A Right Royal Birthday

3rd December 2010


Today, my birthday, Aaron and I are in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, on our last stop before crossing into Vietnam. I thought it would be entertaining to celebrate in a Royal Palace, so this morning we headed across town. On the way we strolled along the river where the prom was lined with many countries flags.

After stopping for a breakfast of Khmer food (tofu and chestnuts with rice for me), I went into the palace and silver pagoda. The palace was constructed (a second time, due to the royal family moving temporarily to Oudong) in 1866-70 during the reign of king Norodom. Aaron had a change of heart and decided to wait outside. Although I was disappointed he didn't join me I don't think he missed too much of the palace, since most of it was closed to the public due to an ambassador visiting. However the silver pagoda adjoining the palace was beautiful.

Building in Royal Palace

Around the edge of the sliver pagoda grounds was a colourful, interesting mural. The paved courtyard was dotted everywhere with bright, blossoming flowers. I sat in the shade for a moment in a peaceful spot. All I could hear were birds chirping and the quiet murmur of distant tour groups.

I spiralled my way inwards, visiting the temples in the courtyard next. One had a giant gilded slab, with the footprints of four Buddha's. They were huge! One looked about 10 foot long! (No photos allowed).

In the centre of the courtyard stands the impressive temple, with a shining gold and orange roof and white walls lined with elegant pink marble pillars. Inside the pagoda was an abundance of sparkling artefacts, including a life-size gold Buddha decorated with 9584 diamonds.

At the exit to the complex was a variety of interesting exhibits, including one with the costumes of the royal dancers (all women).

Next Aaron and I went to the National Museum. On the short walk there to our astonishment we were sworn at twice! First, when a tuk-tuk driver approached us, Aaron grabbed my arm and led me away. The man then proceeded to drive down the wrong side of the road to wave and yell at us! Next a man walking along the street stopped us to ask if we were here on business or tourism. I could tell that he was not approaching us to make polite conversation and assumed he was selling something. So I abruptly replied with “No, thank you.” thinking this was polite enough. Apparently that rather offended him as he retorted “I was only asking an f*ing question!”


Inside the museum we found some more exquisite examples of Ankgor-era sculptures. We had fun testing each other on how many of the Hindu gods we could now recognise.


By now the day was hot and we headed back to take shelter in the hotel. The pavement by the road was often being dug up, cluttered with parked vehicles or vendors or completely missing. This meant we were often trekking in the road where traffic was chaos! Back at the hotel I got to skype (video call) with my parents. Hearing them sing was probably the highlight of my day and really cheered me up!

There was a parking attendant on this strip of pavement outside the pharmacy!

In the evening we hoped to go salsa dancing or to see a shadow puppet show. We checked out “Gasolina” yesterday only to discover their salsa events are not as often as our guidebook had described. I found out too late that the location of the shadow puppet theater had moved. So instead we went out for a Khmer dinner. Using some of the money my parents had sent for my birthday I treated us to a bottle of wine, which was the best wine I've had in over six months. Thanks Mum and Dad! This might not have been the best day of our trip, but when you're on holiday everyday it's like having a birthday everyday anyway! We've had loads of fun adventures and I'm sure we've got a lot more to come!


By Jean