Things to Do in Phnompenh in March

March evenings deliver the year's most reliable sunsets, golden light reflecting off the Tonle Bassac for a full 45 minutes before the sky turns lavender. The river runs clean (ish) after dry season, so you can see the confluence where the Mekong and Tonle Sap collide. Boats leave from Sisowath Quay between 4:30-5 PM, returning after dark when the riverside promenade lights up with hundreds of food stalls grilling squid and pork skewers.

March mornings are good for market exploration, cool enough at 7 AM to handle the steam from bubbling vats of kuy teav (noodle soup) without melting. The Russian Market's food section hits different in March when vendors aren't yet wilting from afternoon heat, so you can watch your num pang being assembled on crusty baguettes that haven't turned soggy from humidity. Look for the woman who's been making num kroch (Khmer doughnuts) in the same corner stall since 1989, she fries them in palm oil that smells like coconut and caramel.

March's dry mornings make cycling between these two sites pleasant instead of the sweat-fest it becomes later in spring. The 15 km (9.3 mile) route takes you through neighborhoods most tourists never see, past the French colonial villas near Independence Monument, through the garment district where workers stream out at 5:30 PM shift change, ending at the killing fields where the grass has just started turning from brown to green. Start at 7 AM to avoid both traffic and heat; you'll reach Choeung Ek by 9 AM when the light is soft and the site's birds are singing.

March river crossings are smooth, the Mekong runs high enough for ferries to run every 20 minutes. But low enough that the 10-minute ride doesn't feel like white-water rafting. The silk weavers work outdoors in March, so you can watch the entire process from boiling cocoons to threading looms without getting rained on. The island's dirt roads are solid, not muddy, making it good for the 5 km (3.1 mile) loop past wooden houses on stilts where grandmothers wave from porches and kids splash in the shallows.

The 412 steps to this 11th-century hilltop temple are doable in March when humidity hasn't reached summer levels. At 8 AM, the laterite stone is still cool underfoot and the surrounding rice paddies glow electric green against red earth. The temple sits 130 m (427 ft) above the plain, on clear March mornings you can see all the way to the Cardamom Mountains. Monks chant at dawn and sunset. Time your visit to catch the 6:30 AM service when incense smoke mingles with river mist below.