We booked a tour for Day 3 morning that sounded like fun – and it did not disappoint! Billed as Morning Market and Street Art Tour, it was offered by Urban Foragers and booked through Viator Tours.

Our guide Jackson arrived at our hotel at 8:30 am with two Tuk Tuks and one other guest – a lovely lady from Paris. Throughout the morning, we switched places about in the Tuk Tuks and had a good chance to get to know both this young lady as well as Jackson.

The tour started at the Boeung Keng Kang Market. As opposed to the Central Market on Day 2, this was the type of market we wanted to see. Jackson assured us that this was a market for the locals, who usually shop once or twice a day as many do not have adequate refrigeration at home. He also described it as one of the cleanest markets. 😳😳

Rather than trying to describe the items for sale, I have included a number of pictures. What I found most intriguing was the lack of order of the stalls – clothing next to raw meat, toys next to fish that were being actively gutted, hair salons between meat and produce stands. Coming from our regulated health standards, it was definitely eye-opening, and a bit disconcerting at times.

The vendors were friendly and welcoming. Jackson told us that they typically arrive around 5 a.m. and generally sell the bulk of their items by late afternoon.

Jackson led us to a food vendor where he arranged our first breakfast – Banh Sung. Banh Sung is a typical Cambodian dish that includes rice noodles, crispy caramelized pork, fried spring rolls, fresh vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, bean sprouts), mint, Thai basil, crushed peanuts and is drizzled with a sweet and savoury sauce made of coconut milk, spring onions and spring roll sauce. It was fun to watch it being prepared and even more fun to eat as it was absolutely delicious. We also loved the Cambodian Iced Coffee, made with sweetened condensed milk.

After this great meal, we wandered about the market a bit more and stopped to sample Cambodian doughnuts – Nuom Kong. There were three types, all soft and chewy on the inside and deliciously crunchy on the outside, with a mildly sweet nutty favour. Each of us had our own favourite.

After leaving the market, Jackson and the Tuk Tuks took us to Phnom Penh’s street art district – Street 93, which is part of the Boeung Kak Lake area. Jackson related the history of the area to us and I apologize if my memory of the story isn’t completely accurate.

Boeung Kak Lake was traditionally surrounded by numerous villages and thousands of residents, many of whom made their living by fishing and harvesting seaweed. However, in 2010 land developers were allowed to fill in much of the lake to create high-end housing developments. Thousands were forced to evacuate and received very little compensation. For a number of years, there were protests, arrests and forced evictions. Street 93 became notorious for drugs, poverty and crime.

In 2014, a small group of people had the idea and initiative to clean things up and turn Street 93 into an art-filled village and over the past few years, the streets have become filled with art installations and colourful murals.

Jackson made the art come to life with interesting stories related to the art and the artists.

The neighbourhood appears to have a vibrant, growing community, a testament to the people who persevered.

It was now time for our second breakfast. At a street side stall, we were served Bay Sach Chruk. A traditional Cambodian breakfast dish, it is composed of pork (sach chrouk or chrouk) that is marinated then grilled (ideally on charcoal) and sliced finely, accompanied by rice (bai in Cambodian) and pickled vegetables. Its marinade of coconut milk, garlic, palm sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime and Kampot pepper brings a unique flavor to the meat and gives its unique identity to the dish. It also allows for a nice caramelization when cooking. We enjoyed it very much and were refreshed with the iced tea that was provided.

Dr Beat Richner was a Swiss paediatrician who travelled with the Swiss Red Cross to Cambodia where he worked at the Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital in Phnom Penh in 1974 and 1975. The hospital is named in memory of the daughter of King Norodom Sihanouk who died of leukemia at the age of four. When the Khmer Rouge overran Cambodia, Richner was forced to return to Switzerland.

However, in December 1991 Richner returned to Cambodia and was asked by the Cambodian government to rebuild the devastated hospital. He created the Kantha Bopha Foundation which reconstructed the facility and since then, has resulted in the existence of five childrens’ hospitals in Cambodia. All of the hospitals provide free treatment to any child under the age of 16.

This mural was created in honour of the Foundation.

In contrast to the street art, Jackson led us to The Gallerist, a contemporary art space on the iconic 240 Street. The pieces on display were innovative and interesting and we enjoyed viewing them.

Further along 240 Street, we stopped in at Wang Dang Doodle by Space Four Zero, a Pop Art Gallery and Vinyl Lounge that sells prints, rare and new vinyl and CD’s and other related paraphernalia. It was fun to have a look around.

Our final stop was a tour surprise, but to keep it a surprise for future tour participants, we have been sworn to secrecy. Suffice to say, it was a great way to end a wonderful morning!

A relaxing afternoon and one last dinner in the rooftop restaurant and our time in Phnom Penh was done.

Cambodia – both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh – far exceeded our expectations! Visiting this country was unlike any of our previous travels and it was an amazing experience! I hope I have been able to pass on a bit of the wonder that we experienced!

Cheers,

Bev & Harvey