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Hello from the spectacular coastline at Otres Beach!

You have to wait, however - the pictures and stories today are going to cover our last day in Phnom Penh. We're currently staying in Queen's Hill Resort (see their website gallery here) - where the food, sun, sand, water and people are simply stunning. We cannot share that with you yet, until we find a workaround for the limitations on internet usage. Right now I am sitting next to a large sign apologising for the inconvenience, but no uploading pictures allowed. Boo. Lucky for me, I had uploaded some extras yesterday so we have something to play with for now.

So - our last day in Phnom Penh was designated as Market Day. Rather than take another moto or tuk-tuk, we decided to walk through the streets and navigate our own way to the Central Market.

Naomi spotted some pet fashions :)

It seems that not only StKilda and Chapel St doggies get to play dressups!

This is the Central Market, as seen from the upper floor of a nearby shopping mall (more on why we were there later).

You can see an area I highlighted towards the left of the image - a giant iridescent wasp popped in to be a part of the photo!

The Central Market is large. A huge domed structure with four hallways extending from the centre, the surrounding ground area has been consumed by a sea of canopies that extend between each arm and fill all available space - right up to (and sometimes on top of) the surrounding streets.

Our stroll through the market took us by food, cheap electronics, clothing, homewares and souvenirs.

Above, you can see an interior view of the central dome. It was quite a space to behold.

Fantastic fruits enticed us several times. We stocked up on bananas, rambutan, and Naomi introduced me to the world of the Permelon. I am sorry to inform Josh... but it really didn't rock my socks off. Perhaps the Singapore stories built it up too much!

Other fruits we encountered were Mangosteens. Not to be confused with Meganstein. I had an expectation for them to be cheap, so I decided not to buy them at $2 per kilo. For the rest of the day, the lowest price we could find was $4 per kilo! So no mangosteen for me.

Also not purchased, was the stinky and spiky joy of the Durian. I am still hoping to find cheap durians along the way, but the ones at the market didn't tempt me enough.

The seafood at the market was incredible to see as well. Giant tubs full of live mini lobster, scampi, crabs and more.

As for the meat section, we scurried by as fast as we could before the sights and smells became too much for our delicate constitutions.

Perhaps the same can be said for the bug seller - spiders as big as your palm, scorpions and various segmented critters all char-grilled and lined up by their thousands.

This photo is a little surprise for Sarah :D







hehehe. Is that t-shirt familiar?

We spotted him as we left the Central Market.
As Central has a reputation for overcharging, we grabbed a lift to the Russian Market - where prices are supposed to be leaner and the bargaining gets meaner.

Meaner for us, maybe! It was still a bargain, but we later found out that some items (such as our suddenly bursting DVD collection) were in fact cheaper in the air conditioned mall than the sweltering lanes of the street market.

Naomi found fabrics in all colours...

as did I...

We did make some serious purchases, in between the sightseeing and crowd jostling. It was developing into a sweaty day indeed.

The very sensible Cambodians take a nap when it all gets a bit much.

At least, I am hoping this woman was napping and not desperately licking the inside of her lunch plate.

That's more like it! Rows of hammocks, perched above stinky meats as the vendors sway gently in the warm breeze.

Speaking of breeze - the weather we have had here is nothing short of remarkable. Beautiful blue skies every day, a slight coolish breeze, and temperatures hovering around 30. It really couldn't be more suited for us! Every day starts with a smile.

Back to the markets -

I had hoped to find another memory card for my camera, but the prices were not so different to back home and as such I was slightly disappointed. We decided to head back to the Mall, with its aircon and groups of kids and families strutting their stuff. While at the mall, we discovered a few bargains and had fun browsing through the different levels. It really was more like a multi-level market, other than the air conditioning and the posing teenagers.

Photos weren't allowed there - but I was sneaky and grabbed a shot of the Plople t-shirt:

That was just before we headed up to the top level, and discovered a Roller Disco!!! It was great watching the antics of a few of the kids there.

So, our market day was long and tiring but we both made purchases that we are happy with. I managed to resist the compensatory purchase (after not finding memory cards) of a gimmicky techno watch that had caught my fancy, and before too long Naomi was gliding by the thousands of bags and shoes with hardly a glance.

The final picture for today is from the Russian Market, where they had shirts that made me feel very special -

You won't catch me wearing one though.

Our last night in Phnom Penh involved the discovery of a gorgeous little food outlet, and a few other little moments that we hope to share with you soon.

The drive to the coast is a whole other story - if it wasn't for our driver and his fascination with the car horn, we might have been able to bring you photos of the Ikea Spongy Furniture Company (no kidding!) and other cute oddities.

Until the internet options improve (or if I decide to be naughty and upload from here anyway) we wish you all the best for the remaining few days of the year.

Many thanks for the comments and replies that have been coming in, they are much appreciated and always give us a warm happy feeling.

until next time, with love...

- Naomi and Guy.