POST DOSTĘPNY TAKŻE PO POLSKU
We leave Siem Reap and head for Phnom Penh on Sunday, November 20. A bus (ticket: $8) takes us at 8.30 from the office located in front of the Old Bazaar. Distance of about 310 km is expected to take three and a half hours. It takes five. In addition, there's no air-condition in the vehicle, only air vent, but it's alright. Shortly after noon we get off in the center of Phnom Penh, on 108 Street, opposite the night market, on the boulveard.
The
capital of Cambodia has 2 million inhabitants but it doesn't seem
like that. The city is nothing like Thai or Malaysian metropolis.
There are no skyscrapers nor large shopping malls here. The most
insteresting monuments are: beautiful and well-maintained Royal
Palace, National Museum and several temple. Dozens of restaurants and
cafes offer a rest from the hot sun, a wide boulveard along the river
Tonle Sap encourage you to take an evening walk. We spend two days
here.
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| Boulevard on the river Tonle Sap |
Good to know
*The
best way to move around Phnom Penh is so-called cyclo or tuk-tuk
(which means moto-rickshaw) – the cost, depending on the route, is
$1-2. Drivers who are waiting in front of the hotels and restaurants
usually know English. More expensive option is a taxi but it's better
to set the price in advance.
 |
| Cyclo is a good way to move around the city |
*Buses
and pick-ups from other towns usually arrive near Psar Thmei (New
Bazaar) in the center from where motos and cyclos take tourists to
the hotels and guesthouses; some companies' vehicles arrive to the
night bazaar.
 |
| The center of Phnom Penh doesn't looke like the metropolis of Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur |
*Majority
of banks have ATMs from which you can withdraw money with a credit
card. Don't expect however that many hotels and restaurants will
accept this form of payment.
 |
| It's not that difficult to learn to eat with chopsticks |
*Decent
double room in a hotel/hostel in the center, with a bathroom,
air-condition and fridge costs $15-20. Yes, yes, times of low prices
are gone forever as more and more tourists come here every year. In
more distant areas of the city a room costs $10-15.
We
choose a hotel in the strict center, near the boulevard. We pay $20
for a double room with air-con, breakfast and wi-fi, in a cozy, clean
hotel.
*Khmer
cuisine is simple but very tasty. Depending on a place, a lunch costs
$3-6, exluding good, mores expensive restaurants. At a bazaar you
should eat somewhat cheaper.
Attractions
 |
| Amazing Royal Palace |
*Royal
Palace and Silver Pagoda (Wat Preah Keo) – at Sisowath Quay; it's
the most popular tourist attraction, with lots of people; both the
palace and pagoda are impressive, well-maintained, gold buildings
blind the eyes in full sunlight; open 7.30-11.30 and 14.30-17;
admission $6.25.
Note:
appropriate dress is required, no shorts and tank tops, it applies
both to men and women. In some parts of the palace and pagoda taking
pictures is prohibited. You can try but the staff is extremely
vigilant, so be careful.
Similary
as in the palace complex in Bangkok, you can find here also miniature
models of the most importants buildings of the region, among them
Angkor Wat and traditional Khmer house.
 |
| Models of the typical buildings of the region |
*Wat
Phnom – charming temple situated atop 27-meter mound, near the Old
Bazaar; 6.00-19.00; $1
*National
Museum of Arts (Musée des Beaux Arts) – Ph 13, between Ph 178 and
Ph 184; 8.00-11.30 and 14-17.30; $3
 |
| National Museum of Arts |
 |
| Wat Ounalom |
*Wat
Ounalom – temple on Sandech Sothearos Blvd., near the waterfront,
on the corner of Ph 154; it's actually a conjunct of 44 buildings;
6.00-18.00, admission free; it's a seat of the Buddhist church
authorities in Cambodiato and also a center of Buddhist education.
*Museum
Toul Sleng (Muzeum of Genocide) – Ph 103; 7.00-11.30 and 14-17.30,
$2; it's hard to call this place a tourist attraction but it shows
the scale of the extermination of its own people by the Khmer Rouge.
*Cruise
on the Mekong – it begins on the Tonle Sap river, the boat goes to
the so-called islands on the Mekong where you can admire floating
villages and a sunset; prices vary depending on the length of the
trip and a number of places visited.
After
one day of sightseeing we spend next day resting and shopping.
Cambodia is one of those countries where clothes can be bought for
pennies – however a cut and style doesn't always suit one's modern
taste. In Phnom Penh's largest department store half of the stands
seem to be selling mobiles and smartphones. You can even buy here an
„iphone” for $46! – of course not original but a copy. I'd
rather not risk; what would I do if something's got broken after I've
returned home...
It
seems we won't buy here much and and our suitcases have to wait to be
filled up in Bangkok.
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| Psar Thmei, the Main Bazaar, its shape resembles the Tower of Babel |
We
end our stay in Phnom
Penh on Tuesday, November 22, in the afternoon. Phnom Penh
International Airport is located approx. 7 km from the city center.
Tuk-tuk costs $7, taxi – 9. We heard that the cheapest option are
taxis of the Bailey's company, but we're not in the mood to try.
At
the airport an unpleasant surprise is waiting for us: to leave we
have to pay an airport fee: $25 per person! This is what I call
making business on tourists: first visa for $20 and now $25 for
leaving. It's no consolation that the Cambodians pay too, $18. When
we bought our tickets, there was probably a small print with the info
about this fee but usually it's included in the ticket price... Here
everything seems to be the other way round.
Our
flight with Air Asia to Bangkok is scheduled for 17.05. We land in
the capital of Thailand at 18.15. The time has come for a relax after
a busy sightseeing. We choose a small island of Koh Samet, popular
rather among locals than tourists from abroad...
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| Fitness on the boulevard |