Then it was on to Phnom

From Siem Reap we headed down to the country’s capital, Phnom Penh.  Having heard mixed reviews about the place I arrived with fairly low expectations of somewhere I envisaged to be a smaller version of Saigon.  Thankfully, my theory was disproved: a smaller, cleaner, quieter and slower paced city it was far from being ‘Nam-like.

 

With a couple of days at our disposal we first head up to Wat Phnom, a temple at the highest point of the city, it marks the sight of the first pagoda (which no longer stands here).  Taking time to visit the Independence monument, markets and river front promenade, we enjoyed the relaxed pace and virtually hassle-free environment.

Chanchhaya pavillion

The National Museum

The National museum was next on our to-do list.  Housing hundreds of ‘finds’ from the Angkor period: everything from imposing statues of Kymer Kings to tiny artefacts, jewellery and pottery.  Other city sights included the Independence monument, Chanchhaya pavilion and waterfront.  By night the capital comes alive with restaurants, bars and locals enjoying views of the waterfront and attending aerobics classes on the promenade.  Whilst wandering back to our hotel through Wat Botum park (yes, really) we stumble upon a small crowd, gathered to watch the musical fountain and light show: that wouldn’t have looked out of place in New York or Barcelona.

 Statue of Heng, the sacred golden bird

It has to be said though that the highlight of our stay was Mr Amy’s fantastic find - Cadbury chocolate!  A friend had tipped me off that it is sold over the border and after keeping my eyes open I had almost given up hope of finding it: after 10 months of tasteless treats I was elated when my taste buds rediscovered Cadbury crunchie and marble!

Something I have so far failed to mention is that English Language is prevalent everywhere in Cambodia.  All signs appear in Cambodian and English, some even in Chinese and Korean.  Most are accurate, but this one did raise a smile.

Nearly everyone we came across seemed to have a fairly good command of spoken English.  It is rare to have good banter with Vietnamese people.  Things get lost in translation or taken literally, if understood at all.  Here, however, I find myself having a good giggle with two young lads, each attempting to sell books to tourists.  I tell the first, “no thanks, I can’t read”, as I peruse my copy of The Lonely Planet.  Needless to say, he fully understood the satirical nature of my response.  With the second, I tell him I am currently reading two books and can buy them cheaper in Vietnam.  He asks how much I pay in dong and accurately converts the same price to US dollars.  When I enquire if the photograph of an attractive young girl on the side of his book stand is his girlfriend, I receive the reply, “No money, no honey!”

 

After seeing the sights of the city we head down to the south coast and Sihanoukville, home of the country’s finest beaches: or so they say.  Having seen a fair few amazing beaches during my travels, I found Serendipity beach rather disappointing.  Maybe I’m a beach snob, but this was not the paradise many make it out to be.  After spending a couple of days doing a whole lot of nothing, we found ourselves heading back over the border to the land of ‘Nam.

 

Big thumbs up for Cambodia, and another country ticked off my list.

A xx