Markets

I've been shopping at markets in many places from London (I lived for a year just a block from a famous antiques market on Portobello Road) to France to Christmas markets in Germany to the Grand Bazaar and Spice Markets in Istanbul. So you know I was going to check out the markets in Cambodia.  They were quite different from other places I've been.  Mostly the other stops have been places to buy handcrafts, locally made items, specialty items and fresh foods, like farmers market style shopping.  The markets in Cambodia had those things too, but they also had basic everyday goods - like toilet paper, makeup and car parts.  A strange variety.  Like a combination farmers market, Dollar General and souvenir shop all combined. 

 

This was the Central Market in Phnom Penh.  It is located in an art deco style building.  This central section was full of jewelry and watch vendors.  Then each wing branched off the sides with clothing, food, household goods, etc.  I didn't buy a thing here, just wandered around. 

 

The other market I visited is known as the Russian Market. It was not nearly as formal of a set up. Actually when my driver dropped me just outside, I should have paid better attention to where I was because later it was hard to navigate back to him!  It was a labyrinth. A million tiny booths all connected to each other and with a tin roof overhead. Mark (my brother the EMT/fireman) would have died about the safety - I tried to pay attention to how to get out in case of a fire.

 

I'll speak more to this in another post, but I was extremely conscious of my Western-ness.  It was obvious that the vendors were as well because I couldn't walk 5 feet without being asked "you buy scarf lady?  you buy picture lady? you buy FILL IN THE BLANK WHATEVER THEY ARE SELLING lady?"  It made me feel like I couldn't stop and look hardly at all. Instead I looked at things out of the corner of my eye and when I decided to buy, just picked a vendor, did some bargaining and got 'er done.  Bargaining is not my favorite thing and somehow I feel ridiculous haggling with an twelve year old girl for a wooden toy to save an extra buck or two.  But I guess that's the way to go, so I did a little but didn't drive too hard of a deal anywhere.  I left satisfied with my loot of a couple of toys for my kiddos and a wooden carving for myself. 

 

Here are some pictures of the food sections...

 

I have no idea what some of those fruits are. Before I leave this post, let's talk about the food. I am not an adventurous eater. I am much better than I used to be, but this was a whole new level. I didn't try anything crazy on this trip and mostly stuck with eating at my hotels or if I was out, getting really basic things like fried rice or grilled chicken skewers.  I had read some travel blogs before this trip that mentioned the really outlandish stuff you can get in Cambodia - like fried tarantulas, bugs, rats, skinned frogs, etc.  I didn't even see any of this stuff.  Maybe I didn't investigate hard enough because the food sections smelled so strongly of fish that I could hardly walk around without being nauseous.  I did wander through the food stalls at a night market and nothing looked too crazy.  Lots of noodles, meat skewers and things that looked like battered and deep fried something.  I don't know what the somethings were under the batter and again, being the conservative eater I am, didn't want to try it. Some might say I really missed out and if I did, that's ok - I never got sick.