Blogs from Phnom Penh, South, Cambodia, Asia - page 2

Arrived back in Phnom Penh Wednesday night after a 7hr bus ride....quite good watching the countryside pass by. Our last 4 days here have been very relaxing, staying at the Lavanya Hotel which is a lovely little boutique hotel right in the centre of the city, $54 a night with a really nice breaky, .....so we hardly had to get a tuk tuk for our last few days....we could walk everywhere. Mornings were spent exploring and afternoons by the pool was in order. We walked by the anti corruption commission and found we were not allowed to take photos we really wanted to as you see this grand building on one side and their carpark over the road is full of Bentleys, Range Rovers, Mercedes and even a Rolla......we were very amused by that! We revisited ... read more

Alexander, nearly 5, is a rock hunter. He and his magnifying glass are rarely separated as he moves around searching for new and interesting rocks. He proudly showed us his collection in his treasure chest in his bedroom. Carried around in his pocket is a slice of rock with a fossil in it. He lives with his parents, Sean and Agata and little brother Elliot, in Les Jardins du Bassac in Phnom Penh. Not far from where they were previously as we recognised their old street and the small shopping centre with supermarket and cafe. And aircon. We hadn't seen them since we were in Poland in June 2018 when Elliot was born so it was lovely to see them again and get to know Elliot. He has a very good vocabulary for a 20 month ... read more

We awoke this morning excited for a full day of sightseeing in Phnom Penh. Breakfast this morning was buffet style on the rooftop terrace where we enjoyed the typical western style breakfast items coupled with a wide variety of tropical fruits. It was a great way to start the day as we enjoyed a relaxing breakfast, enjoyed the fresh morning air, and soaked in the views overlooking the Tonle Sap River. After breakfast we set out for our full day around the city beginning with the nearby Royal Palace. Spread out over a large well manicured area, the grounds of the Royal Palace seemed a world away from the urban chaos of the streets of Phnom Penh. We walked around and admired the breathtaking Khmer architectural style and I was amazed by the elegant opulence of ... read more

Het is een tijdje stil geweest in blogland, maar hier is dan eindelijk het hoofdstuk over Cambodja. In Luang Prabang nam ik het vliegtuig naar Siem Reap, waarop ook het Israelische koppel die ik had ontmoet op zat. Wat ook bleek was dat zij in hetzelfde hostel als mij verbleven. We deelden samen een tuktuk helemaal vol geladen met onze baggage, maar het pastte. Eenmaal aangekomen gooide ik mijn spullen in de kamer en deed ff een drankje met een aantal mensen bij de bar en daarna naar een restaurantje om mijn eerste Cambodjaanse maaltijd te hebben. Daarna liep ik nog een klein beetje rond, maar ik werd al gauw een beetje afgeschrokken door de óverenthousiaste tuktuk chauffeurs waardoor je alleen maar gestresst werd. Dus ik ging snel weer terug naar het hostel en niet al ... read more

We had our do-it-yourself tour of Phnom Penh yesterday, but today is the official, organised tour. We had expected it to be a group of us, however, again, it was just the two of us, along with the guide and driver who took us to Oudong yesterday. First stop was the Royal Palace. After another security barrier that bleeped for everyone and was ignored, we were shown around the main areas. It was stunning and very similar to the temple at Oudong that we visited yesterday, just a lot, lot busier. Unlike other palaces, it’s not a single building, but a site consisting of several, some of which we could go into, some of which we could not. The king lives in a completely separate building, which tourists obviously go no where near. The king was ... read more