The flight on Air Asia took just under an hour on a small, propelled aircraft holding a few early morning businessmen on their commute and us. I didn’t know what to expect of the capital city. As we drew closer, the wide-open highways and skyscrapers started to appear in view. There has been some serious investment in the city that has come mainly from China.
Our time in the city was split with a stay in Siem Reap in between. We stayed at the Bridge Club near the Mekong River for £25 a night. We stayed on the 34th floor that had amazing views looking across the city towards the Grand Palace. We were also allowed to use the rooftop pool and gym that was included in our accommodation cost. The room was nothing special although the views were certainly worth paying the higher price for. Collin's Restaurant was the place we decided to eat each night that was in the same complex on the 15th floor. The price of the food was really good considering the location, with our main courses costing around £10 each.
Phnom Penh has a population of around 2 million, which meant it was busy but not as chaotic as the places we had just travelled from. It has been the capital since the French Colonial era in 1865. After stopping at Cafe Amazon because it was so bloody hot, we walked up to the Royal Palace. The palace was constructed between 1866 and 1870 after King Norodom relocated the royal capital. The architecture is Khmer with a little French input.
We stood in the Royal Palace park which is inhabited by thousands of pigeons before walking around the outer buildings and exterior walls. We decided not to go into the grounds due to temple fatigue, so we decided to explore the back streets and take in the everyday life of the city instead. We passed the pagodas in Botum Park before seeing the Statue of King Father Norodom Sihanouk and theIndependence Monument at sunset. The monument celebrates the independence from the French in1958.
There were a few things that we didn’t see such as the Genocide Museum, the Central Market, and the Container Night Market. Unfortunately, we just did not have the time. For the few hours in the evening we had free, we relaxed at the hotel after constantly being on the move for the previous three weeks.
