19 - 24 December 2013 (2 nights in Phnom Penh and 3 in Seam Reap)
Snufkin's age: 4 years and 6 months
Mode of transportation
For the past 5 years, the number of tourists visiting Cambodia has increased exponentially. Right there on every tourist's agenda is Seam Reap, gateway to Angkor Wat. Phnom Penh is, more often than not, sidestepped. That could have been us had it not been for last minute planning that rendered Malaysia Airlines tickets to be only marginally more expensive than Air Asia at the time of booking in October, but only when we booked KUL-Phnom Penh and Seam Reap-KUL instead of KUL-Seam Reap return.
I did not see that as an inconvenience, even if it meant that we had to look and budget for suitable transportation between the two cities. It was an opportunity to explore the capital city, the mere mention of which name conjured a mixture of romance and adventure of a bygone era. I got an instant urge to travel each time the two syllables rolled off my tongue.
Since coming back to Malaysia, we had only been using Air Asia for our travels so I guessed Snufkin must have forgotten how flying on a non-no frills airlines feels like. As soon as we stepped onto the plane, he saw the the individual TV screens and immediately his face lighted up."Wow, there's television!", was his (loud) remark. I pretended that we were not together. As if that was not enough, the stewardess then brought us the headphones and a blanket and pillow for him and he could barely contain his excitement.
 |
| Somewhere between KL and Phnom Penh |
Within Phnom Penh, we relied on tuk-tuks to take us places. It cost between USD2 - USD3 to get from our hotel to the sights that we wanted to see, money I gladly parted with as it meant that we did not have to navigate the chaotic streets of Pnom Penh.
Accommodation
There were many small boutique hotels that caught my attention (most notably The Kabiki) but these were out of our price range. We ended up staying at Kolab Sor Hotel for USD35 per night. The hotel advertised itself as a "modern hotel" with a business centre but with 60 rooms it was small enough for us and the splashes of vibrant colours on cushions and drapings made it look less like a bog-standard hotel. The relatively cheap rates and the close proximity (but not too close thankfully) to Tuol Sleng Prison Museum sealed the deal. The hotel is supposed to be a 5-minutes walk to the museum and on the map it looked near enough. I had even printed the google map to guide us there. But once we got there and saw the very busy streets and chaotic traffic it was tuk-tuk most of the time thank you very much.
Address: #436, Street 310, Sangkat Boeung Keng Kang III, Chamkar Mon, Phnom Penh
First impressions
Our first stop was the National Museum of Cambodia for a bit of perspectives on the country's history before we delved into the more grisly details (read: Killing Field and Tuol Sleng) . The rust-red museum buildings were pretty impressive - its tiered-roofs and spires somewhat gave an impression of graceful Khmer dancers. The collections were housed in 4 pavillions, all facing a serene and leafy garden courtyard complete with fish ponds (a godsend as far as those with little kids are concerned). Of course, Snufkin did not care too much about the sculptures, bronzes, 19th century dance costumes, royal barges and palanquins and Khmer arts pieces and probably was even a bit scared of the statues. So we took turns sitting on one of the benches surrounding the courtyard and watch him play and fish-watch. This meant that I had a peaceful time going through the collections and reading up on the history of the Khmer Empire.
Cameras were only allowed in the courtyard so there were no pictures of the exhibits.
Address: Street 13, Sangkat Chey Chumneas, Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh (opposite the Royal Palace),
Opening hours: 8AM-5PM daily, last admission 4:30PM.
Admission: USD5
Friends The Restaurant
We left the museum feeling famished but with no idea where to go to for lunch. Just to avoid the group of beggars that were making their way towards us, we crossed the road and took an immediate left turn, hoping that we would come across a decent looking restaurant or cafe. And barely 10 steps away, we saw these:
Now, I had read about Friends and its excellent reputation many times whilst researching for this trip but thought that it would not be easy to get to. And there we were, practically stumbling upon it. So in we trooped, heading towards the cosy outdoor seating area. This was seperated by bamboos from a gravel-and-sand courtyard, in which throngs of kids of all ages could be seen doing what kids should do - playing catch, hopscotch and even pretend-cooking using leaves, twigs and stones. The restaurant is part of the Mith Samlanh NGO, which trains and employs former street youth in the hospitality industry, so these could be the young apprentices.
We had a wonderful lunch of vegetarian and fish-based tapas and also a heavenly passionfruit and mango smoothie which started in me a fixation of anything passion fruit. The lunch cost around USD22 - a fair price I would say considering the food, ambience and the chance to notch up your responsible travel credence.
After lunch, it was back to the hotel for rest and in case Snufkin needed to nap.
No comments:
Post a Comment