Just in case you missed:
Cambodia Day 1: Siem Reap (Tonie Sap Lake)
Cambodia Day 2.1 & Day 2.2: Siem Reap (Temple Hopping)
To be honest, our trip to Phnom Penh was more of a stopover to Sihanoukville than a purposeful visit. You see, the trip from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville is up to 6 hours so to pace ourselves, we spent 1 night in Phnom Penh. We took about 4 hour bus ride with Giant Ibis with no guide but we were guided to the bus interchange from the hotel to make sure we are safe and on our merry way.
There were about 3 stops along the way which I really didn't take note the name of the pit stops. We only went out to stretch our legs. We were not hungry mainly because snacks provided by Giant Ibis was filling enough for us.
It was a smooth ride where we were entertained by the outside surroundings, movie and a toddler on board. Before we knew it, we had reached Phnom Penh, greeted by Ms Sreyneang and then headed for lunch! Just a 1 minute walk away, we were at Titanic Restaurant. (I know! the name! lol)
This restaurant was along side Tonie Sap River. Yes, the same one that was connected to Tonie Sap Lake that we visited on Day 1. Food was absolutely delicious!
After lunch, we headed to the royal palace. The place was huge and beautiful. It's design was recognizably Khmer but can't help to remind us of Thailand.
We didn't get to visit every building there because obviously there are limits and privacy. Even when we did managed to enter them, no photography and videography was allowed. It was truly a shame because the interior was absolutely jaw dropping.
The throne hall was beyond amazing. I mean, who can not stand in awe with gold sculptures, silver décor and such? The throne hall is still being used for official acts, diplomatic meetings and religious events (eg Royal Weddings).
Chanchhaya Pavilion is the most exposed building from the outside of the royal palace. It is because of this, the king does make his speeches and/or witness parades in the streets of Phnom Penh.
We get to visit their little quaint museum which traditional Khmer clothes and artifacts. The only complain we had was the place had barely any ventilation and the place was hot like an oven!
Each color represent a certain position.
These are their royal outfits and just like the Malay community, Cambodians get to wear such outfits on their wedding day to represent the "King and Queen" of the day!
Creepy mannequins.
One of the interiors of the Pagoda has a long mural called the Ramayana Frescoes. The mural is now all weathered down but fret now, restoration is under process.
Yes, we also get to visit the infamous Silver Pagoda. Yet again, unfortunately, no photography & videography allowed but inside, it was home of the emerald Buddha, a life-sized diamond encrusted Buddha and gifts given to the royalty collected over the years which are mostly silver and gold. Not only that, the floor was completely covered by silver (not the color but material) tiles; 5,000 of it! Of course due to the visitors, they had to cover it with carpeting to protect it from wear and tear but we do get to see it at the sides.
After the oohs and ahhs, we took a short trip to Naga Casino but not before passing by the Victory Monument and Independence Monument.
Casinos are not our thing so we just went in, look around, used their toilet and we left. haha
One thing we can't wait to visit was our hotel, the Sokha Phnom Penh Hotel. It was a newly constructed 5 star hotel and after all the traveling and walking under the hot sun, we can't wait to rest for a while. This hotel room was definitely the best among the ones we stayed in Cambodia. We wished we can stay longer! The room was so spacious, we could do a run to and fro for exercise.
Okay, after this, there was shortage of photos. I don't know, Jhon was probably tired and had no mood. Anyways, we rest for about 1-2 ours before meeting Ms Sreyneang again for dinner. I didn't catch the name of the restaurant but unfortunately, in terms of food, it was not delicious and satisfying at all.
As we travelled back and forth, we got to experience Phnom Penh's traffic and night life. We are morning people so you will never see us 'enjoying' the night life lah. We just can't wait to hop into the warm bath tub and enjoy our huge room.
Here's our vlog for the day. It has definitely more footage than the photos posted here.
Hope you guys, enjoy!
Cambodia Day 1: Siem Reap (Tonie Sap Lake)
Cambodia Day 2.1 & Day 2.2: Siem Reap (Temple Hopping)
To be honest, our trip to Phnom Penh was more of a stopover to Sihanoukville than a purposeful visit. You see, the trip from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville is up to 6 hours so to pace ourselves, we spent 1 night in Phnom Penh. We took about 4 hour bus ride with Giant Ibis with no guide but we were guided to the bus interchange from the hotel to make sure we are safe and on our merry way.
There were about 3 stops along the way which I really didn't take note the name of the pit stops. We only went out to stretch our legs. We were not hungry mainly because snacks provided by Giant Ibis was filling enough for us.
It was a smooth ride where we were entertained by the outside surroundings, movie and a toddler on board. Before we knew it, we had reached Phnom Penh, greeted by Ms Sreyneang and then headed for lunch! Just a 1 minute walk away, we were at Titanic Restaurant. (I know! the name! lol)
This restaurant was along side Tonie Sap River. Yes, the same one that was connected to Tonie Sap Lake that we visited on Day 1. Food was absolutely delicious!
After lunch, we headed to the royal palace. The place was huge and beautiful. It's design was recognizably Khmer but can't help to remind us of Thailand.
We didn't get to visit every building there because obviously there are limits and privacy. Even when we did managed to enter them, no photography and videography was allowed. It was truly a shame because the interior was absolutely jaw dropping.
The throne hall was beyond amazing. I mean, who can not stand in awe with gold sculptures, silver décor and such? The throne hall is still being used for official acts, diplomatic meetings and religious events (eg Royal Weddings).
Chanchhaya Pavilion is the most exposed building from the outside of the royal palace. It is because of this, the king does make his speeches and/or witness parades in the streets of Phnom Penh.
We get to visit their little quaint museum which traditional Khmer clothes and artifacts. The only complain we had was the place had barely any ventilation and the place was hot like an oven!
Each color represent a certain position.
These are their royal outfits and just like the Malay community, Cambodians get to wear such outfits on their wedding day to represent the "King and Queen" of the day!
Creepy mannequins.
One of the interiors of the Pagoda has a long mural called the Ramayana Frescoes. The mural is now all weathered down but fret now, restoration is under process.
Yes, we also get to visit the infamous Silver Pagoda. Yet again, unfortunately, no photography & videography allowed but inside, it was home of the emerald Buddha, a life-sized diamond encrusted Buddha and gifts given to the royalty collected over the years which are mostly silver and gold. Not only that, the floor was completely covered by silver (not the color but material) tiles; 5,000 of it! Of course due to the visitors, they had to cover it with carpeting to protect it from wear and tear but we do get to see it at the sides.
This area also holds a few stupas which has the ashes of the royalties.
After the oohs and ahhs, we took a short trip to Naga Casino but not before passing by the Victory Monument and Independence Monument.
Casinos are not our thing so we just went in, look around, used their toilet and we left. haha
One thing we can't wait to visit was our hotel, the Sokha Phnom Penh Hotel. It was a newly constructed 5 star hotel and after all the traveling and walking under the hot sun, we can't wait to rest for a while. This hotel room was definitely the best among the ones we stayed in Cambodia. We wished we can stay longer! The room was so spacious, we could do a run to and fro for exercise.
Okay, after this, there was shortage of photos. I don't know, Jhon was probably tired and had no mood. Anyways, we rest for about 1-2 ours before meeting Ms Sreyneang again for dinner. I didn't catch the name of the restaurant but unfortunately, in terms of food, it was not delicious and satisfying at all.
As we travelled back and forth, we got to experience Phnom Penh's traffic and night life. We are morning people so you will never see us 'enjoying' the night life lah. We just can't wait to hop into the warm bath tub and enjoy our huge room.
Here's our vlog for the day. It has definitely more footage than the photos posted here.
Hope you guys, enjoy!
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