Phnom Penh: the fun stuff

The boat trip on the Mekong from Vietnam into Cambodia was lovely. It was a beautiful, sunny morning and the boat glided gently through the glistening water. I sat back with my pen and paper and wrote pages and pages of blog notes (I feel much more inspired when I write rather than type!). Before me life on the river played out as it must do every day: small boats full of coconuts chugged gently past, farmers brought their oxen down to bathe... 

Hello Cambodia!

Life on the Mekong

Oxen having a morning bath

Eventually a smattering of buildings appeared as dots on the horizon: my first sight of Phnom Penh. As they grew bigger I could make out the gold of the Royal Palace and one of the Wats and we soon pulled up to a small dock. It was a pretty cool way to arrive in a new city!

Arriving into Phnom Penh

I'd expected Phnom Penh to feel much like Vietnam, but it didn't actually - I can't really put my finger on why. Perhaps it was slightly calmer, there were slightly fewer motorbikes (they have motorbikes pulling tuk-tuks here!) and it had a slightly more European/ modern feel. Or perhaps it was just that my first impression was of the beautiful long river-front, lined with palm trees and an array of nice restaurants and rooftop bars!

Sisowath Quay

I headed straight to one of these that evening. I was feeling in need of a night out and it's harder to meet people now that I'm mostly staying in hotels rather than hostels (yep, I'm being even less of a backpacker than I was before - it's just so damn CHEAP here!). So I battled my introvert instincts and headed to the Foreign Correspondents' Club, where I pulled up a stool by the open window, looking out over the river, and ordered a Passionfruit Daiquiri. Midway through my second daiquiri I got chatting to a group of Aussies and the rest is history! After several rounds of cocktails we moved on to one of Phnom Penh's more 'interesting' nightspots, where scantily-clad Asian girls gyrated on the bar and drunk white guys pushed banknotes into folds of their clothing. An interesting insight into the world of men! We had a few games of Jenga, involving some lethal penalty shots and then moved on to the legendary (in Phnom Penh) 'Heart of Darkness' nightclub. 

The combination of cocktails, shots, very little food and a 4am finish naturally meant that the next day was a write-off in terms of sight-seeing. Lucky I don't have to stick to any schedules these days! I did find a nice pub for a Sunday Roast though - not very authentic I know, but after so many months away I am really craving Western food! That night I met up with the Aussies again at the FCC and we had a more civilised night this time: one which involved an actual dinner and watching the French Open final... before ending up at the Heart of Darkness again. Still, at least we managed to avoid "The Happy Man Pub" and "The Pretty Woman Bar", which may sound different at first, but are clearly offering the same experience!

No photos from the nights out but here's the view from the FCC

The next day I decided it was really time to see some of the city, so I started with... yes, a Lonely Planet walking tour! Not one of their better ones though - there are a few sights to see in Phnom Penh but they're fairly spread out with just big, busy roads in between. Still, at least I was outside getting some fresh (humid) air. I started at Wat Phnom, which is where local people go to pray for good luck, success in exams etc. (and then return with an offering if their prayers were answered). Then later I visited Psar Thmei, the central market.

Wat Phnom

In the Central Market (spot the second seller, having a nap)

The following day I visited the Genocide Museum and Killing Fields but I'll describe that in a separate post as it doesn't feel appropriate to squash it in here alongside tales of tequila shots and 'ladies of the night'! 

On my final day I visited the striking Royal Palace, which dominates the waterfront. Most of this is closed off, since the King is actually in residence, but I was able to see the Throne Hall and the Silver Pagoda (so-named because the floor is covered in over 5,000 solid silver tiles), which contains an emerald Buddha, amongst other relics.

Outside the Royal Palace

The Throne Hall

I then visited the National Museum, which is another beautiful building home to a large collection of ancient sculptures. I tried my very hardest to be interested but I don't think I was kidding anyone! There were some really ancient ones, and I do quite like the Hindu Gods, but... no, I didn't stay there long.

The National Museum

Looking at these last two photos, I see I should also comment on the weather! Of course it's just as hot and humid here as it was in Vietnam, but it's also very much the rainy season now. The weather can change from a bright blue sky to thick black clouds within the hour (as it did in the photos above!) and there have been some incredible thunder-storms. On this particular day I managed to duck into a café in time to miss the storm but when I emerged a couple of hours later I discovered that the road by my hotel had turned into a river! I have never seen anything like that - had to roll my trousers up and wade through to get to the other side!

What happened to the road?!

I really liked Phnom Penh - it's definitely a city which is on the up and up now after it's horrible past. It's full of really, really good restaurants and bars and it seems like there's a nice expat community, mainly as a result of the huge number of NGOs in operation here. I decided I could picture myself working for an NGO and living here as an expat... just for a LITTLE while... but no, I am coming home, Mum, really!

I was pretty inspired by the NGOs here though. A real success story was Friends The Restaurant, where former street children are trained in cooking and hospitality. It was Number 1 on TripAdvisor and has a big write-up in the Lonely Planet so there was a long queue to get in, but it was worth the wait: not only was it a great initiative but also one of the best meals I've had in a long time! 

Another great NGO was Daughters of Cambodia, which works to get young girls out of the sex trade. I bought a few products the girls had made and then had lunch and a manicure too - well, it was all for a good cause!