Happiness pure and simple in Phnom Penh

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HE SAID...
We woke unusually late at 6.30am. We were leaving Sihanoukville for Phnom Penh at 7.45am, so we had to rush. We ran down to breakfast, where I had muesli with warm milk (it had been cold milk the day before) and Ren had an omelette with toast. We quickly showered, packed and headed to the lobby, where we piled into a public bus at 8am and headed off on our five hour final leg to Phnom Penh.

We stopped for a toilet break around 10.40am, so I grabbed a very welcome Khmer iced coffee. The toilets were pretty basic – there was no door on the men’s toilet, and the shared hand basins looked directly into the urinals. It was Ren’s quickest hand wash of the whole trip. We jumped back into the public bus and continued our nor-eastward journey to Phnom Penh.

We finally arrived in the capital at 1pm. From a travel planning perspective, this was not a great day to be arriving in Phnom Penh; it was the first day of a seven-day funeral ceremony for Cambodia’s late King Norodom Sihanouk. The cremation was being held on the fourth day of the ceremony, which was the day we were flying out. However, we had no way of knowing this when we booked the trip in August 2012. The King was still alive at that stage; he died in October 2012. I received the following consular update email from the Australian Embassy on January 25 (we were in Siam Reap at the time): “There will be a mourning period and funeral commemorations for the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk from 1 February to 7 February 2013. Very large crowds are expected to travel into Phnom Penh leading up to and during this period, which may cause significant congestion and delays on roads. You should allow for extended delays in travel times when making plans, particularly for getting to the airport. Travellers and residents should avoid any protests, demonstrations or other large groups, as these have the potential to turn violent. You should be highly alert to your surroundings and quickly move away from any areas in which you don’t feel comfortable. You should ensure you have sufficient food and water supplies for several days. The temporary population increase may make shopping and dining difficult, with busy roads and public transport unavailable. Those staying closest to the riverside area may have particular difficulty and are advised to prepare.”

We were staying very close to the riverside area...

Our bus took us as far into the city as it could, eventually stopping at a bus station on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. On the trip from Sihanoukville we noticed a number of large television screens erected in public places, broadcasting the ceremony to those who couldn’t attend in person. We piled off the bus and jumped into remorks (Cambodian tuk tuk, which is a motorbike that tows a covered trailer with seating), which managed to get us within a few blocks of our hotel, the Nawin Guesthouse, where we had stayed two weeks earlier. It was impossible to get any closer by remork, so we donned our packs and walked the final few blocks. We were the only people walking towards the Royal Palace, so we assumed the ceremony must have just ended. Literally thousands of people (soldiers, scouts, police, dignitaries and ordinary Cambodians) were making their way from the Palace on foot, while VIPs were being chauffeured away in flashy Lexus’. We managed to walk against the flow of human traffic and make it to our hotel around 2pm. Just before we arrived we saw a very wealthy woman sitting in the back of a black Lexus, handing out money to the crowds walking alongside her. Ostentatious wealth really sickens me sometimes. Why not donate her very obvious wealth to help the poor amongst her countrymen and women, rather than hand it out randomly (and very publicly) to a select few?

We checked in, dropped our bags and went for a walk in the heat of the mid afternoon sun. Many of the streets surrounding the Palace and riverfront area were closed to traffic and pedestrians, but we managed to make our way to the Palace by foot. It was incredibly hot, the streets were deserted and there was a huge police and army presence. Ren started taking photos of soldiers packing up artillery outside the Royal Palace, which we simultaneously realised wasn’t such a good idea.

We wandered back to the hotel and ordered a couple of fried eggs to have with the sticky rice bread we’d picked up from Sihanoukville that morning. It tasted fantastic, and I washed it down with an ice cold beer which I desperately needed after our long bus trip and mid-afternoon walk. By this stage it was about 3.30pm, so we relaxed in our room for an hour or so before meeting Kim and Lee for one last happy hour drink session at 5pm.

We settled on the second level balcony of Touk Restaurant and watched people come and go on the quiet street (Sisowath Quay) below. It had been a thriving mass of cars, buses, trucks, motorbikes and remorks a few weeks earlier, now it was closed to traffic, with people making their way to the Royal Palace by foot along the Tonle Sap riverfront. This was a perfect place for a gin and tonic in the warm evening. As we sat and watched, a black limousine sped to the riverfront, a very well dressed woman jumped out and was escorted down to the river’s edge by security men dressed in black, she jumped into a high speed boat and then sped off on the Tonle Sap River, disappearing into the Mekong River on the other side of Choi Chen Var. This dramatic travel arrangement was witnessed by the throng of locals making their way to the Royal Palace to pay their respect to the late King. Wealth in Cambodia is so often ostentatious, and it divides the country into the exceptionally rich and exceptionally poor. In a way, communism must offer a real alternative for revolutionaries – it just always seems to spiral into dictatorship and tyranny.

We met up with our group in the same restaurant (Touk Restaurant) for a final dinner at 7pm. I had the hot fried spicy chicken with basil and rice, which was absolutely fantastic (and the hottest thing I’d eaten to-date in Cambodia). The chillies were powerful! Ren had an overly oily fish amok, which was disappointing, because it had been so good in this very restaurant only two weeks earlier.

We were finishing our meal when a sudden massive explosion burst through the night air at 8.05pm. For five seconds we sat in horror, trying to make sense of whether the capital was under attack. Fear merged into embarrassed laughter when a firework display erupted over the Tonle Sap River in front of us. We’d been listening to music on loudspeakers in the streets all afternoon (which seemed to be broadcast from the Palace as part of the funeral ceremony), so we assumed the fireworks were also part of the ceremony. After taking in the bright lights and strident explosions from the restaurant’s balcony, we retired to our table for our last drinks. Lee ordered a smoking pipe with apple tobacco, which we all shared as the night grew long.

We eventually left and wandered the streets in front of the Palace, where mourners were still gathering to pay their respects to the late King. We returned to our hotel and crashed around 11pm, which was a late night for us to-date in Cambodia. We didn’t need to leave the hotel until midday the next day, so we were looking forward to our first sleep in.

We woke late (8am), caught up on our travel notes and then headed down to breakfast at 9.30am. I had muesli with fruit and yoghurt and a coffee shake, while Ren had an omelette and a watermelon juice. We walked onto the street outside our hotel and stood and watched the procession of people leaving the Royal Palace. Their mourning was very public and very sincere. We then headed back to our room to shower and pack, as we were leaving for our new hotel at 12pm.

We checked out around midday, donned our packs and navigated the closed streets and road blocks that surrounded the Royal Palace with Kim and Lee. When we reached a street that wasn’t closed to traffic, we said goodbye to Kim and Lee (who were flying back to London), jumped into a remork and told the driver we needed to get to the Pavilion Hotel, which was on the southern side of the Royal Palace. He followed Kim and Lee’s remork for quite a distance, which was concerning, because we knew the airport was in the complete opposite direction to our hotel, so it was a relief when he finally realised he was lost. He rang the hotel (luckily we had the number) and followed their directions. He dropped us off at the closest roadblock to the hotel, rang to let them know we were there and waited with us for 10 minutes until a porter arrived and guided us the last hundred metres or so to the hotel. As we stood waiting with the driver and his remork at the roadblock, the police let every Lexus through the metal gates without as much as a residence check... The remork drivers we experienced in Cambodia were incredibly helpful and generous with their time.

Even though our remork adventure felt lengthy, we actually arrived at the Pavilion at 12.30pm. Self-described as boutique accommodation in Phnom Penh, our new hotel was fantastic! We checked in, unpacked and went for walk around 1.45pm. We dropped our laundry at a local shop and wandered the side streets around the hotel’s perimeter. This was a very affluent area compared to places we’d experienced to-date in Cambodia. We decided to have lunch at the Tamarind Mediterranean Bar and Restaurant. I had yellow noodle soup with chicken, while Ren had fried yellow noodles with seafood. We both had Khmer iced coffees, and Ren also had a watermelon juice. We dropped into a minimart on our way back to the hotel to pick up some chips and Angkor beer. We arrived back at 3.30pm and settled in on the sun lounges beside our private pool (very exciting) to catch up on our travel notes.

At 7.30pm we headed out for dinner at the Sugar Palm Restaurant, which was just around the corner from the hotel. I started with a gin and tonic while Ren had a passionfruit smoothie. We shared frogs legs with basil, and mince pork with morning glory. It was fantastic! At 8.05pm the fireworks started, and momentarily forgetting the events of the previous evening, Ren thought we were under attack (again!) – she grabbed my arm across the table and clung on for at least five seconds. Children were screaming in excitement in the street below, running to see the fireworks over the Tonle Sap River. We finished our meal and slowly made our way back to the hotel. Just outside our hotel, on the other side of the road, was a tiny food cart with small plastic tables and chairs on the footpath. It was located directly below a street light. As we walked towards it, we noticed the street light was faulty, and it went out for 15 seconds every minute. The people cooking and those sitting at the tables didn’t seem to mind this recurring plunge into darkness. I began to ponder a storyline of what happened in the moments of darkness. Maybe it could be captured in a collection of short stories titled Dark Tales from a Dark Street? Maybe a novel titled Life Under the Street Light? Maybe a movie titled Shadows on Street 19? The streetlight flickered on and off in exactly the same way the following night. I hope it’s fixed soon.

Once inside the hotel grounds, Ren ordered two scoops of ice cream (almond milk and coco-ginger) from the bar, which we enjoyed while sitting with our feet dangling in our pool – it was a beautiful evening. We came inside at 9.30pm and settled in to catch up on our travel notes. This was a great way to relax after a full-on travel holiday.

I woke at 6.30am and dived into our pool for a very refreshing swim. We headed over to breakfast at 7.30am, which included fresh passionfruit juice, coffee, fresh fruit, muesli and yoghurt, walnut bread with pineapple jam, chocolate croissants and eggs – I opted for poached eggs while Ren went for the omelette. After breakfast we booked our complimentary massage for 2pm and then headed back to our room for another swim. We showered and settled on the poolside lounges to work on our travel notes. It was such a fantastic way to start the day!

I took a quick break from writing to have another swim in our pool (I’m loving this pool). We headed out to sit by the hotel’s main pool while our room was made up, and then went back to our room for another swim. We walked over for our 25 minute jetlag reviver massage at 2pm, which finished with a special energising ginger tea. I didn’t mind the massage (it’s only the second one I’ve had), but I’m still not a convert. I enjoyed the hand massage, but I was a little surprised when the masseur started crawling on top of my legs!

We lunched at Frizz Cambodian Cuisine at 2.45pm, which was just around the corner from the hotel. We shared banh chhev (Khmer crepes) and troyong chek mean snol (chicken and pork sausage that had been wrapped in banana flower leaves and then deep fried). I had a banana lassie while Ren had a watermelon juice. It was absolutely fantastic food! We picked up some snacks (chips and beer) and our laundry on our way back to the hotel, and then settled on our poolside lounges at 4pm to work on our travel notes (after a quick swim in our pool).

We continued working on our travel notes into the late afternoon after a long swim in the pool, and then headed out to dinner at 7.45pm to Frizz Cambodian Cuisine (where we had lunched). This time I had the fish amok (steamed coconut fish) and Ren had the sngau chrouk trey (fish soup). They were both absolutely fantastic. The restaurant advertised the fish amok as a Khmer favourite and ‘the best you have tasted’, and they were right – it was the best fish amok I'd tasted in Cambodia (and I'd had quite a few over the past two weeks). Ren started the evening with a fresh coconut juice, while I had an Angkor beer. The fireworks exploded at exactly 8.05pm (as they had the previous two nights), and while it was not so scary this time around, it was still startling for the first few seconds.

We headed back to the hotel at 9pm. I ordered a gin and tonic and Ren ordered a double serve of ice cream (pistachio and pepper), which we took back to our room and enjoyed beside the pool. After a lazy day of walking, swimming, eating and travel writing, it was time to retire. This had been our last full day in Cambodia, and we'd loved every second. Tomorrow we were heading home, and while we were leaving with heavy hearts (as we always do when leaving a newly discovered country), we were looking forward to getting home to Jasper and Oliver, our two Kelpies.

We woke at 6.30am and slipped into the pool for a quick pre-breakfast swim. We’d slept so well! We walked to breakfast at 7.15am, which included fresh passionfruit juice, coffee, fresh fruit, muesli and yoghurt, pancake with maple syrup, walnut bread with pineapple jam, croissants and eggs (poached for me and scrambled for Ren). We were heading home that evening, so we planned to relax all day before our 6.10pm flight to Singapore. We organised our packs, prepared our travel documents and caught up on our travel notes. I even managed another swim in our pool at 9.30am.

It was the fourth day of Cambodia’s official mourning period, and the King was being cremated. We needed to navigate the blockades around Phnom Penh and arrive at the airport in plenty of time, so we planned to leave around 3pm.

We headed out for postcards at 10.30am, which we purchased with the remaining Riel in our wallets (Cambodia’s local currency). We walked back to the hotel, wrote postcards and worked on our travel notes until 12.30pm. We then showered and checked out at 1pm. We left our postcards in the hotel mailbox, which was cleared once a week. We stayed in the hotel gardens until 2.30pm, relaxing on a large deck lounge and working on our travel writing. At 3pm we changed into travel clothes, jumped into a remork we’d booked a few hours earlier and headed to the airport. Our driver was asleep in a hammock when we walked out of the hotel, but he soon spurred into action when his mates let him know we were ready to go. The afternoon sun was searing and the King’s cremation was imminent. We walked three blocks to the nearest blockade, as this was where our remork was parked. It was a fascinating trip to the airport. Unless there are separate rules for remorks on Phnom Penh’s roads, I’m pretty sure our driver operated within his own idiosyncratic set of road rules...



SHE SAID...
In our slightly drunken state the night before, we had forgotten to set the alarm. It was very lucky that my body clock woke us at 6:30am anyway, because we were leaving Sihanoukville for Phnom Penh in an hour! It was a very rushed breakfast of a cheese omelette and dry bread masquerading as toast. I was very tempted to have a bigger Asian breakfast, but stopped myself knowing that we had a five hour bus trip ahead of us. We rushed downstairs at 7:30am and then stood around until 8am when the inter-city bus swung past to pick us up from the hotel. Now that’s what I call service. However, the downside was that we kept driving around to other pick-up points, which meant we didn’t actually leave Sihanoukville until 9am.

It was the first day of a seven day funeral for the Cambodian king (who had died three months ago in China). We saw a large procession of mourners dressed in white tops and black trousers and skirts walking to a large temple in Sihanoukville, and we had been warned of road closures and delays in Phnom Penh. Our hotel for the first night back (and where we’d stayed two weeks ago)– Nawin Guesthouse – was right next door to the crematorium that had been built for the king, so that road was certainly going to be closed.

We sat right at the front of the bus again. Those seats give every bus ride a roller coaster-like thrill! The ride was smooth enough and we had a toilet and coffee stop at 10:30am. I thought the first toilet stop on the way from Phnom Penh to Battambang was pretty bad, but these toilets made those ones look positively sterile. For starters, they were fly infested, with random pools of water sloshing around on the ground (not great when you are travelling in thongs/flip flops). They were also the tiniest squaties I’d seen, which meant that balancing in a squat without your knees touching the slimy wall was a challenge. However, what sealed the deal for the title of ‘all time mankiest toilets in Cambodia’ was that the men’s urinals were semi open air and right next to the entrance of the women’s area and the communal hand basins. Nice. Needless to say I didn’t eat anything at that stop.

All the little towns we passed had giant outdoor TVs set up that were broadcasting the King’s funeral. This was starting to look bigger than we’d anticipated. When we reached the main bus station in Phnom Penh, we were piled into remorks which took us as close to the hotel as possible. We ended up having to walk about four blocks, which wasn’t so bad considering the tight security around the Palace and crematorium. Our walk to the hotel coincided with the end of the morning’s funeral ceremonies, and we witnessed the cream of Cambodian society drive past us in streams of high end luxury cars. This was in stark contrast to the elderly mourners who were lining the streets in the hot sun, unable to get close to the crematorium to pay their respects. I find extravagant shows of wealth vulgar at the best of times, but what made it all the worse was when a tinted window of a Lexus was wound down and a woman sitting in the back started handing out wads of money to the poor people on the street. It was just horrible to watch. I had to keep in mind that it may have been culturally OK do this in Cambodia, but I still struggled with the lack of dignity it placed on the people who rushed and surrounded the car; to a point where the driver drove off in a hurry to shake the people off.

Despite the chaos in Phnom Penh, it was really lovely to be back. I really love this town. Andrew and I dropped our bags off and went for a wander to check out what was happening around the crematorium and the Palace. There was a very, very high police and army presence. The road closures had created wide open spaces which made walking around quite pleasant. Most shops and restaurants were closed, and the handful that were opened tried to keep the mood sober. The hustle and bustle of the streets we’d witnessed two weeks ago had been replaced with an eerie silence, only broken by the voices of the few people that still hung around the crematorium. With the afternoon sun heating up, within half an hour there was hardly anyone left except for a few curious tourists like us, and groups of armed guards dozing in shady street corners.

We had some left over money in the trip tip kitty (for drivers and local guides), so Thyda had bought us all some black sticky rice bread from the Starfish Bakery before we left Sihanoukville. With very few options open for lunch, we walked back our hotel and ordered some fried eggs to have with our black sticky rice bread. It was a simple meal, but so delicious.

We had wanted to have drinks on the balcony at the Foreign Correspondents Club one last time with Kim and Lee, but alas it was closed. So we went across the road to Touk Restaurant (which was also where we were having our last group dinner together). We settled in on the balcony with the ceiling fans spinning quietly above, and the absence of the traffic buzzing and honking below was marked. The only street noise was from loud speakers along Sisowath Quay, broadcasting the mournfully loud chanting from the Palace. It was a hot and humid evening, so we were languid and lazy. It was perfect.

We had quite a few cocktails by the time the rest of the group joined us for dinner. On our first night here, I had ordered my first fish amok (fish seasoned with lemongrass paste, coconut and chilli, and steamed in banana leaf) and had really loved it. Sadly, this time around it was quite terrible. However, the fried spring rolls Andrew and I shared were tasty, and Andrew’s hot and spicy chicken dish was a winner! Things at the dinner table were stirred up quite drastically when we heard the most terribly loud explosion, not unlike a cannon being fired. We all froze, until we realised that a fireworks display had just started and it was set up directly across the river from us. I think our first assumption that we are under fire wasn’t helped by the fact that we had received an email from the Australian Foreign Affairs department that warned us to be cautious during the period of the funeral, and to expect possible protests and political unrest. Feeling slightly stupid, we settled in to watch the quite mediocre fireworks. We said goodbye to Thyda and the rest of the group after dinner. Ella and Pru were going back to Siem Reap to do some volunteer work, and it turned out that Hannah would be on our flight to Singapore on the 4th.

A shisha pipe with apple tobacco and a few cocktails later, Kim, Lee, Andrew and I went for another walk past the Palace and crematorium before waking the guard at our hotel to let us in. Not for the first time on this trip, the pesky mosquitoes had found every single spot on my ankles and elbows where I’d missed the insect repellent. However, on the bright side, it had been a brilliant last night with Kim and Lee.

Andrew and I had a bit of a sleep-in the next morning, and then had a leisurely breakfast in the hotel. Andrew had muesli with fruit and yoghurt (and NO papaya) and I had an omelette. We checked out the funeral activities again and did some people and police watching. The streets were a sea of black and white, dotted with blue and khaki uniforms. We returned to the hotel to pack, because we were changing hotels and starting two days of r&r at the Pavilion Hotel on the other side of the Palace. We weren’t sure if we could walk directly through/across the palace lawns, and because we had all our luggage we opted to get there the long way around – along the main road in a remork.

At 12pm we walked with Kim and Lee (who were heading to the airport) to the closest road where we could catch a remork. We said our goodbyes, which was very sad – but with the tantalizing possibility of catching up again in another exotic location.

I think Andrew and I knew the layout of old Phnom Penh better than our remork driver. He ended up having to call our new hotel twice to get directions. The roads around the Pavilion were blocked off too, so our remork couldn’t enter the area – the driver waited with us, as he thought the hotel was sending another remork to pick us up. It turned out that they sent a staff member to carry our bags! Feeling pretty bad (and letting him carry only one bag), we walked the two or so blocks to the hotel and oh my god – the hotel really exceeded our expectations. Very rarely does a hotel look better in reality than their website or recommendations suggest. 😊

We had picked a room with a private 3x6 metre pool and small tropical garden, and it had been a fabulous choice. The hotel was a gated property with high walls (as were most properties on the street), and it exuded quiet privacy and old world colonial charm. We settled in and then went searching for lunch.

The Pavilion Hotel is on 19 Street, right near the corner of the bohemian and upmarket 240 Street, with its cafes, restaurants and boutiques. It was immediately apparent as a barang (foreigner) area, frequented by expats and western hotel guests. Unfortunately, most of the shops and restaurants were closed, and of the three restaurants that were open, we tried Tamarind Restaurant. It served the best yellow noodles I’ve had since our Thailand trip. I had mine fried with seafood, and Andrew had yellow noodle soup with chicken. They were both outstanding dishes. We also had a Khmer iced coffee each and a watermelon juice. We had planned to come back for dinner that night, but they overcharged us for the watermelon juice, so that was the end of our friendship.

We bought Angkor beers and some chilli and lime cassava chips (I’m in love with cassava chips!) and retreated to our room for the afternoon. If you must know, I was sitting waist deep in the pool as I wrote this. 😊

We lounged around our room until we got hungry and then went in search of another restaurant. We blamed the road blocks around our hotel for not doing much that day. However, if we were really honest, we would have to admit that we were really enjoying doing absolutely nothing. 19 Street is livelier at night, with street carts and night cafes doing a good business. We chose Sugar Palm for dinner, and finally got to try frogs’ legs! We shared a dish of stir fried morning glory with minced pork, and a very, very fabulous dish of frogs legs with basil and herbs. Even though Andrew couldn’t help but reminisce about his encounter with headless frogs at the Russian Market two weeks ago, we still found the dish to be extremely delicious. It was similar to chicken, but with a stronger flavour and a nicer texture. The basil and chilli sauce was also exceptional.

In the same way as the night before, I was scared to death by a very loud explosion at around 8pm. The dastardly fireworks had begun again, and judging from the screams of the children on the street below, I hadn’t been the only one jolted by the blast.

We walked back to the hotel and ordered serves of coco-ginger and almond milk ice cream from the cafe. We sat in our pool and had drinks and ice cream to the sounds of crickets in the garden and geckos on the garden wall. The coco-ginger ice cream was really lovely. It had been a fantastically relaxing day, and we had more of the same to look forward to the next day.

We woke up very refreshed, and while I was still waking I heard Andrew splash into the pool even though the water was still on the cold side at 7am. We wandered over to the cafe and had a set breakfast that was easily one of the better hotel breakfasts we’ve had. We started with glass of fresh passionfruit juice, followed by a tropical fruit platter. The chocolate croissant was very good, as was the walnut bread served with pineapple jam. Of the hot food options I chose an omelette and Andrew chose poached eggs. Andrew also ordered an extra option of muesli with our tea and coffee. It was a well thought out and tasty breakfast, and apart from the eggs being over salted, we were very happy and full.

Andrew had a few swims in our pool while I caught up on the blog. We lost track of time playing in our pool and had to rush to our 2pm complimentary massages at the spa (which was attached to the hotel). Andrew isn’t a fan of massages and I had to talk him into this one. It was a 30 minute Khmer massage which was new to me too. It was a dry massage that was a cross between Thai massage and acupressure massage. Andrew seemed to like the Thai massage element but not the pressure point aspect of it. And he was a bit taken aback when the masseur climbed up on the back of his legs! As lovely as it was, I’m not sure I’d have another Khmer massage.

We headed out for a late lunch and decided we’d give the Frizz Restaurant a try. Of the three restaurants that were open, we’d left this one until last, as it had the most western decor. We were the only ones in the restaurant, which of course always leaves us with an uneasy feeling that everyone else knows something that we don’t – but happily the food was outstanding. It was the best of the three! We ordered banh chhev (Khmer crepes with bean sprouts, carrots, minced chicken, mint and Asian basil) with a chilli and peanut dipping sauce, and troyong check mean snol (chicken and pork sausages wrapped in banana flower and rice batter and deep fried). It was sensational food.

I know Asia is touted as a shopper’s paradise, and even though I love to shop, I actually find it hard to shop in markets in Asia. I intensely dislike mass produced or branded clothing, so when store after store after store sells exactly the same merchandise, I just don’t bother. That and the very close-standing shop girls. When I first moved to Hong Kong, this method of customer service freaked me out, because I thought they were treating me like a shoplifter; but strangely I got used to it, and after a few months, I even got a bit tetchy if they weren’t right there at my shoulder if I needed another size! However, having moved back to Australia, I have regained my sense of personal space, and now it irritates me again. I had hardly done any shopping in Cambodia, and the handful of boutiques still open on 240 Street looked very interesting. The shops were full of unique silverware, silk clothing, traditional chequered scarves (called karmas) and stone and wood carvings. And no close standing shop girls! We bought a few bit and pieces. However, in hindsight, I really regret not buying a little silver filigree elephant that caught my eye. He would have looked so cute on our CD rack.

As you’d probably guessed by now, it was then back to our pool for a couple of hours. We lounged around with drinks and more cassava chips. The chip flavour this time was ‘sweetie hot’ – and it tasted exactly like the description. I think I will be going back to chilli and lime next time.

For dinner that night we wandered back to Frizz Restaurant. As it was our last night in Cambodia, Andrew ordered the fish amok, and it was the best amok we’d had on our whole trip. I ordered the sngau chronk trey (fish soup with lime and basil), and good god it was delicious! Andrew agreed that it was one of the best soups he’d eaten too. It was a very fitting last dinner in Cambodia.

In a repeat of the night before, we walked back to the hotel and ordered a g&t for Andrew and serves of ice cream for me from the cafe. This time I chose pistachio and pepper flavours. The pepper ice cream was very intriguing (similar to chilli chocolate), and I would definitely order it again. We sat back in our pool and had our last drinks and ice cream to the sounds of geckos in our garden. We tried to stay up and catch up on our blog, but I just couldn’t keep my eyes open. Isn’t it funny how the more relaxed you get, the earlier you go to bed?

If it sounds like all we did the last few days was eat, lounge by the pool and eat some more – that’s exactly what we did do. The Pavilion Hotel had been the perfect pick for total relaxation, and the private pool room had been perfect for allowing us to be self contained. On warm balmy nights, I don’t think there is anything better than dangling my feet in a cool pool while eating ice cream. I would normally have said ‘while sipping on cocktails’, but to be honest I think I overdid the cocktails in the last few weeks, and I hadn’t had any alcohol since Kim left the country! My liver is glad for the break.

We woke up on the 4th of February after a solid eight hours of sleep. Today was the day the King was cremated, and it was also the day we flew home. We had a 7:15am breakfast, which was a repeat of the day before, except I ordered scrambled eggs instead of an omelette and also ordered a pancake with maple syrup. Yes, I’m a piggy.

We lounged around until we checked out at 1pm, and then sat around the hotel’s main pool killing some time before we had to leave for the airport. We walked to 240 Street to eat at Frizz Restaurant one last time, but they were closed, as was almost every other business. So we returned to the hotel and ordered a green mango salad at the cafe and enjoyed our last few minutes in Cambodia.

We had pre-arranged a remork driver to take us to the airport. However, since the roads were still closed, we had to walk to the main street where he had parked his remork. After a 30 minute ride, we arrived at the very small Phnom Penh Airport to wait for our check in counter to open.

Next time I write, we’ll be sitting on a plane heading home. See you then people!

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Comments

[RJT]

Yum!
Those dishes look fantastic...making me hungry!

[RENanDREW]

Re: Yum!
They were fantastic...I got hungry while loading them up on TB :)

[The Travel Camel]

Excellent!
I've always wanted to capture an image such as this, but it has always eluded me. Either I glimpsed it whilst travelling on a train or bus, or the sleeping official(s) stirred before I had a chance to grab the shot - and you really cannot say to someone "Can you pretend to sleep again whilst I take a photo."

[RENanDREW]

Re: Excellent!
Thanks Shane. They stirred as we walked past, but my 'intense and prolonged' interest in a pot plant a few metres away from them put them right back to sleep. I was very nervous taking this pic - their mates had machine guns!