Siem Reap to Phnom Penh

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Siem Reap to Phnom Penh

Another early start saw Nellie and Monk catching the 8:50 flight to Phnom Penh.

Monk had asked the hotel to arrange for a tuk-tuk at 07:00 and to his surprise it was Samnang who was waiting - Monk now felt less guilty about sacking him a couple of days before. It turns out that Samnang is one of a rota of 25 or so drivers on the hotel's list. They are allocated guests on a rotary basis and, if the hotel is fully booked, he can expect to be allocated a new guest as the previous leaves. At low times, it can be 2 weeks before he gets called again and during this time he has to join the ranks of the other tuk-tuk drivers hanging around on corners, accosting tourists with those words that every visitor to Cambodia knows only too well - 'Tuk-tuk sir - where you go?'.

Monk had decided that there were a limited number of things he wanted to see in Phnom Penh and he could squeeze everything into one day if he splashed out on the flight to get him into Phnom Penh by 10:30 in the morning. The alternative would have been the 6+ hour bus journey which would have necessiated 2 nights in Phnom Penh.

Monk spent the rest of the day exploring Phnom Penh on foot ending with a visit to the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda. The whole day convinced Monk he was right to have decided on a single night's stay. He found the city to be dirty and noisy and smelling of urine (Monk apologises to lovers of the city - he's sure it must have its charms but they were not apparennt to Monk). He also found it a depressing place with so many beggars and homeless people sleeping and living on the pavements.

Monk's hotel turned out to be a real find just a block along from the Royal Palace in street 240, one of the more pleasant streets Monk had seen all day. The 240 Hotel is small and very friendly with tables out front where breakfast and drinks are served.

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