A few Cambodian friends of my husband have asked me about Filipino culture, particularly about our food, the weather, how to get around the country, how come we speak English fluently, and also how to behave when visiting a Filipino household.

Thinking about it, there is not much difference in visiting a Filipino home from a Khmer home. Here’s some tips on being a proper guest of a Filipino family.

- Always pay your respects to the elders in the family by greeting them. It’s an additional point in your favor if you can do the “mano” where you lift the elder’s hand and touch it to your forehead. For Filipinos, this is a sign of regard and respect to the elder.

- Remove your shoes or slippers before entering a Filipino house. Your host would most probably tell you to keep it on, but at least make a motion of removing them.

- Filipinos are very food-oriented and most visits and gatherings includes food. If you are visiting a Filipino home, expect to be offered something to eat. Don’t decline the invitation to eat otherwise you may be considered impolite.There are times like fiestas where you have already eaten in another house, but its still better to accept or you may just request to eat dessert or light snacks.

- Always offer to help clear the dishes. Your host would probably decline your offer of help but the gesture would be appreciated.

- When your visit is over, give your good wishes to the elders and thank everyone for their hospitality. If you have stayed in the house for a couple of days, a thank you gift would be a nice gesture.

Whatever they are rich or poor, Filipinos would really go out of their way to be welcoming and friendly to their guests, that’s why for most people, visiting a Filipino home is a delightful experience.

Last week, Cambodia celebrated its Independence Day and though the country has been independent from French rule for a long time, French influence is still very evident throughout the city. I can still see some French-style buildings and they are just beautiful. It’s really a pity that a lot of these buildings have been destroyed during the civil war.

They also love French bread and these freshly baked baquettes are available in almost all corners. It’s crisp and really delicious plus its really so cheap!

There are also trees along most streets, most of them the flowering variety. This is really a welcome change from the stark city scape of Manila which we’ve had for a few years.

Phnom Penh also has some newly upgraded wide gardens and parks where you can sit, relax, do some people watching. This is, indeed, a city of contradictions, everywhere you can see developments, skycrapers are being constructed here and there yet people still have the time to have a break, kids fly kites, families sit together in parks. These parks are great additions since the city is getting more and more cramped.

Cambodians have also embraced the French’ love of lights and fountains.During weekend nights and holidays, its just great to take a drive to the parks near the riverside and the palace. There you can see fountains and lights on display. Entertaining, interesting and best of all, free! Here’s a nightime photo of the Independence Monument and its colorful fountains..

There’s also a newly installed fountain on the park near Sotheros St. The lights, fountains and music show is a must watch though it gets a bit crowded. Hope I could take photos of that sometime..

Cambodians resemble Filipinos a lot in terms of physical features and that is hardly surprising since were both South East Asians. I think the difference between the two is the way we clothe ourselves. The weather here is same as in the Philippines and it could get really hot but Khmers veer towards the conservative side, prefering long sleeved shirts and long pants while most Pinoys I know her prefer casual clothing as in shirts and shorts.

So when I am here in Phnom Penh I don’t really want to be stared at so I stay away from tank tops and short shorts and I go for short sleeved T-shirts and pedal shorts so I am usually mistaken for a Khmer as long as I don’t speak. I know a smattering of Khmer but still when I speak its with an accent and they can’t understand me.

My husband on the other hand, is  of Chinese descent but was born and raised here in Phnom Penh so he is often mistaken for a Chinese, Korean or a Japanese tourist.

The other day we went to Tuol Tom Poung Market and we found it both so funny that the sellers there keep calling me “Bong” which means elder sister or “ate” in Tagalog. When they see my husband they would say, “Monsieur, can we help you?”. And they would end up laughing when my husband would respond to them in fluent Khmer.

And those incidents happen not only in markets, when hubby is driving, he has been stopped by the police several times asking to check his license, believing him to be a foreigner.

In Angkor Wat, foreigners have to pay for a visitor pass (about $20) while Cambodian nationals and holders of K1 visa can go in for free. The last time we visited, they asked to check his visitor’s pass and they didn’t bother checking for mine thinking I was Khmer and he was the foreigner. The same thing happened when he went there with a Filipina friend.

We both find it so amusing and I guess I have to learn to speak the language so I could play the part really well.

Everything is different. The language, the sounds, the smell, the way people dress themselves, the food, even the very air is different. At times, I find it strange and I feel lost. Most times, I find it interesting and exotic.

Yes, my family is now in Phnom Penh and this will be our home now. After several years of post-graduate studies, Hi-ace has completed his doctorate studies and it’s a new start for all of us.

The last time I’ve been to Phnom Penh was four years ago and I can see a lot of changes. Public works has improved, there are more vehicles around and you encounter heavier traffic unlike before. There are a lot of things I love about this city but one thing I don’t appreciate is its horrendous traffic. For some reason, people here has utter disregard of traffic rules and regulations. We live very near the Russian/ Tuol Tompoung Market and near the intersection I have noticed the newly installed traffic light complete with timers. When I have nothing to do I like observing how motorists and pedestrians behave. A big number of them doesn’t even follow the traffic signals and prefer jamming the intersection. Traffic is simply one of the things you have to learn to adjust to here in Phnom Penh.

A booster.. Something to revive our spirits..I wanted to post something positive and this is something of a good news. The Philippines has a lot of good things and I think we should all stop complaining and start working to build a better future for our children.. If other countries see something good here and even make it their favorite travel destination, then we must have something good going for us.

Ever noticed the influx of Koreans in the Philippines? The first thing I noticed about them are their really cute hairstyles, their very individualistic fashion sense, and their heels. Roam around Manila and you’ll see lots of Korean restaurants, stores selling Korean items particularly Makati area, and watch TV – you’ll get a lot of Koreanovelas airing.

We shouldn’t be surprised, recent surveys among Korean tourists indicate that the Philippines is the emerging favored travel and vacation destination.

Korea Travel Times conducted a survey to determine travel behavior and level of satisfaction among Korean tourists on a country-by-country basis. Korean tourists express a high degree of satisfaction with their Philippine travel experience, as evidenced by the 94 percent overall satisfaction rating the Philippines received in the survey.