street 178 Tel: 012 726 355 New and used bookshops with over 20,000 original books and some copies, with a great range of best sellers. Coffee, smoothies and more available all day at Street 240. Open 9am-9pm.

Le Phnom Shop Raffles Hotel Le Royal.

Tel: 023 981 888 Small shop offering books and souvenirs including recipes from the hotel’s pastry chef.

Open 7am-9pm.

Monument Books 111 Norodom Blvd.

Tel: 023 217 617 Extensive range of new English-language books in town including recent releases and sections on Asia, Cambodia, travel, cuisine, design and management. Good children’s section as well as a wide choice of magazines and newspapers.

Also has outlets at the airport and in Aeon Mall.

Open 7am-8.30pm.

Crafts & Furniture Artisans D’Angkor 12AEo Street 13 (in front of Post Office) Tel: 023 992 409 www.artisansdangkor.com Boutique with a wide range of traditional and contemporary handmade pieces produced at Artisans Angkor’s workshops in Siem Reap province: silk scarves, clothing and accessories, home furnishings, lacquer paintings and tableware, stone and wooden sculptures, silverplated ornaments and silk paintings. Special commissions and custom orders welcome.

Open daily from 9am-6pm DeCosy 219 Street 19 Tel: 023 219 276 Stocking charming knick-knacks and furniture, DeCosy is the place to find the things to make your house a home. Open daily from 9am-7pm.

Indulgence Interiors 23A Street 302 Tel: 023 637 3666 / 012 586 688 Email: Indulgenceinteriors@gmail.com Sells sofas, dining sets, bed linen, curtain & lights.

Pavillon d’Asie 24, 26 Sihanouk Blvd. Tel: 012 497 217 Antique lovers dream, a large array of wellrestored furniture and decorative objects.

Wooden cabinets jostle for space with Buddha statues and old wooden boxes. Upstairs are pieces from the French colonial era. Open 10am-7pm, closed Sunday.

Sinh Hak Hout Home Mart Branch I: 353ABC Mao Tse Tong Blvd. Tel: 023 723 588 Branch II: 88, St. 598, Near TV Station 3. Tel: 096 833 9999 Branch III: 65-67, Mao Tse Tong Blvd. Tel: 095 699 994 A one-stop solution for home interior furnishing offering a variety of tiles, stylistic bathroom furniture & sanitary ware, modern home and office furniture.

Fashion Ambre 37 Street 178 Tel: 023 217 935 The high-end fashion designs created by Cambodian designer Romyda Keth are popular all over the world, this beautiful colonial building makes the perfect setting for the city’s most glamorous design shop. Also has men’s fashion.

Open 10am-6pm, closed Sunday.

Bambou Indochine 7 Street 178 Tel: 023 214 720 High-quality T-shirts, Polo shirts and comfortable clothes in original designs. A fullrange of sizes for men, women and children.

Open daily 8am-10pm.

Beautiful Shoes 138 Street 143 Tel: 012 848 438

Family-run business measures your feet and designs the shoe exactly as you wish. The shop also caters for men. Open from 7am-6.30pm.

Couleurs D’Asie 33 Street 240 Tel: 023 221 075/ 099 499 478 Email: info@couleursdasie.net www.couleursdasie.net Established in Cambodia for more than 15 years, Couleurs d´Asie has developed a full range of textile products for home decoration, clothing and fashion accessories. Jewellery, essential oils, soaps and more are on offer. A custom service for existing products is also available.

D.Hindley Jewellery 9 Street 184 Tel: 012 327 107 Discover a range of beautiful Cambodian gemstones. From affordable to extravagant, we sell top quality 18k gold and sterling silver jewelry, plus loose gemstones. New Zealand/ Khmer ownership. All manufacturing done in Cambodia. Open 9am-7pm.

Khmer Attitude Raffles Hotel Le Royal. Tel: 023 981 888 Fashion boutique that offers the finest Khmer silk clothing for men, women and children, including designs by Romyda Keth, and exclusive jewellery that complement the limited edition outfits.

Luna Boutique 8E1 Street 278 Tel: 023 220 176 Original and stylish fashion designs for men and women. The tailor-made creations, designed by modern Cambodian stylist Mengchou Kit, are fit for any occasion. Luna Boutique is located in the heart of Phnom Penh, while its sister shop - Luna Shoes - is next door. Open daily 8am-9pm.

Sentosa Silk Uniform 33 Sothearos Blvd, cnr Street 178 Tel: 012 962 911 023 222 974 Email: info@couleursdasie.net sentosa@ online.com.kh Well known for its professional management ability, SentosaSilk gives clients efficient and reliable service through quality systems and procedures that consistently enhance product quality and reliability.

Smateria 8Eo Street 5. Tel: 023 211 701 7 Street 178. Tel: 023 214 720 www.smateria.com Boutique specializing in accessories made from recycled materials including a range of bags and wallets made from old fruit juice cartons, plastic bags and mosquito nets.

Food & Wine AusKhmer Import Export 521 Street Angtamin Pagoda, Sang Kat Kar Karp Tel: 012 698 100 023 880 110 www.auskhmer.com Importer of quality wines and fine food from

Art Attack

Market – Disoriented @ Plantation A new exhibition is set to take over the Plantation’s Lotus Pond Gallery this month.

The marketplace is a reflection of the soul of the people. It is a sensory explosion of smells, tastes, sights and sounds.

Cambodia’s markets are a microcosm of its culture and society – they embody organised chaos, immersing one in the passions of everyday life.

Market – Disoriented is a collaborative exhibition by artists Chhan Dina and Takakazu Yamada that explores the theme of Cambodia’s markets as the archetypal element of Cambodian culture and its authenticity.

Strolling through one of the Kingdom’s markets can be a disorienting experience: the anarchic cacophony of chatter, narrow compartments filled with fumes from the nearby food stalls, the endless labyrinth of clothes, shoes, fabrics or household goods.

Yet in the hustle and bustle of the market, one can observe a realm of stories, relations and interactions, which reflect the soul of Cambodian culture.

It is this very depth which artists Chhan and Takakazu seek to render through a juxtaposition of their contrasting styles and techniques.

Chhan explains that the identity of Cambodia is seen inside and around the market.

“It is part of everyday life,”

the artist says. “We thought it would be best to paint about something that is very Cambodian.”

“It is the liveliness of the Cambodian people that I always feel in the market” adds Yamada.

In Market – Disoriented, the contrasting styles of artists Dina and Yamada serve to bring forth distinctive visions of the Cambodian markets.

Yamada for instance explores the notion of the market spilling out into the city.

“The market means a lot of shops, but I feel that Phnom Penh city itself is the market, crowded with motorbikes and tuk-tuks. It’s messy and amazing,” says Chan, who in turn, is inspired by bright colours and particular elements of objects.

“One thing I focus on in my paintings are fish eyes – I find them so emotional, when I walk in the market I always look at them. They inspire me, the green, blue,” she adds.

Through this comparison, the artists aim to celebrate the friendship between the two countries they hail from.

“We hope that Cambodian people also see this art, we want people to see that all of our imaginations are different and exciting,” says Chan.

This exhibition is a tribute to 65 years of friendship between Cambodia and Japan.

The exhibition opens at the Lotus Pond Gallery, Plantation on Feb. 8 with a launch party from 6.30pm.

It runs until Mar. 19.

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 71

Naga World Darlin Darlin

Himawari Hotel French Element

Sokha Phnom Penh

Australian Embas

all

eH nc

m -Kh

St. 258

St. 246

St. 266

t Blvd.

nsio

Vietnam Friendship Monument

n)

St. 7

Public House

Bodia Spa

Meta House

CLA TEAV

St. 9

Vegetarian

One More Shigeta

St. 21

Bar Sito The Warehouse

Royal Palace

Sihanouk Blvd.

St. 282

St. 310 St. 294

Tama Hotel

St. 252

St. 214

17

St. 300

St. 280

St. 11

St. 113

St. 115

St. 117

St. 119

St. 127

St. 129

St. 260

St. 242

St. 232

Ch

ar

St. 143

St. 198

G les

de

41

St. 190

( St le

1 St.

St. 248

.2

17

)

St. 125 St. 141

Orussey Market

l au 16

4

St. 139

St. 288

St. 276

St. 278

Agrovet

St.

St. 161

St. 151

St. 153

St. 157

St. 159

St. 152

Olympic Stadium

.1

89

Legend Cinema 6

St.

28

31 31

St

32

8

St.

01

.

St d. (St. 21 Nehru Blv

5)

St

St. 336

St. 326

St. 346

St. 316

Northbridge TAMASA CCC

St. 218

St. 251 St.

24

9

St. 388

St. 372

St. 362

St. 344

St. 336

St. 324

St. 230

21

7)

Chenla Theatre St. 247

St. 210

St. 204

St. 202

St. 192

St. 247 St. 186

St. 160

St. 156

Mao Tse

St. 314

To Airport

8

St

.

6 33

St. 272

St. 230

St. 234

St. 226

St. 220 St. 217

St. 206

St. 202

St. 156

St. 150

St. 150

03

St. 243

Toung Blvd.

St. 270 586

St

28)

95

82

78 St. 5

St. 5

54

6 . 56

St. 5

St. 5

52

50

St. 5

St. 2

St. 253

7 . 29

122

46 48

St. 5

.2

St. 253

72 AsiaLIFE Cambodia 93

St. 5

St. 146

89

St. 291

28

St. 146

St. 134

St. 136

St. 608

St. 2

05

InterContin Friends ’n

St. 239

St. 241

St. 2

St. 5

(St. 289)

99

St. 231

St. 237

St. 618 Penn Nouth

St. 227

St. 233

AT THE AIRPORT: Bambou Indochine Smateria

.1

St

St. 229

St. 616

St. 614

St. 612

St. 610

St. 566

St. 564

St. 562

St. 55

St. 556

St. 528

St. 524

St. 225

St. 138

5

8

28

St. 560

St.

St. 194

St. 223 St. 188

St.

608

St. 182

St.

St. 221

St. 182

2

2 13

St. 162

St.

79

St. 122

77

St. 118

St. 112

St. 221

.2

St.

3

St. 213

St.

St.

34

29

0

St. 211

St.

33

8

St.

.2

St.

36 .3 St

0

St.

2 St. 18

St

8

St. 171 St. 175

St

8

. 169)

84

vaquie (St

.2

Tchecoslo

29

St. 161

St

St. 122

St. 118

St. 163

St. 165

Confedera

Jok Dimitro

v

St. 149

ssie (Po tion de la Ru

St. 304

St. 105

St. 111

11

Japan Hom

Salsa Cabana Buena

St. 107

St. S

.1

Sam

De Gran

St. 278

MERE CAFE/ BABY SHOP

0

109

St.

8 6 t. 1

St.

16

6

St. 140

St

St. 306

St. 302

St. 288

2 St. 26

S

Nata Spa

UdonCafe Pandan Hotel

Oknha Noukan

St. 137

St. 134

Smateria

St. 242

St. 158

St. 180

International Chiropractic Clinic

St. 182

d. (St. 128) a Krom Blv

4 St. 25

t. 242

0

Hotel 252

St. 63

g Blvd.

Monivon

Dara Shoes

port Road)

Dollhouse

D-Club & Duplex

Sunrise Tacos

CCF

St. 109

Beyond Lone Pine

Romdeng

St. 107

Kampuche

St. 126

St. 55

St. 236

20 St. 1

St. 86

St. 24

4

St. 22

2

8 St. 22

SOS

et)

8

St. 200

St. 184

St. 174

r Stre

St. 81

St.93

chentong Air

eu (Past

St. 21

8 St. 17

2 St. 17

St. 136

St. 126

St. 118

(St. 114) Kramuonsar

St. 51

Cabaret

Physiotherapy

British Embassy

the billabong cambodia

Taqueria Corona

Roomchang Combi Plaza

Bouchon Wine

Central Mall

g Blvd.

Monivon

Raffles Hotel Le Royal

St. 154

St. 130

St. 75

Market

St. 67

Central Mansions The Shop St. 96

ya Hotel Le Ro

St. 90

St. 86

St. 88

Tell

l

Exchange

uong (St. 110

)

St. 92

St. 61

Preah Angd

St. 108

St. 106

St. 102

United States Embassy

)

Central

Pontoon St. 53

Wat Lang Ka

St. 17

St. 154

8 St. 14

4

6

0

St. 13

St. 13

St. 118

St. 108

St. 106

St. 102

Oknha Sa

88 St.

47

St. 14

4 10

02

St.

.1

00

St

.1 St

8 .9 St nthomok

krong Cham 90 St.

Wat Phnom

84 St.

St.

St. 84

Fra

e nc

( S t.

ence

16

Baksei

St. 49

CheCulo

Dosa Corner

5

d Resi Tho

Nathan Horton Photography

ay

Monument Books

.3

Qu

Bo

ence

ard ulev

St

th

h Huyn

on

wa

S

St. 2

3

dom

pend

Infinity

nt ume Mon

M

o Sis

St. 2 t. 19

7)

l tra e Cen Offic t Pos

Inde Noro

D. Hindley

21

Night Market

3

t.

St. 1

(S

Giant Ibis Transportation

264

56

The Shop

2

Loloa’s Intimates

9

ISPP

Malis

St. 2

St. 1

St. 1

Seibur

St. 29

St.

84

78

Le Moon Reyum Institute Dara Motorcycle of Arts & Culture

St. 29

St. 20

S

Friends

National Museum

St. 1

Lemongrass Paddyt. 5Rice

St. 13

h

aison

Wat Ounalom

i re t

Riverhouse Bistro Riverhouse Lounge

St. 312

h

a eM

St. 308

e (t enc

Sothearos Blvd.

St. 292

o

ay

esid

er R

Sin

Qu

ath

Sihanouk Blvd.

Metro Café Riverside Bistro

ow

Suramari

Sis

St. 244

Bambou Indochine Smateria

St. 240

mu

kto

a Ch

40 St. 2

Central

Grand River TOUK

Sunset Blvd

e fer on kC

on

t

07

.2

.2

St

St.

43

Yothap

4

4

40

4

arak Ph ou

41

ol Khem

43

0

.2

St

St.

St.

99

min Blvd

.1

St

09

St

7

19

St.

St.

40

2

. (St. 27

1)

M

Ts e

8

St.

38

ao

St.

87

05

St.

95

.1

St

(S

93

.1

St

th

91

.1

St

4

To u

38

Bl

4

.

36

vd

St. 37

ng

St.

4

35 6

St. 47 5 St.

3 3

173

St. 4

St. 4

Toul Tom Pong

75

St. 167

7

St. 147

Yot o hap l Kh em ara kP hou

St.

St. 145

St. 163 B min

St. 135

.( lvd S t.

271

St. 132

St.

512 Yoth

l Kh

St. 73 apo

ema

ra

umin

Blvd

. (St.

271

)

St. 36

Nati onal Road

St.

St. 63 o k Ph

St. 63

8

St. 62

St. 36

510

6 St. 62 0 St. 63

8

St. 36

St.

506

B

St.

ge

0 2

St. 64

St. 64

St. 64

9

504

Brid

9

St.

502

g ivon

St. 35

St.

Mon

Sofitel Phokeethra

S

St. 508

St. 622

St. 620

ge

00 t. 5

496

Rose Condo Roomchang Ozone Poolside Bar

St.

494

St. 99

S

St. 97

92 t. 4

Rambutan

St. 498

leva

490

St. 394

Bou

St.

488

St. 155 St.

St. 484

St. 466

St. 462

dom

St. 486

St. 488

St. 99

St. 480

St. 474

St. 466

St. 436

Noro

St. 482

St. 454

St. 422

Canadian International School

St. 478

St. 476

St. 472

St. 470

St. 468

St. 446 St. 450

g Blvd.

St. 464

St. 460

St. 456

St. 454

St. 450

St. 95

St. 457

St. 444

St. 432 St. 440

St. 63

St. 448

St. 16

St. 442

Le Marche St. 440

Lapel Tailor

St. 438

St. 143 St. 428

Monivon

St. 432

St. 133 St. 408

n

St. 426

St. 121 St. 420

St. 400

St. 398

St. 392

St. 380

St. 370

St. 360

St. 352

St. 334

St. 322

Norodom Bou

St. 432

St. 408

Supercheap Mao Tse Toung Blvd. (Street 245)

St. 396

St. 390

St. 386

St. 376

St. 368

St. 360

St. 350

St. 348

St. 330

St. 71

St. 418

St. 310 St. 320

Le temps des Cerises

St. 424

St. 17

.1

Ludwik

St

nental n’ Stuff 85

PhalyCraft

.1

Toul Sleng Museum

St

mata Spa

83

Kurata

.1

St. 57

St

ur Str St. 51 (Paste

81 .1

Euro Dental Clinic

St

Lost Room

75

ire

I Ching lvd. earos

.1

13 Soth

St

AEON Mall id

7 17

o ag Dr r nB

St.

ssy

Russian Market

19

M

St. 35 3 7 9

2

St. 21

rd

eet) levard

St. 101

St. 95 St. 103

me Centre St. 105

430

)

30

To Choueng Ek Killing Fields approx. 12 km

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 73

4

SKY DECK

5 4

SHINJUKU ROOM

3

SHIBUYA ROOM

2

ODAIBA ROOM

TOKYO ROOM

6

VIP TERRACE

1

GINZA ROOM

JAPANESE FUSION CUISINE SIGNATURE COCKTAILS LIVE ENTERTAINMENT PRIVATE PARTY ROOMS SKYDECK + VIEWS

No. 507 Sisowath Quay Corner of Suramarit Blvd T: 070 999 100 | Rokku.com.kh

SushiRokku

In line with this month’s cover feature, AsiaLIFE throws the spotlight on the top apps for entrepreneurs to get on download.

FREE IOS ANDROID

FREE IOS ANDROID

ACCOMPANY

POCKET

Accompany does all the research necessary to prep users for big meetings by emailing a concise briefing beforehand. The app works by connecting to users’ Google or Microsoft email accounts, mobile calendar and Facebook and Twitter pages. It examines personal data to create summaries of contacts.

This “save for later” app allows users to file away useful articles, interesting videos and any other content that may be needed for future reference. So, if you stumble across something online that you want to save for later, simply store it in your Pocket and it can be accessed from your phone, tablet or computer, whether you’re on or offline.

FREE IOS ANDROID

FREE IOS ANDROID

SALESFORCE1

TOGGL TIME TRACKER

This app allows users to connect directly with customers and run their business from their phone. It channels all customer information into a single platform, enabling users to build a client-centred business that includes marketing, sales, customer service and business analysis.

This app allows you to track time from a browser, computer or smartphone so you never again lose a minute of billable time. You can organise your time by project or tag, and mark as billable. If you forget to turn it on, just enter the time later.

76 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

boxoffice

DAY OF THE DEAD: BLOODLINE

PETER RABBIT

BLACK PANTHER

MARROWBONE

Day of the Dead: Bloodline is the second remake of the 1985 classic horror. The film follows a small group of military personnel and some survivalists dwell in an underground bunker as they seek to find a cure in a world overrun by zombies. It is directed by Hèctor Hernández Vicens and the screenplay

by Mark Tonderai and Lars Jacobson, based on the characters created by George A. Romero.

Already pitted to be a hit, this animation film brings to life the antics of the character famously featured in Beatrix Potter’s collection of children’s books.

Here, Peter Rabbit’s feud with the McGregor family reaches new heights as he and Thomas McGregor compete for the affections of a kind animal lover who lives next door. It features the voices of James Corden, Daisy Ridley, Margot Robbie and Elizabeth Debicki.

After the death of his father, T’Challa returns home to the African nation of Wakanda to take his place as king. When a powerful enemy suddenly reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king – and as Black Panther – gets tested when he’s drawn into a conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther.

Another horror that will leave the blood curdling is Marrowbone, which follows young man and his younger siblings who have concealed the death of their mother to remain together are plagued by a sinister presence in their home. The Englishlanguage Spanish film is written and directed by Sergio G. Sanchez and made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sep. 11, receiving top reviews.

COMING SOON MOVIE RELEASES Major Cineplex See majorcineplex.com.kh for screening schedule Day of the Dead: Bloodline Feb. 05 Fifty Shades Freed Feb. 08 Peter Rabbit Feb. 14 Black Panther Feb. 15 Marrow Bone Feb. 19

Legend Cinemas See legend-cinemas.com for screening schedule A Bad Mom’s Christmas Feb. 08 Fifty Shades Freed Feb. 08 Peter Rabbit Feb. 14 Black Panther Feb. 15 Marrow Bone Feb. 19

AsiaLIFE Cambodia 77

3 How well do you know your adopted country?

1. Name the longest river in Vietnam that only FLOWS within Vietnam itself.

9

2. Name the highest mountain in Vietnam.

7. Which African nation will send a team to compete in the women’s bobsled in this year’s Winter Olympics, the first time anyone from this country has competed in the Winter Olympics?

8. Which Disney Movie will debut on Broadway this year with its own Musical ?

3

5

3

3 8 5

4

9

9

1

7 6

7

3 8 5

5 1

4

7

2

9

1

3

2

6

4

Pub Quiz Answers

6. Manchester City’s long unbeaten run in the premier league came to an end versus Liverpool on Sunday. Who before that was the last team to beat Manchester City in a premier league game?

7

1. Dong Nai 2. Phan Xi Pang 3. Mekong 4. C Australia 5. Descending Dragons 6. Chelsea 7. Nigeria 8. Frozen 9. Australia 10. Ed Sheeran – Perfect 11. Reykjavik 12. Ngerulmud, Palau 13. Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein

General knowledge

1

2

14. Nauru (although technically some say Bern Switzerland also) 15. Lake Baikal - Siberia 16. K2 17. Rome 18. Belgium 19. Azerbaijan and Afghanistan 20. Bhutan

5. What does Ha Long Bay translate as?

9

6

3. Which river in Vietnam is known as the nine dragons?

4. Which country did the Vietnamese under-23 football team recently beat in the Asian under-23 championships ?

6

4

9. Which Country won the 2017-18 Ashes cricket series?

10. The Christmas number one song in the UK is a huge deal – who was this years Christmas number on there?

Geography

Strange world facts 16. Due to precipitation, which mountain for a few weeks each year is bigger than Mount Everest?

11. What is the world’s most northern capital city?

17. On every continent there is one city named what?

12. By population, what is the world’s smallest capital eity?

13. Name the only two double land-locked counties in the world.

18. Which is the only country that has never had censorship on adult movies?

14. Name the only country in the world without a capital city.

15. Name the world’s largest lake by volume.

78 AsiaLIFE Cambodia

19. Only two countries in the world begin with an A but don’t end with an A. Which are they?

20. In which kingdom do the citizens officially become a year older on new year’s day?

W I NE & CH E E SE 20 $++ per person Every Tuesday & Thursday from 6pm to 8pm Unlimited cheese & charcuterie. Free-flow of wines.

Bookings recommended at khema.online/booking

Khéma Pasteur

#163 St. 51 Corner St. 228, Phnom Penh +855 (0) 15 823 888

Khéma La Poste

#41 St. 13 corner St. 98, Phnom Penh +855 (0)15 841 888

All prices are subject to 7% service charge and 10% government tax