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Published: February 21st 2010
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This morning Wee Bol took us to Psar Tuol Tom Pong which is more commonly known, amongst tourists anyway, as the Russian Market because it is where the Russians used to shop during the 1980s. The market is absolutely packed with merchandise of every kind imaginable. From food to cosmetics, from clothing to hardware - it can be found at the Russian Market. We are glad we went in the morning as everything is so tightly packed in that it would have been unbearable by the afternoon when it was a few degrees warmer.
Despite the Lonely Planet Guide’s advice to bargain hard we probably paid too much for a wooden pot stand that we bought!! We both hate bargaining when everything seems so cheap anyway. Some people love the thrill of negotiating a great price, but we detest it!! Later on I was offered a silk scarf for US$2.00. How can you negotiate on that? Ask the seller to give it to you?!! I paid the initial asking price of US$2.00! As we were leaving I found some Birkenstock sandals (possibly genuine, possibly not?) for US$7.00. Bernie tried to offer US$5.00, but the seller just said that they were
already a great price. Even if they are not the real deal US$7.00 is cheap for a pair of sandals! A price of US$6.50 was eventually agreed and the bargainers extraordinaire (Not!) returned to their tuk tuk for a ride back to the hotel.
We spent the middle of the day by the pool again before meeting Wee Bol at 2.00pm for a trip to Wat Phnom which is situated on the only hill in the city. Legend has it that the first pagoda on this hill was erected in 1373 to house four statues of Buddha that were deposited here by the waters of the Mekong River. The states were found and recovered by Madame Penh who was responsible for seeing them housed in the first pagoda constructed on the site. The guide book led us to believe that we would be hounded mercilessly by beggars, children and street merchants during a visit to Wat Phnom, but we found it to be very quiet during the middle of the afternoon when we visited. It may have been quiet because it was the elephant’s day off?? You are supposed to be able to take an elephant ride around the
base of the hill, but we didn’t even see the elephant let alone need to make a decision about whether or not to take an elephant ride!!
From Wat Phnom, Wee Bol drove us to Psar Thmei, the Central Market. Unfortunately, the grand Art Deco dome of the market is currently being refurbished so the merchants are currently operating in the wings that radiate from the central dome and on the street in front of the actual market building. Even so, this market is much less crowded and actually has some natural air movement that makes it a much more pleasant experience, even in the heat of the afternoon. We managed to tour the Central Market without buying a thing. Probably just as well as it has a reputation for overcharging!
After our afternoon sightseeing foray we had Wee Bol return us to the hotel for a bit more cooling off by the pool before venturing out to the waterfront for dinner again, this time at the Metro Cafe.
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