Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Phnom Penh finally!!!

After 6 hours on the road we finally arrived in Phnom Penh City Cambodia. One thing that i've noticed instantly is the luxury cars plying its streets. Compared to Saigon where cars are scarce (except for the taxis) here in PP you will see so many Lexus, BMW and the likes. Considering this is a third world country.

We are intending to stay overnight in PP and soon as we checked into our guesthouse we asked our guide (cum tuktuk driver) to bring us to S-21 Tuol Sleung Museum.




Before anything else, this is the room we got at Koffee Korner  guesthouse Phnom Penh Cambodia. The owner is a Malaysian. He gave the triple sharing room for $ 18/night. Room is quite big and with a balcony overlooking Russian Market. We were satisfied with the room but the toilet is so small but cannot complain with the rate we got.

Now on to Tuol Sleng Museum (Genocide Museum). . . I will not elaborate on how i felt that day but surely my heart is filled with grief and sadness. On the walls of the building there are reminders posted on the wall that smiling and laughing is not allowed to show respect for the victims.No need for reminders.

















The tour left us astounded, flabbergasted, dumbfounded, and speechless. The interior of the buildings are somewhat creepy and i can feel the hairs at my nape stand on end. The air was damp and cold inside the cells or was it my imagination? All i can offer is a prayer for the restless souls of the victims .


On a brighter note, we went to Phnom Penh's newly renovated Central Market to see what souveinirs we can bring home.

See the yellow big domed structure? That's the Central Market of Phnom Penh. You may buy anything under the sun in this market. There is a wet section where they sell seafood , pork, beef, vegetables, insects . The dry section sells fake designer bags (lots of them), beauty products such as face creams , hair colorant, soap,shampoo etc. The Cambodians are very keen on beautifying themselves so there is one floor full of beauty products !

I was able to buy face cream for $5 for my mom and she swears by it! Too bad, wasn't able to hoard LOL!
 Jewelries such as gold, silver, titanium etc are plentiful in this market. Just haggle , haggle, haggle.

All kinds of preserved fruits.


After a day of walking and sightseeing the boys wouldn't pass up on sampling the local beer. They actually had to try 2 local beer brand! And we heard that pizza in Phnom Penh is something to die for.
We found out that it is not ( you will not die after eating it. hahahaha)

Angkor Beer from Cambodia.

Beer Lao from Laos.


We ordered the best pizza HAPPY HERB PIZZA RESTAURANT can offer to match the beer. Sorry but i forgot its flavor. Just ask them. This restaurant is located overlooking the Tonle Sap River. Just ask your tuktuk driver to bring you there.





TIP 1: It is best to hire a tuktuk driver for the whole day. It would cost you $ 15 for whole day tour. Just agree on to the rate before you start the tour.

TIP 2: Do not bother to exchange your usd. Almost all establishments will  accept your usd.

TIP 3: Don't forget to haggle .

TIP 4: Wear very comfortable clothes for it can be very hot in this country.

TIP 5: The locals do not understand even the simplest of english language so pls be patient with them.


We will be visiting the museums and the Cheoung EK Genocidal Center tomorrow. Come and follow us.

No comments:

Post a Comment