PHNOM PENH IS A PLACE WHERE
THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH
ORNAMENTATION—WHO SAYS YOU
CAN’T HAVE FAIRY LIGHTS AND GOLD
LEAF ON A BUDDHA?
Glimmering
streetside treasures
in Phnom Penh
with mint and basil. From then on—and at
the 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 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 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 and mopeds.
At times, Cambodia can seem like a country entirely populated by children and,
sadly, there is some truth to this observation. Between 1975 and 1978, Pol Pot’s
Khmer Rouge was responsible for the
deaths of about one-quarter of the population. Our guide, Buntha, counts his own
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