PHNOM PENH IS A PLACE WHERE THERE’S NO
SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH WHEN IT COMES TO
ORNAMENTATION—WHO SAYS YOU CAN’T HAVE
FAIRY LIGHTS AND GOLD LEAF ON A BUDDHA?
Glimmering
streetside treasures
in Phnom Penh
savoury Cambodian pancake filled with pork
and bean sprouts and decadently garnished
with mint and basil. From then on—and at
risk of becoming an infamous glutton—I disregard the more familiar Western menu in
favour of double helpings of Cambodian fare.
The following morning, we tie up in the
chaotic metropolis of Phnom Penh, where I
wander the labyrinthine streets lined with
French Colonial buildings and curvaceous
art deco apartments. Jagged sunbeams illuminate gold Buddhas tucked away in dark
corners, and it strikes me that Phnom Penh
is a place where there’s no such thing as too
much when it comes to ornamentation—
who says you can’t have fairy lights and
gold leaf on a Buddha? I return via the
Central Market and quickly lose myself in
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don’t get
WRAPPED
the d.i.y.
Winter on
ice: cool
mountain
adventures
the frenetic lanes abundant with live fish and
crusty baguettes, all sold by vendors wearing
brightly patterned áo bà ba (pajamas).
My destination the next day is the Royal
Palace, the very essence of Cambodian
imperial wealth. In the Silver Pagoda, the
thick carpets have been peeled back to
reveal silver floor tiles. I walk past Buddhas
made of gold and diamonds, each one more
extravagant than the last, then exit onto the
streets humming with hawkers