Senteurs d'Angkor

One of my very favorite stores in Cambodia is Senteurs d'Angkor.  At their workshop location, I took a tour to see how their products are made.

First was my favorite:  candles.  Senteurs makes candles of all shapes, scents, and sizes, from small floating candles to large pillar ones.  These rows of candles are sitting and waiting to be fully set.

Going beyond scents, Senteurs sells a variety of Cambodian spices and seasonings.  This display shows the six spices that combine to make Amok seasoning.  Fish Amok is a quintessential Cambodian dish that any visitor must try.

Senteurs d'Angkor also has a range of personal care products, including scented soaps, lotions, and massage oils.  In the drying room, shelves and shelves of soaps spend hours drying before they are ready for packaging. 

Speaking of packaging, Senteurs makes their own.  They take the leaves of the sugar palm plant, dye them, and weave them into beautiful boxes.  These ladies are at the final weaving stage.

Of course, I couldn't leave without making some purchases.  I bought lemongrass, coconut, and jasmine candles, all in their beautiful sugar palm leaf boxes.

Livin' It Up in Kuala Lumpur

Since arriving in Cambodia, people have been telling me I must visit Kuala Lumpur before leaving Southeast Asia.  Over Labor Day weekend, I finally followed that advice.  Jeremy had to stay in Phnom Penh for work, so it became a girls weekend with my friend Roxanne.

One of the things we were most excited about was the food.  Expats in Cambodia do not eat street food because you're likely to spend the next day on the toilet (if you're lucky) or in the hospital (if you're not so lucky).  But Kuala Lumpur (or KL) has a thriving street food scene that tastes great and doesn't kill your stomach.  Our very first stop was Lot 10, a food court that was a never-ending rabbit warren of food options.  I tried a traditional Malaysian dish and Roxanne was in heaven eating Chinese dumplings.

Roxanne enjoying her meal at Lot 10

We also saw many vendors selling durian or durian-flavored products.  For the uninitiated, durian is an Asian fruit known for having such a strong smell that it's actually banned from some locations such as planes and hotels.  I decided this was the weekend to finally try durian.  We found a stall with a very nice lady selling durian pancakes - thin slices of durian wrapped in a pancake with whipped cream.  I took a bite and tasted...onion and garlic!  Not what I was expecting!  But I had the pleasure of continuing to taste it while it lingered in the back of my throat for much of the afternoon.  I don't think I'll be eating durian again!

Erica getting her first bite of durian

To go along with all the food, KL has lots of shopping malls.  Although I did not do any shopping (I swear!), I went into at least four malls.  It was literally impossible to avoid shopping malls as we strolled through central KL.

Pavilion Mall in KL's Golden Triangle District

We also fit in a bit of sightseeing between the food and the malls.  Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country, so a stop at a mosque is practically obligatory.

Masjid Jamek Mosque

Even with Islam's dominance, Hinduism has strong roots in the country and is widely practiced.  I'd never seen a Hindu temple before and loved all the bright colors and carvings.

Sri Mahamariamman Hindu Temple

With a 25% Chinese population, Chinese temples also abound.  This temple displays a mix of Buddhist and Taoist influences.

Thean Hou Temple

And, of course, no visit to KL would be complete without seeing the famous Petronas Towers. Instead of climbing the towers, we found a bar with a nice view of them!

Roxanne and Erica with Petronas Towers

Everyone who said I should visit KL was absolutely right.  It was a small taste of modernity compared to Phnom Penh.  The people were incredibly friendly and excited to help us experience their city.  It was a perfect weekend getaway!