Phnom Penh, Cambodia - An evening in Phnom Penh

I had planned for a visit to the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda on our first day in Phnom Penh but the opening hours were rather limited (7.30 to 11am and 2 to 5pm).  After our visit to the National Museum, we ended up recharging our batteries in the hotel room longer than expected and by the time the tuk-tuk dropped us in the vicinity of the palace, it was close to 5pm. And even then, we were not sure where the main entrance was. The royal residence of the King of Cambodia was in a huge compound completely surrounded by high mustard-coloured walls. The gates that we saw was closed and the royal guards manning the guard posts did not look like they wouldn't mind being treated like a tourist information centre.

Chan Chhya Pavillion

So I conceded to the fact that we would not be able to see the Royal Palace. It was a good thing that the Moonlight Pavillion or Chan Chhaya Pavillion was very visible from outside.  This was an open-air pavillion serving as stage for Khmer classical dance in the past and present. Its gilded tiered roofs glinted beneath the evening sun, the opulence of it offered us glimpses of what we have missed within the royal compound.

Outside the Royal Palace

The traffic-free boulevard along the palace walls facing the river was very lively. Snufkin kept himself busy blowing bubbles that we bought for USD1 from one of the hawkers, chasing pigeons and posing as a guard in one of the guard posts. We strolled along the palace walls, guided by the map to our next destination: Street 240. This was apparently the place to go to shop for souvenirs, trinkets and quirky products. I expected a wide boulevard, flanked by large stores with throngs of tourists. But this was Phnom Penh, and what I actually saw of Street 240 was much better than what I envisaged. 

Street 240 is narrow and leafy, the shops lining it were mostly small and cosy. We saw other tourists of course, but none of the dreaded tour groups. Unfortunately, it was getting dark and based on what I had read about Phnom Penh at night , we did not want to be out and about with a 4-year old child on dimly-lit streets.

In fact, what I had read about Phnom Penh (only after booking the flight tickets) in the days before the trip made me feel increasingly paranoid and anxious. Stories of being kidnapped by the man that was your tuk-tuk driver, being a victim of snatch and grab thefts while you're walking or even while you're sitting in a tuk-tuk, violent crimes towards tourists and even murders - did I make the right decision? In the end, I decided that we only had to abide to a few rules while in Phnom Penh: No daypack (I only carried minimal amount of cash and our passports in a money belt and my LP in my hand). Stick to the tourist trail. No going out at night.

So that was why we rushed through Street 240. We did stop at The Shop (I could not resist), a quaint bakery-cum-cafe-cum chocolate shop - for our coffee and smoothie fix and also to take-away some food for dinner (vegetarian quiche, buns and pastries).

The Shop @ Street 240

Last mission of the day was to buy some books at Monument Books & Toys. On the map, it looked easy enough to get to from The Shop but in reality it involved some serious skills in road crossing and motorcycle avoidance. We got to the intersection between Street 240 and Norodom Boulevard to discover in dismay that the bookstore was located across the multi-lane road and the said road was practically heaving with traffic. No traffic light. No zebra crossing. There was no way we could cross this, I thought. But we did. I carried Snufkin and we crossed lane by lane, using our hands to stop the traffic whenever required. It turned out that this was the only way you could cross the roads in Phnom Penh.

Inside the bookstore, it was an oasis of calm and serenity compared to the madness outside. Bought several books including Loung Ung's First They Killed My Father and a children's book on the Cambodian genocide. Then we hopped into a waiting tuk-tuk in front of the book store which took us straight to the hotel.