Phnom Penh gets the New York Times Gold Star this week for being Southeast Asia's up-and-coming must-visit city. (And here we thought Bangladesh was the new hotness.) A quick flight from Bangkok, Phnom Penh has all the requisite bits that any backpacker Mecca needs: heaps of Internet cafes, cheap hotels and great happy hours.

Of course, you can't talk about Cambodia without making a mention of the Khmer Rouge and the nation's history. Author Stuart Emmrich does a good job of profiling Phnom Penh's genocide museum and considering the progress the country has made in overcoming its tragic past. But then he get's all Let's Go on us:

In fact, after a few days in this city, you notice that Phnom Penh has something of a "next Prague" vibe about it -- a place where many young people from around the world, heady with excitement and the thrill of the unknown, are coming to reinvent themselves.

Ah, Cambodia: land of tragedy, history and hippies.

[Photo: Lazzari]

Related Stories:
· In Phnom Penh, Hopefulness Replaces Despair [NYT]
· Camboida Travel Stories [Jaunted]
· Bangladesh is the New Bangladesh [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2007-02-12T17:01:16-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2006/9/16/221636/678

Phnom Penh food blog, Phnomenon, has joined the long list of stuff that just got cooler after you learned The Man didn't want you near it. As reported on the morning of September 12 (presumably local time), Phnomenon.com has been banned in mainland China, via the Chinese firewall. Sweet!

Perhaps it was the talk of delicious pork sukiyaki at Ohan that pushed government folks' jealousy over the edge. Or was it the abundance of steamed corn vendors? We may never know, but what's actually surprising is that Phnomenon wasn't banned in Cambodia first, what with the scathing beer reviews and all.

The PRC should keep collecting those taxes from Tsingtao and consider Phnomenon the blessing that it is.
]]> djk 2006-09-18T09:05:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2006/4/10/105948/649

Development is coming! Development is coming! Which tropical Southeast Asian paradise is soon to be overrun with fatties and luxury travelers? Why, it's Sihanoukville, Cambodia's own sleepy beach town.

Jeff Koyen files his dispatch for the Times, showing amazing restraint by mentioning the dearth of hookers but a single time. Perhaps the "happy" pizzas and "happy" pancakes--seasoned with oregano and/or pot--make up for the lack of "happy" endings in town.

Truth be told, it's not clear whether Sihanoukville was all that unspoiled in the first place. Last year, a Sokha Beach Hotel opened--complete with their own private stretch of beach--so it's not just cheap bungalows on the water. Plus, Sihanoukville is Cambodia's only deep water port. That's right: there's just as much Newark as Phuket in the city's DNA.

Now, excuse us while we go cook up a batch of happy pancakes.

[Image via (Muzz)/Flickr]

Related Stories:
·   In Cambodia, the Next Phuket [NY Times]
·   Asian Spas [NY Post]
·   Sihanoukville Guide [Tales of Asia]]]> AVB 2006-04-10T10:59:48-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/