After our final delicious breakfast at Seven Candles, it was time to leave for Phnom Penh. There are several ways to cover the 300km south to the capital, including by plane, boat or by bus. We decided to try the bus, and picked the Giant Ibis coach, which was slightly more expensive than the others but offered more leg room and a few other luxuries, which we felt were good value at just $15pp, for a seven hour journey.
By choosing the road option, there's the added bonus that you do get to see a little more of Cambodia even if its only through the glass windows. The bus makes good time for the first half of the journey on decent roads, even if the various scooters, tractors and cows slow it down through the farming communities and villages of the provinces. It's after a lunch stop where the road suddenly deteriorates badly with huge potholes, and big chunks of Tarmac that have simply disappeared. It's down to a combination of overuse, floods and the authorities laborious efforts to upgrade the highway. Even with the slow progress, we still found the journey interesting enough and would recommend it.
Waiting at the other end was the delightful Pavilion Guest House, a colonial hideaway in the backstreets of the Royal Palace, with lush green tropical gardens and a small pool leading into the converted townhouse accommodation. The guide book says its the kind of place you may never want to leave, and after seeing our room and having a complimentary massage, we could see why!
Later that evening we wandered out for dinner nearby at the Frizz restaurant for some excellent Khymer food, and then had an hours stroll by the Independence Monument and surrounding parks. This was a gentle introduction to the hectic capital, where even crossing the road is one big adventure!
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