27 January 2014.
The Royal Palace is one of the top visitor destinations in Phnom Penh and so an excellent place to begin our three full days of exploring. It has a fairly central location to most hotels and guest houses but with the chaotic traffic of the city, it's much easier to arrive by tuk tuk. You really do take your life into your own hands crossing any major road here, as the scooters and cars undertake, overtake, drive on the wrong side of the road, and appear to take pedestrian dodging as a local sport.
Once you do arrive safely, immediately after the ticket office ($6pp) your welcomed into the Palace by the immaculate gardens. The Throne Hall takes centre stage here, with its striking four face tower and golden tiled roof. Unfortunately we weren't able to go inside, and it wasn't the only building that was closed off - due to building works or for no apparent reason at all. It was the only disappointing part of the visit with a $6 entry fee, steep by Cambodian standards. But It's still a pleasant walk through the gardens, admiring the views and watching the monkeys munch on a royal banana feast.
Moving through the south gate, brings you to the popular Silver Pagoda. The silver floor tiles which give the Pagoda its name are now mostly covered with carpet for protection from the onslaught of thousands of daily visitors - or from the man with sticky tape, who seems to have been busy glueing down the edges of the few tiles that are on display. The highlight inside the Pagoda is the emerald Buddha statue towards the rear. There is also a fine fresco painting that circles the entire 700m of the courtyard walls, which I'm glad we saw - it looks like the elements are gradually wearing it away, and it might not last for too much longer.
We took a breather for a few hours after the Palace and went for a swim back at the hotel (The Pavilion Hotel). The garden is such a welcome relief to the city, it's a wonder we made it back out. And how's this for service? The staff even offered free drinks as an apology for the outside drilling noise by the electricity board!
Feeling refreshed, we were on our way again and off to the National Museum $3pp.) It's technically only a block further on from the Palace, but its a big Palace, and therefore a big block. Plus, we were chatting to a young traveller from Hong Kong along the way, so we took a couple of wrong turns. We got there eventually and were instantly taken aback by the striking red sand stone facade of the Museum.
Collecting national treasures and artefacts has been a somewhat difficult task for the museum curators over the years, what with the civil war, the four years of Khmer Rouge rule, and a whole host of international temple looters. The recent political stability and a global plea to return specific stolen pieces of art has meant the museum is finally coming together. The collections may not be represented in the most professional way, but there are fine examples of statues and carvings from as early as the sixth century. It is well worth a visit.
In fact, we decided to come back again later that same evening for a Cambodian live arts performance. We had time first to stroll along Street 102, which has been haphazardly christened Pop Street, and seems to be the latest backpacker destination. It's crammed with bars and restaurants from all corners of the world, and we were tempted into a Turkish restaurant by the promise of Falafel and Hummous.
That was followed by a stroll to Sisowath Quay, on the banks of the Tonle Sap river. This has a long and wide promenade to enjoy overlooking thr river if you can safely cross the road to get there. We made it - just.
The Cambodian Living Arts performance was the Yike Opera: Mak Therng. This had been highly recommended to us by some Kiwis in Siem Reap, and they were proven to be spot on. We never thought we'd enjoy Opera performed in Cambodian, but the performances of the youthful cast and the wonderful singing and dancing captivated us from beginning to end. The overhead subtitles helped as well.
All in all the day proved to be a very cultured and enlightening one!
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