CAMBODIA: Sounds Good, I want to go, give me the skinny: Part IV

CAMBODIA: Sounds Good, I want to go, give me the skinny

Part Four: What to see

Phnom Penh

Royal Palace – and Silver Pagoda
US$3 admission - $2 surcharge for cameras
Chan Chaya Pavilion; The Throne Hall, The Silver Pagoda, the Royal Treasury, . As well as some monstrous grey steel building donated by Napoleon III
The Silver Pagoda, with its floor made out of silver, is a must see – 5,000 tiles of silver each weighing 1Kg, of course, most of them have been covered over, but a section between the entrance and exit is exposed for viewing.


National Museum
US$2 admission
North of the Royal Palace by a block, this serenely designed terracotta building houses a somewhat small collection of national treasures and artefacts; but well worth a gentle morning stroll around, especially with an English speaking guide
Some of the pre-Angkorian exhibits are particularly interesting, dating back to a time when the national religion was Brahmanism and not Buddhism


S21 and the Killing Fields
S21, as was, is now the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Originally a school building until the KR turned it into a detention and torture centre, a holding area for processing before people were taken to the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek. The KR kept records and photographs of the 17, 000 people that passed through the camp between 1975 and 1979.
There is a wealth of documentation and literature available on the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot, I do not intend to go into that here.


The Russian Market – P’sar Toul Tom Poung
South of Mao Tse Toung Boulevard; corner of Streets 440 and 163
Everything that a visiting tourist needs; wooden Buddha’s, silver jewellery, Gap polo shirts, pirate DVD’s and CD’s - actually, most things us ex-pats need as well. My personal favourite, I usually visit it at least once a week and pick up a couple of new DVD’s - US$3 each for the latest releases…


Take a stroll along the river
Phnom Penh is built upon the confluence of the Tonle Mekong, the Tonle Bassac and the Tonle Sap - Tonle is Khmer for river.

Along the west bank of the Tonle Sap is the riverfront section of Phnom Penh, where the road is lined with restaurants, bars and gift shops. Some good, some adequate, some okay-ish in a pinch. But it is a pleasant stroll on a Sunday, or any early evening just prior to sunset.

Post sunset, you have a selection of bars for a cocktail [or two] as well as any number of restaurants from an assortment of nationalities.


Further information

http://www.tourismcambodia.com/.

The Cambodian Ministry of Tourism , http://www.mot.gov.kh/.

http://www.khmer440.com/

and

http://darrenconquest.blogspot.com/

of course !!!