Exploring Cambodia: Markets in Phnom Penh

With our daughters, Brenda and Marla, visiting we felt the best place to start their adventures would be to explore the markets. Two prominent markets recommended for tourists are Central Market and Russian Market. They both have rows and rows of aisles to explore. We started at Central Market with a goal of looking for fabric for Khmer skirts for each of our daughters and our daughter in law.

Fabrics selected and stowed in the car, we still had time to look around. When exploring a new country, we were told, one needs to use all their senses. This applies to the markets with so much to see, touch, smell, hear, and even taste. We were given a taste of Jack Fruit, smelled Durian (a.k.a. Stinky Fruit), felt many different textures, saw much that was new, and heard many call to these obvious tourists to come buy from them.

This afternoon we had lunch at Brooklyn Pizza and Bistro, then with the assistance of the Sister Training Leaders we went to a seamstress to order skirts made.

The next stop was Russian Market. This market seems to be older with everything closer. It appears to be a series of structures joined together to be a large tin-roof market.  One of the vendors is CJF (Cambodia Job Fund), which carries a variety of goods made by Church members. We were able to find several of the other items on our list at this stop. As we explored the many varied shops we heard rain start, and soon felt the drips from the leaks in the tin roof. It was a new experience to wade through the streams trickling down the aisles. It was raining hard enough we thought we would wander a bit in the hopes the rain would subside. We finally just braved the rain and ran for the car.

We were all quite content to return to the apartment for the remainder of the day and eat at home. When they scheduled their trip to Cambodia, we are sure Brenda and Marla didn't expect to experience Raining Season and the cooler temperatures.