The Royal Palace and evening hours on Sisowath Quay

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July 6 - The Royal Palace and evening hours on Sisowath Quay

I must confess, I am drawn to promenades with rows of lamps at night time since they provide a great opportunity to try out long exposure photography. I was back near the Royal Palace from Tuol Sleng a little earlier than planned since I decided to skip the visit to the Russian Market in Phnom Penh. I spent the next couple of hours visiting the Royal Palace, which was open on the 6th. The grounds have well manicured gardens. The various dwellings and assembly halls are large and well spaced. The rooftops are all a golden yellow color. In one corner of the palace grounds is the Silver Pagoda, which houses two spectacular Buddha statues. One, a roughly 2 feet jade statue with the Buddha meditating in the lotus pose. The other is an approximately 6 feet tall solid gold standing Buddha, weighing in at 90 kilos.


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The palace is walking distance from the Frangipani, and I walked back to the hotel at around 4.30 pm. I rested a bit in the room and set out towards Sisowath Quay at 6 pm, just like the previous evening, camera and tripod in tow.



The promenade is abuzz with people. Tourists form a very small percentage, but are immediately noticeable. There are groups of kids playing football (soccer). That should give an idea of how wide the promenade is. I watched the game being played unrestrained on a mosaic surface with one side opening to the Tonle Sap river. There are groups of kids, teenagers and older people dancing to stereo music, getting some aerobics done on the quay.


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I walked on for about a little less than a kilometer heading north along the river bank. There was a slight drizzle. If not for the camera, I would not have minded that at all. A welcome relief after sweating all day. I turned around and headed back. I drizzle stopped, and I stopped along the way to photograph the businesses (mostly restaurants, hotels etc.) that run across the street. One of the goals I had set myself was to shoot a panning photograph on Sisowath Quay, of a speeding tuk-tuk with ochre robed buddhist monks riding in it. Needless to say, the unity of time, space and action for that did not come about. But, here's the sorry compromise, a stationary tuk-tuk, no monks. But it does depict the quay at night well.


<table class="tr-caption-container" style="padding: 4px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tbody><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11px;">© Vikram Krishnamurthy</td></tr></tbody></table>



After the walk up and down, I settled in on the terrace restaurant of The Phnom Penh Foreign Correspondents Club. It is not longer the FCC, but still carries the name and fame. A light fare of spring rolls and Tiger lager was in order, as I sat there updating the blog and watching the busy streets and slow boats.

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