Russian Market

This market I dropped by last month is not in Russia, but located in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, nearby the Mao Tse Toung Boulevard. Russian Market or Phsar Toul Tom Poung is one of the three big traditional markets (phsar) in Phnom Penh, and like the other markets offers curios, souvenirs and a cultural shopping adventure. The Phsar in Phnom Penh open and close with the sun but fairly sleepy between 11.30 AM and 2.00 PM – just like the offices' time of siesta.

This market is said to be of far less architectural interest but has a larger and more varied selection of souvenirs, curios and silks than the Central Market (Phsar Thmei). The Russian Market, according to Phnom Penh Visitors Guide Magazine, offers the largest selection of bootlegged VCDs, DVDs and CDs of all the traditional markets. It’s also a good place to buy fabric for business and casual cloths to take to the tailor. Our Cambodian host friends said we can find many branded clothes, such as GAP, Polo, Banana Republic, CK, etc., with very cheap price (which I’m not really interested in since I can find those in Bandung’s FOs of course ^ ^). The south side is where they said the most interesting area for visitors to find stuffs, but the rest of the market is well worth exploring. Food and drink stands in the middle of the market for hygienically adventurous visitors.

Well, definitely half-hour given to us by the host at 4.30 PM when the Russian Market is going to close is not enough! I followed our host, a very kind & nice lady, to the middle of market where food, meat and vegetables stalls stand. Just like in pasar in Indonesia; the stalls remind me of small pasar in Kandangan, a small town in East Java, where my grandma used to shop.

My Thai friend wanted to buy salty fish, a request from her friends in Bangkok. I don’t know what could be so special with salty fish in Phnom Penh, she said they taste different and really good. And then I found myself facing a stall full of salty fishes! In the jars, shelves and hanged…different kind, size, colour and shape of ikan asin! People are queuing, choosing the fishes and waiting patiently for the seller to weight and wrap those fish with many newspapers.



Then, as the time is running, I rushed to find souvenirs and textile booths, which we can always find in traditional markets in Mekong countries. Typical hand-made scarf, table cloth, small lady bag & purse, sarong and handy souvenirs are always there as token for friends and dear colleagues. Rule of thumb is to bargain half price. Beautiful and colorful long pashminas for just about $2-3 each are just perfect this time. As buying more is cheaper, then I shared with my Thai friend to buy embroidery hand-made silk bags for just about $ 3 each – will look expensive and elegant for party. Can’t have those prices laa if we do shopping at the Phnom Penh airport.

Unfortunately no time to explore more the Russian Market. Didn’t even have time to sit and taste some local desserts in front of the market. Hey, but now you know where to go shopping if you visit Phnom Penh. For story about Phnom Penh, check my posting last year here.