Phnom Penh, Cambodia (Dec. 9, 2014)

First of all............Happy Birthday to Andrew! I hope Lydia's spoiling you on this special day.

Well I got to Phnom Penh well before 7 pm, in a bus that was almost empty, with air con and a nice driver. It was definitely the way to go. I went with Laure-Elie and we had our own two seats to spread out as no one was near us. She slept for most of the ride, and I for some of it. While I was awake, I saw lots of beautiful countryside. It was a long, but good trip overall. We stopped for a short break about half way through the trip. The place we stopped had lots of things for us to eat......if we wanted to.

Bus station in Kratie

Laure-Elie, very hot, waiting for the bus

Our bus finally comes.......late

Rest stop area on bus trip

Yep, tarantula's........no I didn't try them
but a young tourist guy from another bus
did. He said the legs were good and the
head was bitter and horrible.

One of the food choices...........

We arrived in Phnom Penh around 5:00 and would have been there earlier, but the traffic was incredible. It is weird to come from the little towns back to a big city. It’s sort of exciting and super busy, all at the same time. You kind of love it for a while, then get tired of it and wish for the quiet pace of the smaller towns. I am glad to be in the big city for a while as there is so much to see and do with lots of bustling around which is always interesting.

We took a Tuk Tuk from the bus station to the One Stop Hostel which wasn’t very far. We got checked in, showered, and took a long walk that included a stop for some food. We were both hungry and passed by an Indian food restaurant. There was an English tourist sitting outside at the front table, enjoying his dinner. We both stopped, and I asked him if it was any good. He said it was really good. We decided to eat there. Laure-Elie said that she would welcome a break from fried rice or noodles and so it was. I had a sweet Lassi, and Laure-Elie had a mango Lassi. The drinks were so good, as was the food. We also had cheese Nan which was amazing with the masala.

Mixed plate of Indian food

Chicken Masala

We walked for over an hour along the river, which our hostel is located on. There were lots of sights to see, and it looks like it’s a fairly touristy area, but I’m sure there is more local shops and restaurants not too far off. In any case, we saw where the Royal Palace is located, which also houses the Silver Pagoda. We will go to see this tomorrow. As well, we will go to find a shopping mall as L-E needs some toiletries and it’s always interesting to see the malls in a big city. 

Phnom Penh from the Tuk Tuk going to hostel

Traffic on the way

Julia, this one's for you

Another bar on our walk

Red light street, as you probably guessed

Another on the street

Check out the gecko's on this sign

Walking up the street by the river

The Royal Palace

Cool car in a hotel parking lot

Front view of car

This was the hotel where the car was

At that huge hotel where the cool car was parked, there was a beautiful tree that had lovely white flowers. There were many on the ground near this car, so we picked them up, and they were frangipani flowers that smelled totally exotic. Both of us just stood there, smelling all the flowers. It was incredible and so pungent. 

By the time we got back, it was late and time for bed. Both of us were pretty tired by then and fell happily to sleep. 

That’s it for now. More tomorrow.