I was supposed to write this entry three months back but unfortunately I didn’t have the time to so until now, and there is a total of 160 photos to upload. So heavy!
Several months back, AirAsia was having a Free Seats promotion and I managed to grab my hometown friend Rainbow and I each a return ticket for an all-in-fare of just RM25. This explains how our Cambodia trip came about.
On an unrelated note, I have recently just bought Cat and I a round-trip ticket to Bangkok for next year and it cost like RM120 per pax. A bit more expensive but oh well I guess it is still a good deal.
Anyway let’s focus on Rainbow’s and my Cambodia trip.
This was how Cambodia looked like from a microscopic view inside our plane:
I thought it was beautiful and looked so different from what we have in Malaysia. The moment I set foot in Cambodia, I immediately liked it already.
Maybe I’m siao lah, many people I know who have been to Cambodia never expressed any strong liking towards this relatively less developed country, but I just wish to be able to stay there for, say, two years?
At the Phnom Penh airport, we were welcomed by a Chinese tour guide (we purchased a tour package from Matta Fair), who brought us to check into our hotel – called the Princess Hotel – to drop off our luggages.
I was actually quite shocked there were so many Chinese in Cambodia, much like Malaysia. I used to think its people were homogeneous!
Look at how big the hotel key was. So big and heavy it can be used to whack hotel thieves.
Oh, and the view from our hotel window:
Nice view! It sucked.
Half an hour after we checked into the our hotel, unfortunately it began pouring heavily. Haha what a nice way to welcome us leh!
The petrol station right across our hotel looked remarkably one of a kind and more lao-yah that Malaysia’s, but I liked the simplicity. Look at the tuk-tuk – I felt like jumping onto it and rode it to explore the whole town!
There were so many tuk-tuk operators in Cambodia I found it a little difficult to walk from one end of the street to another without any random drivers approaching us to offer us a ride! At times I just wished I looked more like a local.
After dropping off our luggages, we were brought to visit the Phnom Penh Riverside at the downtown.
Apparently the river you can see in the picture above connects two other rivers – one of which is the famous Mekong river, which runs through some of Cambodia’s neighbouring countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and China.
Very phenomenal indeed!
There was a little temple along the riverside, where kids were playing around it in their most naive nature. They might not have video games or smartphones, but they were most certainly the simplest persons I had seen in my entire life! Well, unlike most spoilt little brats in our modern society.
Look at the woman behind me (photo below) – how the hell did she get to balance that thing so well?
When asked if there was any chance we could taste their famous fried insects, our tour guide easily pointed to one of the stalls nearby and said, “That’s one of the best stalls in town.”
The tour guide however warned us against taking pictures too closely as they wouldn’t be too happy if you do not buy anything from them.
Looking delicious, no? Haha, they are just like the wide variety of dishes we find at any chap fan stalls, except the dishes are all insects. And please hor – don’t judge the Cambodians just because they eat insects – haven’t you heard one man’s poison is another man’s food?
We bought some fried crickets and fried frogs for a total of USD1, and we never had the chance to taste them until later that night.
Fried frogs were okay but certainly not fried crickets. Crickets tasted horrible and I almost threw up eating one!
Earlier on, we visited the Naga World, the only casino in Phnom Penh. Nothing special about it; the only nice thing was the free flow of beer they offered.
We had dinner buffet at Naga World, which was pretty Chinese and didn’t impress me very much. Instead of enjoying the meal, we pretty much just yakked away and taking pictures.
Ever time I came across photos of me wearing that cardigan I felt damn frustrated can? Yours truly had left it in the vehicle that fetched us around and it was never returned to me. It cost me over RM100 lor.
More interior views of Naga World (didn’t take many photos because cameras were prohibited in certain areas):
Speaking of Naga World, I kinda didn’t feel it because it was so much smaller than Casino de Genting and many uncles (probably from China or something) who thronged the casino were disgustingly loud and untidy.
In Naga World, they didn’t seem to care if one is clad in a singlet or wears a pair of slippers. As long as you have money, you’re welcomed!
Early next day, we took some time to stroll down the street before our guide arrived. Nothing much to see though, maybe the location wasn’t a good one.
We went to visit the Royale Palace after that. It struck me as a little weird how the authority was allowing the public into the palace. I mean, is the King not concerned about his security and safety?
From inside the palace:
I have forgotten if those are the national flower, but we found a lot of them in the Royale Palace and they’re supposed to be something very sacred to the Cambodians.
There were many temple-like buildings with interesting architectures within the palace vicinity:
Halfway visiting the palace, we were suddenly greeted by…
A halo!
Waseh, never seen a halo before in my entire life and had to fly all the way to Cambodia to be able to see it!
MUST. CAMWHORE.
Next we went to visit Wat Phnom (“temple of the hill”), which was originally run by a wealthy widow named Daun Chi Penh. The temple sits on top of an artificial hill, which is the highest land in the city.
The capital of Phnom Penh (“Penh’s hill”) is named after it. Known for her philanthropic acts when alive, people still maintain and visit her place in order to pay respect to her.
On top of the temple of the hill:
Below Penh’s hill, there was a gigantic clock on the field. This clock, about 20 meters wide, was a gift of friendship from China. Apparently at the time of visit, the clock was a working one.
The first entry on my Cambodian trip comes to an end here. Part II will be updated next so please check back!