things to do in phnom penh

Most guides book would recommend the following when visiting Phnom Penh; Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, Central Market, Royal Palace and the National Museum. And you could if you wanted to, but heres are a few other things not to be missed. 

Riverfront
Explore the Tonle Sap riverfront or as it is called Sisowath Qua. It is especially lively in the evening and over the weekend. Across the boulevard are rows of french colonial shophouses that now house various local & western restaurant and bars. The Royal Palace and the National Museum are also within walking distance.

Karma Restaurant & Bar

Preah Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Foreign Correspondent Club

A great place for cocktails overlooking the river.

363 Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Russian Market

I especially loved the Russian Market, which to me seemed a lot more genuine than the Central Market. Here you will find numerous stalls divided across narrow indoor alleys selling hardware, vegetable, poultry, jewellery, textiles, clothes, toys, dining-ware and much more. Most prices are in USD but you can bargain. 

Tuk-Tuk

Tuk-tuks are the easiest and cheapest way of getting around Phnom Penh with most fares costing between 2 to 4 USD. Remember to check beforehand. I've listed this as a thing to do because riding a tuk-tuk can be extremely fun. The traffic in Phnom Penh is chaotic with vehicles driving in all directions including opposite lanes, with tuk-tuks zooming in and out and around.

Try Khmer Cuisine

Cambodian food isn't very popular, yet. If I had to describe it I would say its a cross between Thai and Vietnamese food but a little on the sour side with lots of pepper. I'm obviously not the best food critic so do try it for yourself and decide. There are also a handful of street stalls to try, which seem to be very popular amongst the locals. 

K and I also tried a few cafes (include a hidden almost impossible to find vegan one) and rooftop bars. Look out for the amazing happy hour deals. So cheap!

Malis 

A great option for dinner, this restaurant is housed in a colonial bungalow. If its not too hot, request for a garden table. 

136 Norodom Boulevard, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Artillery

This laneway cafe is difficult to find but  is an ideal place to spend your weekend afternoon. 

Alleyway of St. 240 1/2, No. 82E0 244, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

D22

A modern hipster-chic Japanese rooftop bar offering a great view of the city. 

Floor 22, Phnom Penh Tower, No. 445, Monivong Blvd, Phnom Penh

phnom penh photo diary

Phnom Penh tends to be overlooked for Siem Reap, which is a pity because it has such old world charm. My recent weekend gateway to Cambodia's capital was filled with good Khmer food, crazy tuk tuk rides, visits to the local markets and exploring the Tonle Sap riverfront. 

photo diary & tips for rome

Rome is known as the Eternal City and is a truly magical place to visit. There is so much history and culture here, it is almost impossible to see and do everything. Here is a brief list of tips to help you plan your own Roman Holiday.

1. Rome tends to get extremely crowded especially during summer. While this greatly lessens the appeal of visiting this ancient city, it is not an excuse. Be smart- you can either visit during the off-peak season (I went in early December) or choose to visit the lesser known attractions. 

2. WALK! Most sites are not too far apart and getting lost is part of Rome's charm. 

3. Have gelato, everyday. You are on holiday after all.  

4. There are roughly over 900 basilicas and churches in Rome, with some being more popular than others. While Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City is an absolute must, choose to visit these other churches at your own pace. Unless you are on a religious pilgirmage, you aren't missing out that much.

5. Skip the audio guide at the Vatican Museum and the Colosseum. Its hardly informative and pretty generic. 

6. For the first half of my trip, I stayed in the suburbs which was roughly a 15 minute commute to the Vatican and a 30 minute commute to the city itself providing there is no traffic. While this meant I couldn't stay out too late, it offered a different insight to the real Rome and a refreshing break from all the crowds. But the best part was the food- cafes here were catered to the locals and served super authentic food at a fraction of the cost. FYI, the food in Rome is not cheap nor the tastiest when compared to other parts of Italy. My rule is to always avoid the cafes around the piazzas (this should be strictly for people watching only), take a left instead and walk two streets down and look for a hidden cafe somewhere. 

7. Lastly, write in to the Vatican and request for tickets to the Scavi Tour for the excavations under Saint Peter's Basillica. Its a small operation with only 120 visitors permitted each day. I could go on a bit about this tour, but simply put- it was the highlight of my trip to Rome!

travel tips & then some

It's no secret that I love planning my trips in great detail (God forbid I stay at a hotel that I have not read the review for) although I try to be extremely nonchalant about this habit of mine. This stems from not wanting to annoy whomever I am travelling with or worse not wanting to be perceived as being borderline crazy. I remain normal in all other aspects of life. 

And while I don't claim to be an expert, I have picked up a thing or two along the way. And I'm in the mood to share so lucky you.

DIP Travel Tips

Disclaimer: These tips may not work for you as well as they work for me. Please don't take everything you read here too seriously. 

1. A little research goes along way. Its good to look up on tourist passes for attractions/transport etc for ultimate savings. Also, find out the best way to purchase said passes as they might not be so readily available or in some cases only available from the airport. However tourist passes might not always work out to be the cheapest option. For example, when I visited Paris I got the tourist pass for the museums but opted for a carnet of metro tickets (pack of 10) instead of the daily metro pass. 

2. Remember to also find out the best, cheapest and fastest way to get from the airport (which are often located away from the city centre)to your hotel. This especially critical for Europe where taxis are expensive. 

3. Plan your trip. I'm all for being spontaneous and going with the flow BUT planning your trip does help you save both time & money. Its good to have a rough itinerary of things you intend to see & do and a good way to group your proposed activities would be based on location. This avoids having to spend a lot of time travelling to different places which in turn can not only end up making one very tired but cost more. You would think that this would be somewhat common sense but sadly no. I know people who travel all around the city ticking off to dos only to waste a lot of time commuting. 

4. While train rides tend to be cheap in Asia, they aren't as cheap in Europe. I haven't fully figured why yet. If you do decide to take a train say from one city to another, check to see if there are cheaper advanced fares online. I did this a number of times in Germany and managed to save quite a bit then if I were to purchase the train ticket from the station itself. 

5. When it comes to accommodation, booking.com should be your new best friend. I find the rates on this site tend to be cheap than on agoda.com though  both are reliable. Once you have shortlisted a few places to stay at, remember to also check the reviews on tripadvisor. This is a serious must. Photos can be deceiving and its always good to know the proximity of your hotel in relation to attractions, city centre, airport etc. Its worthy noting that these website have a tendency to exaggerate when it comes to advertising how many rooms are still avaible. I wouldn't fret too much. 

6. When checking in, there are two critical questions to ask. The first is to find out the wifi password (duh). The second is to find out if there is a supermarket near by. Supermarket are underrated attractions in any new city. Its a great places to get cheap food/snacks/drinks and to just have a browse around. Plus, not all hotels have complimentary water bottles (a growing trend in efforts to be more environmentally friends- bah). Also the alcohol sold here would be obviously cheaper than the hotel mini bar. Tokyo had the best convenient stores! 

7. While eating out can be fun, it can also be expensive. Avoid any place thats near a main tourist attraction. Walk two streets away and then turn left. Look for a local eatery which will no doubt be  a lot more pocket friendly and serve more authentic food. Rules to live by in Rome especially. You also don't have to eat out every meal of the day. If your hotel stay includes a breakfast buffet than good for you. Otherwise bakery and supermarkets have plenty of cheaper options. Also, opt for a heavy lunch as lunch specials tend to be cheaper than dinner and you can spend the rest of your afternoon walking and working it off. Dinner can be something lighter. Never skip tea though. You deserve that coffee and gelato. 

8. Take breaks! If you don't take breaks in winter, you'll freeze. If you don't take breaks in summer, you'll melt. There is no fun in cramming too many visits in a day. Its imperative that a small part of your day is allocated to getting some rest. 

9. You don't have to pay for everything. There is usually always a free museum and viewing platform. Google will help you figure it out. If all else fails, there is always the beach. 

and lastly

10. Don't be a tourist, be a traveller. You don't have to visit every single site just because some guide book says its a top ten attractions. Visit places and do things that interest you. Don't be afraid to explore and get lost. Even when I visited Barcelona as an architecture student, I spend a lot of time just wondering around Barri Gotic & La Rambla instead of visiting every single Gaudi building. Its a much more exciting experience than waiting in line for some pointless attraction. 

oh and one more because I just remembered.

11. Before you even start to plan your trip you have to first decide on the nature of your holiday - to see stuff or to relax. An ideal holiday would combine both although this would also depend on the destination. Its also best to quickly double check with everyone else who is also going on holiday to make sure everyone is on the same page. Had I learnt this earlier, I could have skipped out on a number of family vacations - they never even left the pool!

pulau langkawi photo diary

A quick update with a few pictures from a recent family vacation to Pulau Langkawi.

The sunny island of Langkawi is located in the north west of Malaysia along the Straits of Malacca. It may not be as well known as Phuket or Bali but has plenty to offer. Getting there is easy, you can choose to fly (a 40 minute flight from Kuala Lumpur) or drive (5 hours from Kuala Lumpur) and take a ferry across (another 45 minutes). There are plenty of accommodation types to choose from; high end 5 star resorts, boutique villas and budget guest homes etc. Some popular activities include island hopping, water sports, taking the cable car up to Gunung Machingchang and shopping for duty free chocolates & alcohol. My personal favourite part about Langkawi - is the beach of course.