You know, I really care about my readers. And anyone traveling on vacation - you worked hard for your trip!
I was doing research at Angkor for Through the Eyes of a Queen, and the summer crept up on me. March, April and May are the hottest months, and now, with climate change, they’re hotter than ever. Suddenly, everything I had brought from the U.S. was too hot to wear. Even rayon. And my cycling gear. It was not a question of comfort, but of staying on my feet.
I went to see my friend Yusuf at A.N.D., #31 Street 240 in Phnom Penh. Men’s and women’s readymade clothing in lightweight, 100% cotton. I found dresses so versatile that I could wear them for everything from publicity photos to cycling. And they’re Angkor-dress-code compliant. A.N.D. even made a dress for me in less than 24 hours.
OK, your restaurant is air conditioned, but you have to get there. I bought long-sleeved cotton tunics I could wear outside in the heat and inside, too.
I gave away all my rayon, and took my cycling clothes back to California. No longer STUCK at Angkor, thanks to A.N.D. (artisansandesigners@gmail.com, andgmanager@gmail.com, +855 (0) 15 402 015, +855 (0) 99 402 015)
Here’s another tip. My health care plan recommended that I take antibiotics to Cambodia with me, for amoebic dysentery. Having been hospitalized every other trip for years, I took their advice. Sure enough, at the end of my last trip I got sick. Because I had the antibiotics with me I was able to recuperate at home, save the expense of a 2-day hospital stay, and make my flight back to the U. S. With climate change, food spoils faster. This increases the risk of contracting dysentery.
If you’re going to Phnom Penh - best airport pickup taxi. Mr. Kong Phumra, Telegram, WhatsApp and Messenger, +855 0693 90666. Best restaurant, right on the Mekong (Sisowath Quay, north side, relatively near Wat Phnom) - Titanic.
DO NOT SHOP for SILK on KOH DACH (the “Silk Island”) or Koh Ooknyatei. These two islands used to be famous for fine anloony, paamooung, and one type of chorabab (“diamond paamooung”). My husband and I used to take the ferry over from his village every year, and make a day of it. But after 2006, when we tried to buy silk, the sellers would try to cheat us - every single time. Even though my husband and I are known on Koh Dach because he has many relatives there. “Koh Dach” means, “the island that split off”. But some slick business tycoon nicknamed it, “The Silk Island”. What most weavers were making the last time I visited were synthetics and blends in simple patterns. And the scarves being sold, also synthetics, had obviously been brought in from the markets in Phnom Penh. (That being said, there is a company named Koh Oknyatei that makes fabulous scarves - you can buy them at the National Museum in Phnom Penh.) The “Silk Island” is, in my opinion, the worst place in Cambodia to look for silk.
Going to Siem Reap? Best tuk-tuk driver - Ly of LohnLy Transport, Telegram, WhatsApp and Messenger, +855 698 266 46. My favorite restaurant? Curry Walla on Sivutha Boulevard.
DO NOT SHOP for SILK in Angkor Park. Because none of what you see there is silk. Make your first stop Khmer Silk on Charles de Gaulle Blvd. in Siem Reap town, half a block north of the National Museum on the same side of Charles de Gaulle (note that they have 2 floors - the best silk is upstairs). Make your next stop the gift shop in the National Museum. Make your next stop Angkor Khmer Silk Loom in the Made in Cambodia Market across the street from the Shintamani Hotel - look for orange banners fluttering in the breeze (tell Hy I sent you).
Have a wonderful trip!