A day in Phnom Penh (Cambodia)

Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia and it’s a 6-hour bus ride from Siem Reap. We were hoping to take the Mekong Express bus or plane going there but both were fully booked so we ended up taking a regular airconditioned bus which turned out to be a blessing in disguise because we chanced upon the shoot of Amazing Race right across where our bus was parked!:) Photo-taking isn't actually allowed but we were able to snap some shots from the bus.:)

Anyway, here are some of the places to see when in Phnom Penh:

Royal Palace. Within the grounds, you can visit not just the Royal Palace but also temples like the Silver Pagoda which houses an emerald Buddha and a golden Buddha weighing close to 500 kgs and encrusted with more than a thousand diamonds. BTW, it’s called silver pagoda because its floor is made of silver.

Russian Market. Some stalls sell factory overruns of branded clothes but it was so hot inside the market that we couldn’t stand going through the goods under such heat so ended up not buying anything at all!:)

Happy Painting Gallery. I love the colorful paintings and I was so tempted to buy (specifically the Happy Bus artwork) but they are so expensive! A small painting costs USD200 and the hand-made limited edition silkscreens cost about USD120. The artworks are by Stef, a French painter, who is quite popular in Cambodia. He paints subjects like happy monks, happy moms, happy Cambodian people because he wants to promote happy images of a nation that suffered a lot. Anyway, I’ll just attempt to paint my own Happy Painting-inspired artwork soon:) But I did buy a Happy Painting shirt - maybe I can just frame it! haha...

Kravan House. This is a shop near our hotel, FCC Phnom Penh (a very nice hotel by the way). The products here (mostly bags and accessories) are made by local villagers and apparently, if you buy an item, proceeds will go to the specific villager who made it. The stuff are really nice and reasonably priced and they’re for a good cause.:)

BTW, can I just tell you that I personally think Cambodian drivers are more highly skilled than Pinoys. They can converse while driving motorcycles side by side on main roads AND in major intersections, all kinds of vehicles - bikes, motorcycles, tuktuk and cars - can just pass through - to each his own - even though there aren't any trafiic lights! It was just unbelievable. haha...