The Best of Cambodia & Laos

Colors of Cambodia Here’s a fun one. A project set up to fund Cambodian schools,
the shop sells framed artwork of young Khmer kids who visit the temples or depict their
daily life in Technicolor crayon. Some of the work is quite expressive and a purchase here
certainly goes a long way to helping out. Open daily from 8am to 7pm. No credit cards.
House No. 270, Mudull 1 Village (northwest side of the Old Market). & 063/965-021. colorsof
cambodia@yahoo.com.
John McDermott Photography Just next door to the FCC, American John
McDermott displays his stunning silver gelatin prints, some very classic images of the
temple, in a cool, tiled contemporary space. The gallery is inspiring for more amateur
photographers shutter-bugging at the temples, and these fine prints make great gifts.
Small postcards are available for $2, larger reproductions just $35, and poster-size prints
start at $300. Due to popularity, a beautiful two-story second gallery has opened in the
heart of the backpacker district. The second floor features exhibitions by other artists.
Both open daily from 10am to 10pm. MasterCard and Visa accepted. On the north end
of the FCC compound on Pokambor Ave. & 012/615-695 and on the Passage, near the Old
Market. & 012/274-274. www.mcdermottgallery.com.
Senteurs d’Angkor Carrying good contemporary Khmer arts and crafts, statuary
copied from Angkor’s greats (a good place to pick up that Jayavarman VII bust), traditional
leather shadow puppets, silver jewelry, Khmer silks, kramas (Khmer scarves), traditional
local spices (pepper and lemon grass), potpourri, local teas, rice brandy, and
fragrant handmade soaps, Senteurs d’Angkor is a good stop to satiate your shopping
appetite before a flight back home. It has great souvenirs at reasonable prices. Open daily
7am to 9:30pm. No. 275 Psaa Chas, cater-cornered to the northeast end of the busy Old
Market. & 063/964-801 or 012/954-815.
Tara and Kys Art Gallery A stunning collection that ranges from comically stylized
caricatures of Khmer and Vietnamese life (they also have a gallery in Ho Chi Minh City)
to expressive paintings and prints from the temples, Tara and Kys gallery is a fun visit.
Open daily 9am to 9pm. 105 Mondol 1, opposite the Provincial Hospital north of the market.
& 012/679-011.
BOOKS
D’s Books Conveniently located on Pub Street, D’s Books stocks a good selection of
fiction and nonfiction including a fairly complete range of titles on Cambodia and
Southeast Asia. Open daily 9am to 10pm. Pub St.
Monument Books An expansion of the popular Phnom Penh outlet, Monument
Books carries the best in new volumes about the temples, from coffee-table tomes to
guidebooks and histories, as well as international newspapers. Their new Old Market–
area location is large and carries an extensive collection. Open daily 8am to 8:30pm.
Inside Angkor National Museum. MC, V. Also inside Lucky Mall on Sivatha St.
CLOTHING
Jasmine This is a popular boutique with original, feminine designs made of silk and
plenty of organza. Open daily 9am to 10pm. Pokomobor Ave. (FCC Bldg.). & 063/760-610.
Wanderlust This new boutique was opened in late 2008 by Elizabeth Kiester, an
expat who in a former life was an editor at several fashion magazines in New York. Her
shop sells vibrant clothes and accessories, bright pillows, and other stylish trinkets. Kiester
works in conjunction with an NGO called Coalition for Financial Independence to
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SHOPPING