Phnom Penh - 9th to 12th

We arrived in Phnom Penh late on Sunday from Chiang Mai and resorted to the tourist trails. We were staying at the Skyline Boutique Hotel which was not too far from the river.

Last time I visited Cambodia I really loved it. It is such a beautiful place with a very chequered history . Phnom Pemh has changed since we were last here lots more money invested in the riverfront and some huge buildings built or under construction. Prices are a little strange. Everything is in dollars, riels are only used for the small transactions in Cambodian shops. It's a very poor country - minimum wage here is $1 a day, government workers get around $100 a month. Yet there are any number of range rovers, cayennes driving around. Meal prices are quite expensive - meal for 2 costs around £15 to £20, latte £2-3, So more expensive than Laos or Thailand.

It was really good to get 2 days to wander around the river front and the local markets. As the expression goes over here 'same same' lots and lots of stalls selling the same things , actually the same as the other countries we visited.

In the centre you can see the monks massed to mourn the king.

PP riverfront showing the convergence of the Mekong and Tonle rivers. The Tonle is unusual is that in the dry season it flows south. In the wet season it flows north as the Mekong is so swollen that the waters flow backwards to fill Tonle Sap - a huge freshwater lake. We are going on this on Sunday.

The wats in Cambodia are architecturally a bit different than Thailand - the roofs are more pronounced and exaggerated. Monks are reverred here and it's a good ' career' choice for young boys . But you do wonder as the country gets richer whether it will still be the same. The Royal Palace and silver pagoda are some of the best examples - but they were shut on 1 day as there was a days morning for the Kings father - who died 5 weeks ago - and won't be cremated for another 2 months! So we are going back next week

Monks returning from mourning the King

Sadly it's also a country with lots of poor people living in the street, plenty of amputees trying to beg/sell to survive. You get the impression that the wealth coming in isn't being evenly spread.

Oh Christmas isn't really a big deal here except in the hotels -- not sure whether Rudolph the elephant is the right name

I saw 3 or 4 garages like this selling ridiculously expensive cars.

We left Wednesday on a 6 hour bus journey here to Siem Reap site of the famous Angkor temples.

 

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