At the Market
Shopping in Cambodia is quite different from shopping in the west though many of the items sold are (nearly) identical. Large, seemingly haphazard corrugated tin structures acres-wide house knock-off or stolen western brands and a host of local brands with western logos. Favorites include Apple, Facebook and the national obsession: Angry Birds.
The equivalent of the food court and vegetable market is intimidating with a broadside of produce that is strange to western eyes. Eggs can be bought in all shapes and sizes but if you don't speak Khmer or know your eggs already you won't know from which animal they emanate.
At some markets they host to westerners. At others, such as the one photographed here, there are virtually no white people at all. Some proprietors will barter. Some won't. Some will attend to you in English. Others won't attend to you at all.
The air is stale and still with occasional nauseating aromas of the fish market wafting by. It's cramped with people, especially gaggles of Cambodian teenagers gawking at gaudy Gucci belts and handbags. You're eyed with no emotion – only with disinterested curiosity. It's not as much of a place to buy as it is a place to shop. For the foreigner the real bargain is the experience.
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| BKK Corridor Phnom Penh – October, 2012 |
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| The Family Department Store Phnom Penh – October, 2012 |
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| Mystery Eggs Phnom Penh – October 2012 |
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| Fruit #1 Phnom Penh – October, 2012 |
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| Fruit #2 Phnom Penh – October, 2012 |
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| Food Court Phnom Penh – October, 2012 |
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| Veggies Phnom Penh – October, 2012 |
Do they grow all this themselves or do they import some of it?
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