First day in Cambodia for a while ...

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Geo: 11.5625, 104.916

Excellent buffet breakfast at the hotel and by 07:30 we are setting out on foot for the morning. Our sightseeing day starts with a longish walk, something neither of us are used to these days. This will warm us up for coming week and also help orientate us with Phnom Penh a little.
It is already very hot and humid and within 10mins I am sweating.
We make our way south to the Golden Gate area of Phnom Penh and stop at the Palm Tours office to buy Sorya bus tickets to go to Kratie on Thursday morning. Back to the main road, which we are dealing with much better this morning in daylight, we make our first stop of the morning in a small park. We make our way to the Independence Monument, based upon the central tower of Angkor Wat and unfortunately as close to that place as we will be getting on this visit. It was built in 1958 to commemorate the nation's independence from France in 1953 and it now also serves as the national war memorial. A little further along the park is a statue commemorating King Norodorm Sihanouk who died in 2012. Turning north we enter Botum Park and the Cambodian Vietnamese Friendship Monument is hard to miss … very militaristic and definitely Vietnamese in origin. We make a quick stop at the picturesque Wat Botum then walk on to the Royal Palace.
I had read that if you blink quickly you could think that you were back in Bangkok as the style here is very similar to the Grand Palace there. In my opinion this place can't stand any comparison with Bangkok's Grand Palace, even as the poor relation. This is still the official residence of King Sihamoni and much is closed off to visitors. We enter next to the Chan Chaya Pavillion and make our way to the Throne Hall which is topped off with a 59m tower resembling those at the Bayon, at Angkor. Angkor and its surroundings are still the only real selling point that Cambodia has to the international visitor and its image can be found everywhere around the country.
Next door to the palace is the Silver Pagoda, named in honour of the 5000 x 1kg silver tiles that cover the floor here. At least so we are told although as they are covered in carpet to protect them you cant actually see them for yourself. This is one of the few religious buildings in the country that the Khmer Rouge didnt trash although most of its contents 'disappeared' during their brief era and the subsequent Vietnamese invasion/liberation. It is still a beautiful place for a visit though. Entering the pagoda up a staircase of Italian marble the central image inside is yet another Emerald Buddha - this one is actually believed to be made of Bacarat crystal - sat on a pedestal behind a lifesize, 90kg, gold Buddha decorated with 2086 diamonds; I didnt count them.
It is only 10:00 but it is definitely time for a sit down and a rest. We take a remork back to the hotel for a shower and a stretch out in the aircon.
Head back out at 11:30 and it is even hotter than earlier. When we landed yesterday at about 17:00 the pilot told us that it was 34 degrees so for sure a few degrees up on that at the moment. Walk back towards the river and stop at small street side stall selling noodles. Follow the river road northwards and I spot a place that is offering currency exchange.
Early afternoon is temple time and we begin by continuing north along the riverfront to Wat Ounalom, the home of the Cambodian Buddhist patriarch. On the 2nd floor here is a statue of Huot Tat, a former Patriarch, that was tossed into the Mekong by the Khmer Rouge and retrieved in 1979. There is also a stupa here containing an eyebrow hair from the Buddha himself - honestly ! Unfortunately we didn't see any of these things as everywhere was locked up !!
Next stop is Wat Phnom sat atop the only hill in the city at a whopping 27m altitude; even I can climb that !! Jai makes a couple of offerings to the resident Buddha for good fortune on the rest of our trip. We descend the staircase only slightly quicker than we climbed it and, feeling weary after our exertions so far, we decide it is time to make our way back to the hotel for another rest in the aircon – and it is still only 14:00.
By 15:00 we are both feeling a whole lot better and venture downstairs to try out the hotel swimming pool … loved it.
We then had great fun sat in the room trying to divvy up the Cambodian currency I had picked up earlier.
As it starts to get dark we make our way back to the riverfront and sample 'happy hour' at the Foreign Correspondents Club. I can remember sitting in almost the same seat on the balcony here back in 2000 and watching the traffic move out of the way as an old elephant walked along the middle of the road, returning home each evening after a day working at a city temple. No sign of him tonight though although a whole lot more vehicular traffic. Last time I was here I took a photo looking down on a group of cyclo men dozing on their bicycles. They are still in the same place but now have motorbike remorks instead of pushbikes. Prices in the FCC are probably twice what they would be in the bar next door but you have to have a bit of history and tradition with your beer sometimes. We definitely don't eat at the FCC though and find a small Khmer place just along the road.
Enough exercise for our first day here and it is a remork ride back to the hotel.

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