Robin & Karen Living the Dream: Cambodia’s Capital

We arrived to Phnom Penh on March 7 to a temperature of 34C, feels like 39! Quite the shock after spending the day in an air conditioned minibus. We used the Grab app to get transport to our hotel, picked the option of Tuk Tuk which was a bit of a squeeze with our bags but we made it to the Blue Sky Guesthouse. Only 4 days, cost of $80, we could see the Tonle Sap & Mekong Rivers just half a block away from up on the roof. From the balcony we could see the tops of the Royal Palace & Wat Ounalom.

View of the rivers from our roof

We walked the wide sidewalks along the river & the gardens in front of the Royal Palace - especially lively on weekends when they close the streets around the Palace to traffic & everyone is out and about!

Royal Palace

Palace at night

Buddhist monks

A mobile library complete with a story teller

I do enjoy a good curry so that was my choice our first night as we watched the chef work the dough for homemade noodles. And our 3rd variety of Cambodian beer!

Making noodles

Curry

On my morning run I had to dodge flocks of pigeons that the locals were happy to feed, busy place as Women’s Day is a national holiday.

We went out to explore the area around the Royal Palace, peeking thru the gates & admiring the very yellow sidewalks. The entry fee was a bit steep & only a couple areas open as the King does live there so we opted to just admire it from outside.

We were approached by 5 Cambodian young adults timidly asking if they could interview us for a university course. The poor girl was so nervous as she read the questions & recorded the conversation. Basically surveying our travel habits, where we’ve been & are going, what we thought of the country, etc. It was actually fun, but not 5 minutes later a group of 3 students also came up to us, totally unrelated to the first bunch & wanted to ask us some questions, also related to tourism. This time we were gifted 2 small handmade flowers - Rumdul - the National Flower of. Cambodia.

We walked to see the Ounalom Wat & Monastery, built in the 1400’s - very beautiful & a similar style to Thai temples.

Of course you have to check out the local markets, the Central Market was partly housed in an elegant domed structure surrounded by tented areas. We also stopped at the Night Market but were not overly impressed from a tourist point of view - shopping mainly for the locals & to eat you had to sit on carpets & pillows spread out on the concrete! We might get down but probably not back up again! A stop at the Russian Market was useful as my daypack strap stitching let go & I had it tied up in an ugly knot. Many ladies with sewing machines working in the market, one stitched it up in minutes & asked for $1! We gave her $2. Speaking of money - for some reason Cambodia has 2 currencies - Cambodian Riel & the US dollar. Been that way since after the war in 1979, if you pay in US$ you usually get some change in Riel, most prices are posted in US$ which is strange. Our handy currency converter app is getting well used!

Domed central market

Night Market - eating sitting on the ground

Day pack repair

We quickly noted some differences between Vietnam & Cambodia - there are way more cars, SUV’s & fancy cars here & less scooters. And here there are Tuk Tuks - 3 wheeled open air motorized vehicle, meant to carry 2-3 people and remorques - which are motorcycles pulling a “trailer” that has seating for 4-6. They are everywhere being used as taxis for hire. On the Grab app you can choose which mode of transport you prefer (or is cheaper), quite efficient. Another local thing we noticed was that your chopsticks & cutlery arrive at the table in a mug or glass of hot water. Monks were not a common sight in Vietnam but there are quite common here, especially easy to spot in their saffron colored robes.

A remorque

Tuk Tuk

Any place for a nap

Cutlery mug

Definitely more than 3 in there!

Cats, dogs (we’ve seen 3 dogs on one scooter) on scooters

Small birds that people pay to set free

Boats on the river

A typical pharmacy - no prescription needed

Steamed small snails

A type of magpie, quite beautiful

All fried bugs!

Strange name for a beer!

A must do experience in Phnom Penh is a trip to the Killing Fields & the Genocide Museum. Our guide detailed the political history of the country & the rise of the Pol Pot Khymer Rouge regime. From 1975-1979 they exterminated 2 million of their countrymen, almost 25% of the population. All ages of people, including babies & young children were arrested on trumped up charges, taken to facilities to be tortured & later taken to one of many “killing fields “ to be brutally murdered. We first went to the nearby “Killing Fields” to see the mass graves, many of which have been exhumed & the bones kept in a memorial stupa -where there are over 8000 skulls. When the rains come bones & clothing scraps are still being brought to the surface. It was a dreadful place, very sad but they encourage people to learn from history so as to not repeat it.

Mass graves

Bones & clothing scraps unearthed by rains

Stupa holding 8000 skulls

Back to Phnom Penh to the S21 Genocide Museum - a former high school that the Khymer Rouge transformed into a prison for torture. The regime kept complete documentation of all of their victims, taking photos of everyone, some even after death. These were on display as well as iron bunks with chains, the tiny cells, the barbed wire preventing suicides & photos of the 8 men & 4 children who were the only survivors of this prison. Three of these survivors were on site, speaking to visitors & offering books of their stories for sale. Another difficult place to visit.

S21 Genocide Museum

Everyone was photographed

Adult survivors

One of the survivors

School turned prison

Child survivors

Child survivorship

On a more pleasant note we ended our day with a sunset boat cruise on the Tonle Sap & Mekong Rivers - the convergence being in front of the Royal Palace. Tapas & drinks, a bit of rain but an enjoyable time.

The boat we went on

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Boats along the shore

Houses on stilts

We booked transport to Siem Reap, Cambodia, cost $32 total. First a tuk tuk, then a big red “limousine “ bus for the 7 hour journey. Lots to see along the way - small towns, farms, Brahma cattle, rice drying on huge tarps, houses built on stilts as much as 10 ft above the ground ( Mekong delta area floods in rainy season, space below a cool, shady place for livestock & storage, natural ventilation), many lavish housing developments next door to simple wooden homes, beautiful Pagodas & immense factories nearer to the cities. We arrived to Siem Reap on March 11, not sure how long we would stay, nothing booked yet.