The Central
Market is a landmark in itself . This huge market was built in 1937 in the
shape of a dome with four branched-out hallways. It is filled with numerous
shop stalls that sell almost everything. I found pleasure on checking some
cute trinkets, but ended up buying nothing (blame it on our super tight budget).
Shopaholics would definitely have a great time here.
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| The Central Market |
We then headed towards Phnom Penh’s Royal Railway Station, planning to
purchase our train tickets to Sihanoukville the next day. The old station, with
its beautiful architecture, was built in 1932 during the French colonial
administration. The 600-kilometer rail network goes as far as Poipet in the
north and Sihanoukville to the south. It took 35 months to build. The
railway system suffered great damages during the war era, around 40 years ago, and was almost destroyed. Efforts to rebuild the transport infrastructure of
Cambodia started in 2010, including the Royal Railway Station.
We had two roadside coffee stops before we
reached our next destination, the Wat Phnom. We paid US$1 each for the entrance
fee and explored one of the famous landmarks of Phnom Penh.
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| Wat Phnom |
Wat Phnom, which literally means “Hill Temple”, is a Buddhist temple built
in 1372. It stands 27 meters above the ground with the central altar complex
featuring a large bronze Buddha, multiple statues, murals around the main
sanctuary, and more.
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| Seeking refuge |
The online map showed us that we're near a body
of water (we purchased a local sim card in Siem Reap for US$4 for our online
needs) and we headed towards that direction only to find that there was no
park or whatsoever to lounge at. We ended up having lunch on a fast food outlet
because of AC as we ditched our plans of having a meal on a roadside
eatery.
The heat was unbearable at that time, so we took our time having lunch. We then went out and followed
the river that led us to Sisowath Quay.
The three-kilometer-long boulevard is where the audience for the Water
Festival, especially boat races, is accommodated.
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| Sisowath Quay: Where the Mekong River meets Tonle Sap Lake |
Our leisurely saunter brought us where the
Mekong River meets the Tonle Sap Lake (which I remember vividly as we visited
the houses on stilts on a part of Tonle Sap Lake in Siem Reap). The sun was still at its best
as we walked towards the park.
There was a temple, Wat Ounalom, across it which seemed interesting. Not minding
a man who insisted that it was close at that time, we still went finding out on our own that it was indeed having a break from visitors. The man
suggested some place to visit instead which, I politely declined. Scammer alert!
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| Wat Ounalom |
Our sore feet then brought us to The Royal Palace. The US$10 entrance fee for each person prevented us from entering though. The two o'clock sun
was bearing down in all its glory and we're taking break every chance we get. This time, sitting on a low stool on a roadside vendor.
The Royal Palace is a complex of buildings which
functions as the royal residence of the king of Cambodia. Built in
1860s, the complex houses the Silver Pagoda, Moonlight Pavilion, Khemarin
Palace, Throne Hall, and the Inner Court.
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| The Royal Palace |
I was freaking out because of the heat but my
buddy said that we still have one last stop before we go back to our
hotel.
Built in 1958, the Independence Monument was constructed in commemoration of
Cambodia’s independence from France in 1953. Located in a rotunda in between
Norodom Boulevard and Sihanouk Boulevard, the monument is in a form of a
lotus-shaped stupa. It is the center of activity during important national
celebrations.
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| Independence Monument |
I was already aching for a time-out from the punishing afternoon heat, covering most of our intended spots on foot. Finally, we took a tuk tuk to our hotel and my body effortlessly surrendered to the bed.
We had a good rest that afternoon, which we needed
so much as we had to meet up with a blogger friend which we met on a trip in
Indonesia last year. Kounila was born and bred in Phnom Penh and is a
successful blogger/entrepreneur in the city. A café near the Russian Market was
our rendezvous for that evening.
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| Russian Market at night |
The Russian Market, or Toul TomPoung Market, is
located in the southern part of the city. Although there are no Russian
knick-knacks here (the name came from the loads of Russian expats who favored
this market during the 80s), you can find cheaper
souvenirs here compared to other markets in the city.
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| Food trippin' with Phnom Penh's top blogger/entrepreneur, Kounila of wheninphnompen.com. |
After our food trip with Kounila, we went to a hip bar/cafe, TINI Café + Bar, where we had the best local beer with a kick. We then spent hours of catching up and went home with a Bok Beer buzz (Cambodia Beer + chili + lime + salt | US$3).
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| You should try Bok Beer whilst in Phnom Penh. Only at TINI Cafe+Bar |
I find that Phnom Penh City is the perfect place
to chill. You can actually do away with all the key spots in the city and just enjoy the
Cambodian way of life by having coffee or probably beer on a riverside café.
As a Southeast Asian capital city, I find it very different from the crazy
fast-paced scenes of Bangkok, Manila, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore--but in a good way, as you can enjoy the city without enduring the stressful commute
and such.
Bok Beer for the win!
ReplyDeleteBok Berr ftw! :)
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