First Week in Phnom Penh

The Blue Pumpkin's comfy couch.

I'll admit that after living in China for nearly half a year, I was pretty excited about some of the western amenities Phnom Penh has to offer. Mostly the western food. When I was in China, I mostly ate Chinese food and I loved it. But sometimes you just have a hankering for western food--something with dairy products and real meat in it. Don't get me wrong, there were some really good western restaurants in Chengdu. But Phnom Penh has sooooo many options. This city actually has pretty decent Mexican food (sorry Peter's Tex Mex), even if it can be a bit pricey.

I was over the moon when I found these. No more tomato or steak flavored chips for me!

You think the new Lays Chicken and Waffles chips are...different? Try cucumber, seafood, or kimchi (this one is actually pretty good). Cheese flavored chips are not readily available in China, they're kind of a specialty item. BBQ isn't quite BBQ either. And one can only eat so many cans of Pringles. So when I found KETTLE BRAND CHIPS at the mini-mart near my hotel, I squealed with delight. 

Mango smoothies everywhere you go...so happy...

Another plus was the great Cambodian/Thai/Vietnamese food. I've had some very good Pad Thai and phở, as well as Khmer amok and lok lak. And as a mango-lover I can never get enough of the dried mango slices, mango ice cream, and smoothies. Just...heaven.

  At the Blue Pumpkin. No more squatty potties.

The Blue Pumpkin is one of the first restaurants I went to, and still one of my favorite. Does it get any better than eating fried spring rolls and mint ice cream on a fluffy white sofa? No, no it doesn't. They also bring you towels soaked in peppermint oil to help cool you off after being outside in the searing heat. Genius.

I participated in the Transitions Global engagement trip during my first week in Cambodia. James and Athena Pond took us to some of the best restaurants in Phnom Penh. It was the first time I had tapas, and it was fantastic. Before I left China, I was in a bit of a Shao Kao rut, so all this international food really woke up my palate.

Tapas at Cafe Yejj

About to eat some tapas!

As part of the engagement trip we got to tour some of the other NGOs operating in Phnom Penh. Daughters of Cambodia is an NGO working with victims of sex-trafficking and sex-exploitation in Cambodia. Their approach is a bit different than Transitions, one of the differences is that they work with women (not minors). They have a factory that produces beautiful gifts/souvenirs and they also have a restaurant. Find out more about them here.

The Daughters of Cambodia store.

Bunny Nuggets from Cambodia Knits

One of the unique (and cutest) NGOs we visited was Cambodia Knits. They're a social enterprise that seeks to empower marginalized communities in Phnom Penh and provide them with a way out of poverty. Their stuffed animals are totes adorbs. I had to buy some of these tiny bunnies. Too. Cute. All of their products would make great baby shower gifts! Find out more about Cambodia Knits here.

In a tuk tuk.

So, after learning a bit more about Phnom Penh, some of the great NGOs here, and the organization I would be working with for the next 6 months, I was very excited to begin my internship! What a great way to begin my life in Cambodia. After all that good food, though, my next step should be to find a treadmill...