A day in Phnom Penh

Second destination was Phnom Penh and it was a long ride by bus from Bangkok. It really was a stroke of luck that the place we were dropped off was just beside the hostel I booked via hostelbookers.com. When we got off the bus, some tuktuk drivers were swarming over us asking where we would like to go. I fumbled in my bag for the address of the hostel and lo! there it was. Riverwalk Guesthouse and we were standing just outside it.
The driver (a bit drunk) laughed a bit and pointed at the signage and said "Aaaahh!"

tuktuk

We had to go inside an alley where you would have to go up a narrow metal winding staircase. (Note: If you plan to stay here, better have a light luggage). It was already 11:30 pm and good thing the receptionist heard us and was at the door when we knocked once. I showed her our reservation and she said that it was already occupied. So the only option was to upgrade to a larger room but we would have to pay extra. The rooms she showed us was pretty spacious and we were already too tired to argue.

When we settled in the room, we saw the sign on the window saying we should not open the window because of monkeys. Wow, that got me excited. I wondered where monkeys would come from. The view from the window was rooftops and a partial view of a river. It was a pretty comfortable room which made initial disappointment dissipate a bit.

monkeys!

The next morning, we planned out the day and decided to go to three places: Killing Fields, the Royal Palace and the Central Market. As we got out of the guesthouse, tuktuk drivers were outside asking us if we would like to take a tour. We said "later". Then there was one persistent among them who really followed us to where we ate breakfast which was at a nearby restaurant. He actually waited for us until we finished and got out of the restaurant.

breakfast of noodle soup and iced coffee $2.00 and $0.75 respectively

And so we decided to hire him. His name was Nat. We bargained for $20 for the three locations. He agreed.

Choeung Ek Genocidal Center or more known as the Killing Fields:

From Snagkat Wat Phnom, we had a really dusty ride to the Killing Fields. Road construction was ongoing and riding a tuktuk was, well, pretty much like riding a car with no ceiling and no doors. Nat was very considerate enough to buy us face mask for the trip.  Below are some of the pictures I took of the construction.


It took us almost half an hour to get there and it was not quite what I was expecting. We entered a compound with what looked like a temple which stood at the center. We later found out it was called the Memorial Stupa where the remains of the victims of the Genocide was preserved. We bought tickets at the booth found at the rights side of the entrance. Tickets were at $13 each. You need to tell what language you prefer as it turned out to be a guided audio tour. There were signs where you have to stop and listen to the story from the audio. Apparently, the audio tour was set to minimize the noise since it was one of the actual location where the mass massacre took place back in 1975-1979 under the Khmer Rouge headed by Pol Pot.

Memorial Stupa

Bracelets left by visitors which I think their way of showing sympathy

It was a saddening story to hear. All the tragedies of the people who survived and witnessed the massacres. The worst of them all was the massacre that happened upon what they called the killing tree. It was the tree where they killed babies by throwing them against it. I felt a lump in my throat hearing about the event that took place there. It was heartbreaking just listening to the story describing it. How can people be so heartless?

Killing tree where babies were massacred

The place seemed to echo the past as the strong breeze continuously blew making the trees brush against each other as if almost consoling one another. The place looked almost at peace now with grasses growing on the mass graves and the lake within enveloping the souls that were buried there.
I am glad they were able to preserve the place and making it a tourist spot at the same time. The world needs to know about that massacre.

alongside the lake 

even the lake looks sorrowful

Royal Palace:

Nat took us there at the entrance of the Royal Palace. From outside, it looked really huge. And from what we can see from the outside, it looked even larger inside. However, we didn't opt to go in as we didn't had enough time. We decided to spend more time at the market. So we looked for Nat at the area where he said he will be waiting. Took us about 30 minutes though, because we couldn't find him. Luckily, there was a park nearby where we took time to explore a bit.

The Royal Palace' facade

At one side of the Royal Palace

a glimpse inside

the nearby park

Central Market:

This was the last stop so we paid Nat and thanked him for his service. His English was not very good but we really felt his sincerity by taking care of us.

The Central Market was a huge market and of course, souvenirs was what we looked for. Again, you can do bargaining and they can really give you a low price if you're pretty insistent.

Some market stills..

Along the way, I just could not help but notice the numerous restaurants and bars serving Angkor beer. Hmmm... that got me curious.

Not sure if this is the same Angkor

Here's one Angkor

And more Angkor...

Dinner was at this mexican restaurant we saw along our way to Sisowath Quay. We asked the friendly waiter if we were far from the Quay and he said yes. So we didn't pursue the Quay and just had dinner there. And as I mentioned earlier, I was curious of the Angkor beer, so...

Cheers!

In summary, for a one day trip in Phnom Penh you can go to:

1. Choeung Ek Genocidal Center for some history
2. Royal Palace for some temple appreciation
3. Central Market
and if you live in Wat Phnom area, you can also visit the Wat Phnom temple where the name Phnom Penh originated.