Cambodia – Phnom Penh
The capital – Phnom Penh
Most tourists will miss this capital and go to Siem Reap directly but we chose Phnom Penh as our first stop. Airport pick up is USD7 as per standard, fetched by the guesthouse owner, head to our first night at Top Banana Guesthouse. Along the way saw lots of big hotel written in Chinese words, probably for the Taiwan & China tourist. Top Banana is unique with his cool decorated lounge and paintings on the walls.
As Top Banana is at the south side, we planned our route north-wards. The first worth taking picture that welcomes us is the Independence Monument. We thought it was in concrete color when we saw it the earlier night, but it was in red color. Surrounding was decorated with flowers and only few days later we found that their Independence Day was ard the corner and there will have a formal celebration ceremony there.
Royal Palace is really a big site containing fabulous palace and graceful pagodas, admission fee is 25,000 Reils (abt USD6.3). The Throne Hall used for the royal coronation ceremony is gorgeous! The Silver Pagoda is named because of its 5329 nos of silver floor tiles. We didn’t notice the silver plate at the beginning as the floor was covered by carpet!! The moment we left the exit gate, the kids can’t wait to step forward selling tour guidebook and drinks. I can only the big contrast between the Royal life of government and the poverty life of residences, especially the kids.
Though National Museum is just beside the Royal Palace, but we didn’t give it a chance to enter this dark-red sandstone building. Walked towards Wat Ounalom, another important site in Phnom Penh, from there we walk towards the riverside, the Tonle Sap River, before heading back to Top Banana to check out.
Clockwise from top left: Royal Palace, Independence Monument, National Musuem, Wat Ounalom.
Taking a tuk tuk in Phnom Penh is a standard charge of USD2 per trip. We hired a tuk tuk for a few locations with USD6. Went to Russian Market for shopping, didn’t buy much stuff, it was stuffy and crowded. Didn’t stay for too long, the tuk tuk driver bring us to have lunch at the Buddhi Tree guesthouse, just opposite Toul Sleng Genocide Musuem. We rest at the restaurant under the lush garden like shade, wait for the museum to re-open at 2pm. With admission fee of USD2, we see the former high school turned out to be a prison under the Khmer Rounge where detention, interrogation and torture took place. One may not feel comfortable seeing the tortured pictures, room with iron bed, building with wires around and the bricks-made tiny prison cells. A place that you walked out with a sense of heavy mood and grateful to what you have now.
We check into another guesthouse which is nearer to the quay side and central market. We learnt a lesson after we check in at Angkor Chay. The room was old and not clean, moreover no hot water, with insects at a corner. We went out to source for another guesthouse and decided to return the room, it was less than 15 mins but the staff said they can’t return the fees to us. In the end we need to pay half of the fees and leave that guesthouse immediately. Lesson to learn is always take a look at the room before any payment.
Continue to walk to Wat Phnom (with USD1 fee), I saw kids without any clothes playing at road side, with dusty body and dropping snivel. The golden color Central market is another landmark with lots of local stalls selling silks products, silver products and food. After a long waited service dinner, we bought the Phnom Penh-Siem Reap express bus with USD8 and ready to set off to ANGKOR WAT the next day.
Clockwise from top left: The iron bed, the wired building (Toul Sleng Genocide Musuem), Central Market, Wat Phnom.
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