Phnom Penh (Part 1): Cats, Hats and Wats

 




The journey from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh was surprisingly straightforward; especially considering it included a border crossing, which was over as soon as it had begun. Such a relief after all the visa stress we had in China! We even had our own little packed lunch – that’s what you get for going VIP! 

As soon as we stepped off the bus in Phnom Penh, the heat blasted us at the same time as the tuk-tuk drivers descended. Realising that we’d been dropped a reasonable walk away from the hostel, we escaped the scrum and marched purposefully to the Velkommen Backpackers Hostel, right next to the river. Even though we had to change rooms to get a room with a power supply, and the room we ended up with had a blocked drain so the bathroom was out of action, it was still a great place with a good bar, affordable beer and a great vibe about it. I’m not really sure why it felt so homely, because it was hardly a luxe place to relax either… I guess the excellent wi-fi went a long way! Also, I guess after weeks of travelling in atmosphere-free hostels and hotels where you couldn’t socialise easily with other travellers, we finally found ourselves staying somewhere with a good social feel to it. However, on arrival and after a quick wander around to gauge where the nearest shop was and stock up on some basics, it was time to embark on a day of work. So, despite some banging tunes covering everything from the Foo Fighters and AC/DC to DJ Shadow and Basement Jaxx, we dutifully plugged in our headphones, set iTunes to gentle and got on with it. The great thing was that, even with the loud music, there was such good wi-fi that we could Skype from outside with minimal noise too! Rewards were had late in the day, as we got started early enough to justify a rare early finish and enjoy some welcome beers (Angkor, yum!) and a great mango curry. Excellent!

We decided to spend our first full day in Phnom Penh doing a walking tour of the city, trying to catch most of the major central sights before moving on to the horrors of the Khmer Rouge.

The first stop, after a stroll along the river, was Wat Phnom. According to legend, the temple was built after a wealthy widow, Lady Penh, found a tree in the Mekong river, in which she found hidden four statues of the Buddha. To protect this great find, she built a small shrine on top of a hill. Over time, the shrine has been rebuilt repeatedly (not least as a result of bomb damage). 

The current temple consists of a pagoda at the top of a small hill, and has grounds with several benches and gardens which seem to be a popular place for local visitors to relax, as well as tourists. 

It is also a very significant site for local Buddhists, and many visitors are there to pay tribute to Lady Penh for initiating the construction of the Wat, as well as to pray for good luck.

 

The pagoda itself is one of the more interesting we’ve seen, with gorgeous paintings on the walls, and something about it seems to lure the cats in (or maybe the monks are fond of them) as there were cats everywhere! Although admittedly, some of them didn’t seem too healthy… 

 

We took a back route to the central market, where much fun was had trying to find a hat to suit me as it was so hot out – I eventually decided if the heat required a hat, I’d go large and selected a fuchsia pink one! 

We had a further root around for some very boring bits and bobs but left an empty-handed, but be-hatted duo. We stopped for a very unsatisfying noodle soup – full of meatless bones, with no flavour, urgh – before slipping off our intended path to see Wat Savaran. 

Wat Savaran

Wat Savaran

We were really glad we followed the instincts that led us there, as it was clearly a well-loved, if under-visited, temple, with two very friendly monks who were happy to chat to us for ages about the temple and their lives, plus the community work they do through the temple. 

It is a challenge attracting visitors as several of the neighbouring buildings remain neglected after sustaining damage during the war, and there are showier temples in town – but the contemplative atmosphere, inevitably a result of the lack of people, made this an authentic highlight. 

With our remaining daylight hours, we headed out to the Independence Monument and then back past the Royal Palace. Following the recent death of King Sihanouk, visits to the Palace are restricted as a mark of respect and to allow for a suitable mourning period, so we circumnavigated the building and appreciated in part the great love the Cambodian people must have had for their king. 

It feels similar in some way to the level of reverence the Thai people have for their king, despite the complicated history of his reign (and in fact he had abdicated the throne before his death, though remained well-loved). There were hundreds of people filling the square at the river side of the Palace, paying tribute to him. Deciding this was a moment we shouldn’t linger for, we passed quietly through and made our way back to the riverfront. 

There are several restaurants, bars and cafés along the road by the river, and that second night we found a great pizza place, Taboo, to satisfy our hunger pangs for something more familiar. It didn’t hurt that they were also one of the many restaurants with an Angkor beer ‘Happy Hour’ on too! We had a great pizza and some delicious garlic bread as the sun set, and felt very relaxed after an active day. It was a nice lazy way to spend an evening, with the most activity coming from the geckos clambering over the restaurant signs and ceiling. We did however witness the alarming sight of a regular visitor to the bar, who seemed to know everyone there really well, jump on his motorbike after several beers, looking decidedly worse for wear… only for his friend to hop on the back of his bike, without a helmet! Off they wobbled, to mingled hilarity and horror from the patrons left behind… only in Asia would this seem quite normal!

Cats, hats and Wats – the perfect start to our time in Cambodia, and a great introduction to a beautiful city that would remain a favourite long after we’d left. But Phnom Penh is full of the horrors of history too, and the next day we’d be journeying into the past with a visit to the Killing Fields of Cheung Ek, and the Tuol Sleng Museum.

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