Tips and Tricks from Cambodia

July 5, 2015












The Bayon School is a non-profit organization which headquarters are located in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Among other activities, the NGO has set up a professional training project: the pastry school. Their objective is to provide underprivileged girls a free vocational training leading to a stable job.

The selection of students is based on motivation, school results and familial environment. Following this step, around twenty girls are offered a free training lasting 11 months, including 4 months of internship. They are also sheltered at school and receive pocket money to support their family.

The project is implemented in partnership with Alain Cojean, French restaurateur, and Fabien Rouillard, Fauchon’s pastry chef.


In order to finance the project and allow the students to put their skills into practice, the NGO opened a coffee shop inside the garden of the pastry school, located in the heart of Siem Reap, where one can enjoy a peaceful atmosphere.

At the coffee shop, you can taste delicious French pastries such as financiers, madeleines or chocolate cake. These pastries will go well with one of the drinks proposed by the students, iced or old (Americano coffee, café latté, green tea, smoothie…).

The products can be taken away if you are in a hurry. You can also order a breakfast or break box that can be personalized depending on your needs.
By enjoying the products of the Bayon Pastry School Coffee Shop, you support the whole NGO and give the opportunity to young women to come out of poverty.

Apart from the coffee shop itself, the pastry school proposes another activity: pastry classes. You will be able to learn how to make French and Khmer pastries with Sokhoeum, the pastry chef.

Keep learning about the project on their websites:


https://www.facebook.com/bayonpastryschool

Disclaimer: This article was written by a third party and falls into Guest Post category. 

April 19, 2015

How safe is a Solex lock? I guess not only Solex, but other brands also. I lost keys of this lock and I had a chance to observe a lock repairer. It did not take him much time to make a new key for me. It took him about 2 minutes to observe what's specific inside the lock.


Then, he started numbering on side of the lock so that he knows what to do with a new key without any mark on it yet.  


Later, he started highlighting on a brand new key and scraped it. He scraped as he looked at the numbers on the lock. Simply, without even further modification. After he finished scraping, the key simply worked well with the lock. 


In total, it took him about 10 minutes to make a new key of the lock. Simple as that. Think Solex is safe? Think again. 

He only looked and numbered on the lock and made a new key for me. This is pretty dangerous if later he decides to change his job :D

What is a safer way to protect our house? Please kindly suggest. 

April 1, 2015

Today I would like to introduce you to a special Kuyteav restaurant, located in the centre of Phnom Penh, and that is Kuyteav Psar Chas.

This street restaurant actually started long time ago and has been popular for decades. Normally, it is hard to find parking space if you happen to drive a car there. 

This kuyteav restaurant is located on a corner opposite to Psar Chas (Old market).

What is special about this Kuyteav? 
What comes to my mind when going to this kuyteav restaurant is the taste of its soup and also its meatball. Because its meatball was made by the restaurant itself. They did not buy it from the market. They made it perfect meatball and healthy soup. 


I like kuyteav itself and plus, my girlfriend made the yummy sauce. 

Have you ever seen such kuyteav elsewhere? 

The cost of this kuyteav is quite reasonable. 




March 29, 2015

I have always loved Bonsai tree since my first time to see it on the internet. Unluckily, it is not easy to find in Cambodia. On the internet, I learned that I could find Bonsai tree in Vietnam. However, I never had a chance to go to Vietnam since I have become fond of Bonsai.

How it looks on the internet. Don't you love it?
In March 2015, I went to Bangkok and did not mean to go to Jatujak plant market. It was when I and my friends Mamiao and Chanutr did not know where to go at night around 9:00 PM. Then, we agreed to go to plant market.

If you wish to shop at the market. You may do so as well. Jatujak market is a weekend market where people come to sell many different kinds of products, creative products. On Wednesday evenings, they open shops to sell plants.

There, Chanutr shopped many small plants. She loved them. So did I, but I did not have a clue on how to deliver it home.

After walking for a while in the market, I saw my lovely Bonsai trees! They were so lovely. It was so hard for me to choose because there were varieties! And the price varied a lot too. I tended to choose the small one so that I could carry home.

I bought my first Bonsai tree for 400 Baht ($13). It came with a vase.

My Bonsai tree at hotel in Bangkok


Since I traveled back to Phnom Penh by plane, I requested for help from my colleague who return from Bangkok by van to help deliver my Bonsai to the office. Because after talking with AirAsia staff, they told me that I cannot bring any kinds of plants on plane.

However, all was done and my Bonsai tree is now safe at home in Phnom Penh. I forgot to tell you, my Bonsai tree will have red fruit too :D

My Bonsai tree at home and is healthy



I have noticed that my car's tires had been producing lots of noise even there was nothing seemed to be wrong. When I got home, I noticed that many small stones got stuck with tires, even a small battery was attached there too. 

I did try to get most of them out of the tires with a sharp key. It did make less noise, and I guess when we remove these stones, we also make the tires last longer and the stones won't go too deep, and the stones won't at the same time with tires and there of course will be less noisy.

I'll probably start looking at this once in 1 or 2 months because Cambodia has a lot of roads under construction.