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Photo credit Pj Go and Alexandre Brondino

Two days in Phnom Penh

Depending which forums you read, Phnom Penh is either the new 'it' city of Asia or a dusty little town only good for a transit point. We spent two days in Cambodia's capital and concluded that it deserves neither such praise nor such censure. 

Cambodia's recent history is devastating, but modern Phnom Penh is a city on the go making up for lost time. Here are some ideas for two days in Phnom Penh.

Like the English colonialists left railroads, the French left good food. Phnom Penh is no exception. Two days will absolutely not be enough time to sample the full range of tempting Khmer, French, fusion and international cuisine. As well as all the eating, the leafy streets around the Royal Palace make for pretty strolling and window shopping. However, move slightly out of the centre and there are still a lot of dusty streets with single room tin sheds serving as shop fronts and the city is a little light on big ticket tourist sites. Despite this, we had no trouble filling two days and would strongly recommend giving yourself more than just stopover time in Phnom Penh.

Day One

Morning: Breakfast at Joma Toul Tom Pong. Part of the Joma Bakery Cafe chain, which originated in Laos and has spread to Cambodia and Vietnam. Joma churns out quick, tasty breakfasts including oat bread French toast with mango, a breakfast burrito and drinkable coffee. It is however on the more expensive side of a shoestring budget.

After breakfast, gather your wits about you to visit Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide. Tuol Sleng, or S-21, was one of the Khmer Rouge's many prisons. Housed in a former school the otherwise innocuous building has a chilling history. It is believed approximately 30,000 people were imprisoned here in the three years of Pol Pot's regime. Torture and starvation were widely practiced and for most of the 30,000 it was a death sentence. The Khmer Rouge kept very detailed written and photographic records and some of these are on display at Tuol Sleng. The exhibitions are low key but powerful. Try to time your visit to catch one of the documentaries about life under the Khmer Rouge and, possibly even more insightful, life after the Khmer Rouge. Films are shown daily at 10-11am, 1-2.30pm and 2.30-3pm.

Afternoon: A short walk from Tuol Sleng is the Russian Market where you can buy anything from chicken feet to spare car parts and an overwhelming range of fabric, ready-made clothes and tourist kitsch in between. It is a good place for a cheap and cheerful plate of noodles and pork.

Evening: Grab a remarque to Sisowath Quay and walk along the promenade, taking in the Royal Palace on one side and the Mekong River on the other. Take yourself for a drink at the Foreign Correspondents Club to play at 1950s glamour, intrigue and gossip. Then stroll along Street 178 for some excellent boutique shopping. Even if it is just of the window variety, the shops are well worth a perusal. Have dinner at La Marmite, a surprisingly affordable French Bistro. Then bar hop your way through the surrounding streets.

Day Two

Morning: Hit up your closest street stall for a traditional Cambodian breakfast of rice and pork, or noodle soup. Then take a remarque to Cheun Ek, also known as the Killing Fields. This is where many of the prisoners of Tuol Sleng were taken to be killed and left in mass graves. Cheun Ek is now a peaceful park area that is preserved as a memorial to the approximately 17,000 people killed here. However, this new peaceful setting does not mask what went on. Every time there are heavy rains, fragments of bone and clothing still come through the surface of the earth in a stark reminder of the magnitude of the killings. Signs throughout Cheun Ek remind visitors to watch their step. The excellent audio-guide includes accounts from people who survived persecution by the Khmer Rouge. It ends with the impossible to ignore imperative to remain ever vigilant of the possibility of future acts of genocide.

This is a harrowing experience and backing up after the previous day's visit to Tuol Sleng we were losing faith in humanity. So we dedicated the afternoon to more cheerful pursuits.

Afternoon: Phnom Penh has a wide range of restaurants that double as social causes and lunch at one of these is a good way to soothe your soul after the morning at Cheung Ek.

We lunched at Friends which is dedicated to helping former street kids, with a strong focus on skill development. The food is tasty Khmer fusion, dished up in tasting plate proportions, which saves the difficulty of choosing only one of the tempting menu items. Friends Restaurant is conveniently close to the National Museum, with a good collection of Khmer art. Reminding yourself of the beautiful things in Cambodia is another good salve for the soul.

From here stroll down to the Central Market. The wares on offer are unexceptional, but the large yellow art-deco building which houses it is worth checking out. Continue on to Wat Phnom to see saffron robed monks strolling around and, if you're lucky you can also catch a devotional music performance.

Evening: Phnom Penh's street corners abound in BBQ joints, if you need to keep the budget down then pull up a plastic chair and get creative with your ordering. Otherwise head to Manis for a great, and very swanky, introduction to Khmer cuisine. From there bar hop your way down Street 108 with its collection of tiny drinking spots.

Costs

For the shoestringers, here are some basic prices for two days in Phnom Penh. Except where otherwise stated, all prices are for two people in US dollars (which are widely used in place of the local Riel, most ATMs dispense dollars).

  • Accommodation - $12/ night 
  • Food from a street stall - $4 to $8 
  • Food at a restaurant/ cafe - $12 to $30 (including drinks) 
  • Beer - $0.50 (per beer) 
  • Drinks at FCC - start at $2.75 for a local beer, wine starts at $4.50, mixers start at $3.45 (two for one happy hour between 5 and 7 pm) 
  • Entry to Tuol Sleng - $6 
  • Entry to Cheun Ek - $12 (includes audio guide) 
  • Remarque, return journey to Cheun Ek from the city $15

There it is. Two full days in Phnom Penh. We learnt a bit, despaired about humanity a bit and ate a lot.


Picture of Follow Me East

Posted by Follow Me East
on 12th May 2015

Destinations

Cambodia Phnom Penh

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