Social Profile
Food & Drink
Restaurants and other businesses abound in Phnom Penh, although the city remains poor. Food stalls are also common in Phnom Penh and can usually be found in and around the Central Market, O Ressei Market and Tuol Tom Pong Market. Khmer cuisine is very similar to Thai, but with fewer spices involved. Popular dishes include fish, soup and salad, almost always incorporating Cambodia's favourite flavours of coriander, lemongrass and mint. There is also a plethora of sweet dishes. Common ingredients used in Cambodian cuisine include nuts, banana, coconut, the durian fruit (known for its distinctive odour), jackfruit, longan fruit, lychee, pineapple and Rambutan (which has translucent white flesh) fruit, to name just a few.
Nightlife
The major hotels offer entertainment, and weekly Apsara dance performances are often held from November to March in some hotel gardens. The Holiday International Hotel is a popular nightclub which also offers a karaoke bar and casino. For further information, contact Diethelm Travel (see Contact Addresses section).
Shopping
Antiques, woodcarvings, papier mâché masks, brass figurines, kramas (checked scarves), material for sarongs and hols, and items and jewellery made of gold, silver and precious stones are Cambodia’s best buys. Visitors are advised that there are strict controls on the export of antiques - and stone carvings in particular. The Central Market, Tuol Tom Pong Market and the Old Market are among the best places for buying jewellery and the Fine Arts School sells many of the above goods in its shop. Clothing and materials are available at the Central Market.
Shopping hours
Mon-Fri 0800-2100.
Special Events
The following is a selection of special events celebrated annually in Cambodia:
Jan/Feb Têt, Vietnamese and Chinese New Year.
Feb Meak Bochea Festival.
Feb 9-12 Chaul Chhnam, three-day celebration of the Cambodian New Year.
May 3 Visaka Bochea, Anniversary of the Buddha’s Birth.
May 26 Chrat Prea Nongkoal, ceremonial beginning of the sowing season.
Jul-Sep Buddhist ‘Lent’.
Oct 2-4 Pchum Ben, offerings made to dead ancestors.
Oct Bonn Kathem (religious festival).
Nov 10-11 Angkor Wat Lighting Concert Hideki Togi (God's Banquet).
Nov 15-17 Festival of the Reversing Current (The Water Festival), pirogue canoe races are held in Phnom Penh; Bon Om Tuk, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
Social Conventions
Sensitivity to politically-related subjects in conversation is advisable. Avoid pointing your foot at a person or touching someone on the head. Women should wear long clothing that covers the body. Photography: Permitted, with certain restrictions, such as the photographing of military installations, airports and railway stations. It is polite to ask permission before photographing Cambodian people, especially monks.
Tipping
Tips are appreciated in hotels and restaurants where no service charge has been added, and by tour guides.
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