After arriving in Phnom Penh in the morning (and oversleeping) we stepped out in the evening to see our surroundings. I chose to stay at Khavi Villa because it was close to Mekong river and the promenade that lines it.
The areas by the promenade are all well developed with public parks, hotels and most of the development appears fairly new.
I went out with my Canon 7D as I felt I could get better shots at night using my DSLR than my phone
The promenade goes by the name of Sisowath Quay
You have street vendors selling all sorts of food and snacks. These are pomelo — Koh Trong in Cambodia is famous for producing these giant grapefruits
The stretch is 3kms long and is a popular hangout for locals
We walked down the promenade looking for an area with a lot of food stalls.
Ferries that take people and vehicles across the Mekong
Ultimately we realized we were still far off from the eateries portion of the promenade. And we were hungry… so we didn’t feel like walking a greater length (for food).
This is NagaWorld Casino and hotel, the only licensed casino in Phnom Penh. It’s situated in an area called Samdech Techo Hun Sen Park.
“The Garden is a Gift from Hun Sen” the sign says. Who is Hun Sen? He is Cambodia’s “Prime Minister” — since 1998
I put prime minister in quotes because if you read about how this man came to power and what he does to stay in power… he’s basically just a dictator. What happens to anybody who dares take on Hun Sen and his family over corruption is showcased in this documentary by ABC (at the 24:37 minute mark)
Anyway, more on the politics of Cambodia in a later post.
The Samdech Chuon Nath statue. Chuon Nath was a Buddhist priest whose efforts were mostly in the field of preserving the Khmer identity. And in the top right corner is ‘Captain America’ (Chris Evans) hoarding Chivas Regal.
We ended up walking back to our hotel area
We checked out many street food stalls but found nothing appealing
While locals enjoyed their dinner out on the streets…
… we on the other hand, for our first meal in Cambodia, ate Indian food at a Nepali-run restaurant called The Kathmandu Kitchen 🙂 (located adjacent to Khavi Villa). Yeah I know it’s dumb to come all the way to another country and eat Indian food on the very first day itself… but the girlfriend likes naan and curry. So that’s my excuse.
After dinner, we decided to walk some more instead of calling it a night
Another reason for choosing Khavi Villa was its proximity to the Royal Palace and other attractions
This is the compound wall of the Royal Palace
We were back on the promenade
We were walking towards the Phnom Penh Night Market
Leading up to the night market are streets which are chock full of bars and restaurants. This part of Phnom Penh is basically the nightlife district — but mostly catering to foreign tourists
Hot pots appear to be quite popular out here
This is Phnom Penh night market
Modeled after night markets in Thailand and other Asian cities, you find your usual fare of clothing, tourist souvenirs…
… and food
They place mats where visitors can sit and eat
Having been to many night markets, we weren’t very impressed with this one
And so we were done for the night. So we took a tuk tuk taxi back to our hotel. The ride costs $1.
So that was our first day in Phnom Penh. The next post will on our visit to the Killing Fields.
