You know, one of the things I appreciated about Phnom Penh when I first visited in 2004? That you can actually get from point A in the north to point B in the south of the city in less than an hour. Alas! Things are starting to change. Nowadays, traffic here is starting to get horrendous and I’ve actually taken to avoiding going out during rush hour if I don’t want to get stuck in traffic. The pains of development, they say.

But still, there are times one can still enjoy a traffic-free Phnom Penh. Sunday mornings and holidays! Here’s one snapshot taken along Sihanouk Blvd on Sunday morning. Almost empty road and roundabout when this is usually jam packed with vehicles. Perhaps because those clouds look really ominous?

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It’s a fact. I’m crazy about online shopping. Let’s just say, its my one personal indulgence. It makes me happy, like giddy happy! I’m into Ebay, Etsy, Rakuten and scouring unique individual shops. But when we moved to Phnom Penh three years ago, I put a full stop to my online shopping obsession. Mainly because I heard horror stories about the ‘bad’ postal system here in Cambodia. But after a few years and observing that at least 99.9% of letters/documents I send or receive through the post actually gets through { nothing was lost actually, some were just delayed etc.}, I think I got enough confidence {hehe or shall we say false bravado?} to get back into shopping online and getting it shipped here.

And here’s my experience..

Using DHL/FedEx etc. Yes, the big names. I shopped from some shops already and the first few times, I used mainly these couriers. Especially DHL. They will also handle the customs clearance and whatever taxes and duties that needs to be paid. They would also normally call before delivery and inform you how much are the charges. Pros: hassle-free, fast and efficient, with tracking. Cons: Pricey! The price though is worth it especially if you are shipping items of worth or items you need fast.

Package of Electronics Shipped Via DHL

EMS: Efficient service and much cheaper than other couriers and they also provide tracking. I haven’t tried this inbound to Phnom Penh but this is mainly what I use when sending packages out of Cambodia. Last time I shipped a package to Manila, it took only 3 days to get there. Update: I’ve been regularly shopping from Gmarket Korea and they had been shipping my goodies via EMS. They are not as pricey as other couriers but they are also fast. Here in Phnom Penh, though they don’t deliver. They’ll assign a number to your package and call you up or send you a pickup receipt. Then you have to go to EMS counter at the Main Post Office and claim your package. The customs officer present would also check your package and prepare to pay a couple of thousand riels. The most expensive tax levied on me for a package worth $100+ was 15,000Riels (less than $4), providing you don’t have electronics on your package. Prepare also to have your ID on hand, preferably your passport or your embassy ID since they would verify if you really are who you say you are hehe.

Regular Airmail: I think my sense of daring got the better of me when I ordered something online and saw that it had free shipping, the catch though is that the item would be shipped via regular air mail. But since the item I was purchasing that time {from lightinthebox.com – shenzen/hongkong based} were just small gadgets and accessories, I decided to try it out and see what happens. I did wonder if the item would ever get here or if would still be functioning when it gets here. But I took the jump and was pleasantly surprised. The online shop said air mail might take 15 to 30 days so I prepared myself to wait a long time. But yay to Cambodia’s post service, I got the package in less than 8 days! And in good condition too.

Package with Mobile Phone Accessories and Computer Accessories. Unopened and Items Inside Were In Good Condition. Yay!

Items sent via AirMail here are usually delivered straight to our address or sometimes they would deliver a claim receipt and you have to go to the Post Office and claim it there. I dunno how they select items they deliver directly or for pick up but I noticed items that are light weight like my last Artscow.com order {personalized canvass bags, magnets, photobooks} were delivered directly to our address, while another package with mobile phone and computer accessories were designated for pick up.

Packet from Artscow.com. Arrived in Very Good Condition. Fast Shipping Too..

When you pick up a package from the post office be prepared to pay taxes/duties, but I seriously don’t know what is the tariff. They charge in Riels and the highest I paid for was 3,500 Riels or less than $1.

 Customs and Duties. From experience, majority of the stuff I bought online has been charged taxes. Except for some paper products I ordered, everything else were taxed from a few thousand riels to a few dollars. You can’t really avoid it coz most of items bought online has receipts and declarations, so they will be taxed. All stuff I ordered worth below $50 and sent via Air Mail has just been taxed for a few thousand riels.  The most expensive I could remember was a tax of 3500 Riels for something worth about $30+.  It also helps if you have a Khmer with you when you pick up your packages though.

I also tried buying electronics {eg. MP3 players/Phone etc}  worth $100+ and they were levied $20+ in tax. This one was sent via DHL and they were the one’s who facilitated the customs clearance. So I would conclude that Cambodian government charge about 20% of the declared value for electronics.

Overall, I’m quite satisfied with shipping choices here. Now, its giving me a lot more confidence to shop more, and its a good guess my wallet is experiencing some heebie jeebies.

A Chinese temple in Takhmao near Phnom Penh city. This was taken during the Chinese New Year this year. We usually frequent this small temple coz I find it fascinatingly scenic. It’s also located right along the river so the cool breeze is extra welcome. Love how ornate the temples are and also observing how the Chinese make their prayers and offerings.

On another note, I’m still not sure when I’ll be going back to Phnom Penh. Thankfully, I have a good hoard of Cambodia photos and I have the opportunity now to tweak it. Being so stressed out has also gave me some progress on my weight loss goals hahaha! at least without the help of usp labs oxyelite pro. At least I have things to get me distracted from the low downs I’m experiencing now..

There are lots of small parks like these all over Phnom Penh. This one’s right on the river banks along Sisowath Quay. All too often its crowded and I never really appreciated walking around it because of too much crowd. But I discovered, if I want to see it deserted, the best time for a ‘walk-in-the-park’ is mornings! Everything looks so quiet and deserted…

Speaking of snapshots, I have loads and loads of Cambodia photos and I’m seriously tempted to join postcards exchange programs. But the thing is I wanna print my own postcards! It’s no secret I’m mad about photo tweaking and graphic designing and I know I take very ordinary photos but still I want to make something personalized. So I’m thinking of doing my own postcard printing. This is probably a pipe dream, but hey! one can dream right?

~ oOo~

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I’m blogging because I’m bored. Yes!!! I’m bored. The past two days were hectic. Preparing this and that for the lunar new year. And today, I’ve just had my fill of too much food and wanted to hit the shops for some paper supplies and I also wanted to look for some art prints.

Hubby said, though that most shops are closed today and probably will open tomorrow or on Saturday. Wahhhhh! The streets are almost empty, I even told Hi-ace, I’ll have the guts to drive around the city if its empty like today. But that’s quite frustrating too coz I was in a ‘go out’ mood. But what can I do hahaha, that’s the way Khmers celebrate, they usually go hightail it to the provinces.

Anyway, with nothing much to do but eat, sleep, play video games, this morning we decided to go visit the Chinese temples in Tahkmao. Wow! It was packed with people. That’s actually our first time to go there and the past year we usually just make our offerings at home.

Will post photos and talk more about some unique Khmer-Chinese New Year rituals I learned about…soon. For now, I’ll be staying true to my promise. I’ll be relaxing and enjoying the new year downtime till tomorrow. =) Off to sleep now. Ciao!