Phnom Penh

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January 5th 2013

Published: March 17th 2013

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leon oz

National Museum

A nice place to spend a couple of hours to se some of the historical artifacts of this country

"Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since French colonization of Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security, politics, cultural heritage, and diplomacy of Cambodia. Once known as the "Pearl of Asia", it was considered one of the loveliest French-built cities in Indochina in the 1920s. Phnom Penh, along with Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, are significant global and domestic tourist destinations for Cambodia. Founded in 1434, the city is noted for its beautiful and historical architecture and attractions. There are a number of surviving French colonial buildings scattered along the grand boulevards. Situated on the banks of the Tonlé Sap, Mekong and Bassac rivers, the Phnom Penh metropolitan area is home to about 2.2 million people. The city is the wealthiest and most populous city in Cambodia and is the country's political hub." from Wikipedia

The Cambodian people and their hard working enthusiasm for life made a huge impression on me again. This was my second visit to Cambodia and I will say for sure that I will

Independance Monument

Built in 1958, nearly as old as me :)

return many more times. I made some wonderful new friends on this trip and I cannot wait to get back there to see them again. I was only in Phnom Penh for two days and I discovered many great restaurants and night time entertainment places. The Heart of Darkness was my favourite club and I had two very late nights there. It has changed a lot since my last visit when it was a less inviting place to spend a night out.

There are many places to see in Phnom Penh. I have already been to the "Killing Fields" and "Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum" which are imprtant places to see on a first visit. The horror the Cambodian people endured during the rule of Pol Pot is sometimes beyond comprehension. Every Cambodian I met were working and studying and doing everything to make their life better. I did a lot of walking and most places are easy to find if you have a map or just take a taxi for one or two dollars. Phnom Penh is a great city but watch out for those bagels and bread the French probably introduced as your waistline will increase rapidly.