Enlighted Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is 6 hours away from Siem Reap via bus...

The bus ticket from Siem Reap cost USD8 per person...there's a main road connecting the two cities...they don't have highway with toll as we have here in Malaysia...but the road was good enough...except the driver honks almost every 30 seconds to drove away those tuk-tuks and motorcycles (it was only 2 lanes all the way)...better prepare to have your earplug ready...

Phnom Penh is almost like any other major cities...it was busy...it was hectic...but still it has its own charms...and also...Phnom Penh holds a very horrifying history of almost recent time underneath it all...devastating history...the first nite was spent in Paragon Hotel...this hotel overlooking Tonle Sap river...great location...clean room...cool air cond...hot shower...but with only one setback...the room doesn't have any windows...erkkk...USD30 for triple and USD23 for twin sharing...but it does have a balcony overlooking the river...the was 8 blocks away (the city was perfectly grid as it used the same system as NY) to Central Market...KFC is the well known halal restaurant around there and it was only about 10 mins walk from the Central Market...for the second nite we booked a room in Holiday Villa (which was only 5 mins walk from KFC)...they serve halal food in Holiday Villa...

Night walk around the riverside area was great...breezy and calm...there's also a night market near the riverside area...they have an array of things like cambodian silk and plenty of textile products made in Cambodia...the rule of the thumb...BARGAIN...one must also have a drink in FCC while overlooking Tonle Sap river...it was seriously cool...witness the sunrise from the riverside in the morning...it was magical...also for muslims...korban in Phnom Penh is much awaited by the muslims here...its about USD350 per cow...

One of the must visit list in Phnom Penh is the Killing Fields...where it was the place thousands of people lost their lives during the Pol Pot Regime...there was the signboard explaining what is the significant thing happened on that same spot...do read up on it...it was devastating...the whole area hold a very bad history for the people...the other one is the Geonocide Museum...another horror place containing the real evidence of Pol Pot's regime cruelty and madness during their reign...it was a 4 story school building converted into prison named SD21 where they hold and tortured prisoners to their death...each prisoners were documented...their pictures were taken...before and after their death...there's even some real torture devices used in those years displayed for viewing...along with an illustration of how it was used...one can't help wondering what madness can bring a man to do all this to his own people...it was horrifying...and it was real...very real...

After a heavy session going to those sights...one have to ease their brain with some lighter activity...Shopping...one of the must in the list is Russian Market...lots of things especially textile products can be found here...as well as those little souveniers for the love ones...Russian Market also have the best ice coffee in Phnom Penh...another must do list is takinga a boat ride along the Tonle Sap river...it was a really cool boat...its nothing like the Putrajaya Cruise boat...its like the old fishing boat...two levels...the upper deck have these chairs and tables for us to have our snacks...and the owner put on some french jazz musics...it was really cool...cruise along the river and watch the lights from the riverside...its about 1 hour...and it cost USD15 for all 5 of us for the ride...cool huh...one can even have private party on the boat...seriously cool...there's also halal food restaurant just near the riverside area...the taste was kinda good...

Phnom Penh as a whole is really interesting...and i think it really can be another shopping option other than Indonesia...there's also plenty of significant things to see...Phnom Penh surely had left a mark on my travelogues...as it was a great experience...the city had show me a different perspective about life...one can say...its enlighted Phnom Penh...

T.Y.S