Phnom Penh-Cambodia
 

We are going to Siem Reap with no question, but going to Phnom Penh is it question. I get different opinions about it. I need a few more. Can anyone help?
Thanks, Chuck

What is the question about Phnom Penh?
I loved the city and I think it is a must see in order to get a true sense of Cambodia.

It is a shame that so many fly into Siem Reap and jsut fly right out. See Toul Sleng and the Genocide Memorial.

We really were not planning to go there either. We were sort of talked into it and we were so glad of that. You leave Cambodia with a MUCH better understanding and feel of the country. It is sobering, but also has much to offer. Great museum - many things from Angkor that are small, delicate, etc. that cannot be outside. The palace is also a treat. We did go to the former prison and the killing fields. While I would not call it an enjoyable experience, I am SO glad we went and would highly recommend it. People are very nice and the food is great. Unbelievably inexpensive for everything. Not very many tourists, but I think that is about to change. Another good reason to go now.

Chuck, I went to Cambodia for the first time in January and strongly agree with Wayne and Connette...you will be get a much more profound understanding of Cambodia if you go to Phnom Penh. I loved the city, and will go there again if I get a chance. I wrote a little bit about Phnom Penh in my "trip report in progress", which you can find if you click my name. I stayed at an inn called the Bougainvillier right on Sisowath Quay, which overlooks the river and is within walking distance of the National Museum, Palace, one of the grand wats, and many interesting places to dine and shop. The Tuol Sleng Museum is an urgent reminder to all of us that genocide is not a thing of the past and is indeed as timely as this morning's newspaper. On a lighter note, the Russian Market is a fabulous place to shop for silks, carvings, and more. Phnom Penh is intense; it's hot, and there are lots of poor people, including many maimed land mine survivors. It is also a very friendly city full of interesting, rewarding things to see and do.
Here is a picture of my room at Bougainvillier---I loved all of the silk decor:
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/View...amp;p=73622474

I agree with the above posters. While Siem Reap is the only place most people go, sorely to visit the temples, it does not give a real picture of Cambodia. It is overpriced , the town itself is not too interesting and everyone is tuned in to the almighty dollar. Phnom Penh is well worth a visit for a day or two. The National Museum, Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and Wat Phnom are the main tourist stops. Visit the two markets (central and russian) and the new Sorya a/c mall for shopping. To understand a little about what Cambodia has gone through in the past and why it is so poor visit both the Tuol Sleng Museum (Museum of Genocide) and the Choeung Ek (The killing Fields) outside of town. A very sobering experience. At night have a drink or a meal at the famous Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) or one of the many other good eating places. You will find that PP and SR are entirely different and too be honest some do not like PP at all.

I do not known where you are flying into Cambodia from but I presume Bangkok. What you could do is fly into PP {use Air Asia for a cheap flight (around $56), spend a couple of days and then take the a/c bus for the 5 hr trip to SR. This will give you a chance to see some of the countryside and small villages. The best bus is the Mekong Express ($9) and the road is now in pretty good shape. From SR fly to your onward destination. This can Also be done in the reverse order.

Just to add to my previous notes, Cambodia was my first trip to a "developing nation"

It was a spontaneous trip. I didn't go with a tour company. I just bought plane tickets, booked a hotle over the Internet and went. I met a guide at the airport and he took me around for those days. I hjad one day to fly to Phnom Penh and hang around. No guides, no real plan.

My first morning at the Sofitel in downtown Phnom Penh I walked outside and immediately a kid on a moped

ooops accidentally hit POST.

a kid on a moped pulls up to me. "You want ride?"

He took me to the Royal Palace and waited outside while I toured. By the way we rode without helmets weaving between trucks (!!)

I got back on and rode to a resturant. It started pouring while we rode. I don't think it was the Foreign Coorespondent's Club, but I sure felt like one as I wrung out my photojournalist vest, ate a burger, jotted in my notebook and overlooked the Tonle Sap.

It was one of the most wonderfully sublime moments in my life.

I was wondering the same about Phnom Penh. We will be arriving at 1:00 pm.. I am deciding about on or 2 nights?
Also I am reading First they Killed my Father by Loung Ung. It is a wonderful memoir about a young girls experience during the Pol Pot'ts Khmer Rouge period in Cambodia.

Ahem... If you were looking at the Tonle Sap, then you weren't in Phnom Penh. You were probably looking at the Tonle River, although there are places in Phnom Penh where you can see the Mekong as well. :-P

Sorry my question was 1 or 2 nights in Phnom Penh?

MichaelBKK,

Thanks for the tip. I was definitely in Phnom Penh. it was the Tonle River.

I was on the Tonle Sap in Siem Reap when I went to see the floating villages.

I feel like John Kerry during the campaing fondly remmbering his Christmas in Cambodia... only to be reminded he wasn't there at Christmas :-@