Our Asian Adventure: Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Part 2 - a chaotic ballet that works just fine
- debbiemanderson1
- Mar 27
- 11 min read
My most enjoyable travel experiences seem to be to countries which have recently (in the past 20 years or so) come out of strife such as war or civil unrest. The people appear to have a humbleness and kindness that maybe come from knowing that life is fragile. I’m adding Cambodia to that list.
The capital city, Phnom Penh, sits in the south central part of Cambodia on the banks of the Mekong, Tonle Sap, and Bassac rivers. The population is about 2.5 million.
On your initial arrival to Phnom Penh, you might think it’s chaos (or a ‘cluster’, if you prefer that language) but it all works. There are over 6 million registered motorcycles in Cambodia, 2 million of them running around the streets of Phnom Penh. (No one seems to know just how many are converted to tuktuks, the ‘cabin’ attached to the back of the motorbike, but one estimate is about 100,000 tuktuks in use across Cambodia). So, the motorcycles (usually about 125cc, informed my husband) ridden by young, by old, by females, by males, by students in school uniforms, and by vendors transporting any sort of goods and the tuktuks transporting travellers or locals swerve in and out amongst cars and trucks and buses with astonishing grace and fluidity. Traffic lanes appear non-existent by our standards and stop signs seem to be merely a suggestion (but the few traffic lights do appear to be followed). By our North American standards, the traffic patterns made little sense, but the key appeared to be to keep going and not stop - just go with the flow and aim for the opening, and it all runs smoothly with no loud honking, angry words, or finger gestures (people are kind here). It’s like a mesmerizing chaotic ballet.
In the picture above, you can see the cars with motorcycles lined up in front, all like a NASCAR start - with a tuktuk crossing in front. It’s so lovely, but driving here is not for the faint of heart.
Here’s just normal traffic . . .
My travelling companion chose a great hotel close to central Phnom Penh, the eight month old Chaiya Palace. Again, our travelling dollars go a long way in Cambodia. The hotel was modern and beautiful with a rooftop restaurant, bar, and infinity swimming pool looking over the city. Staff were kind and accommodating, always greeting us at the door with cold towels, cold water, cold passion fruit drink, and mini bananas. Those cold towels are a lifesaver here, and if you have never tasted the sweetness of mini-bananas. . .
The view from the top of our hotel was particularly beautiful.
The chaotic ballet of the traffic might be a symbol for the rest of the city where a little old food stall is set up in front of a highrise hotel or a rickety little shop butts up to a fancy building. Just like the traffic, it all works.
Our hotel backed onto the Wat Botum Park where the main feature is the Friendship Monument. This monument is a little contentious for some (it has been bombed and burned but always restored) given Cambodia’s history as it was built in 1979 to commemorate the former bond of Cambodia and Vietnam. The statue features Cambodian and Vietnamese soldiers, along with a woman and baby representing citizens.
Wat Botum Park with the Wat Botum temple in the background from the top of our hotel:
The park surrounding the statue is a joy and certainly built for friendship. This is where we watched adolescent girls race around the pavement on rollerblades, fellows playing kickball, friends walking, couples playing badminton, and families eating and talking and laughing into the evening. The area is surrounded by food stalls at night.
Here’s some night action in Wat Botum Park including the statue of Hang Meas, the sacred golden bird symbolizing divine connection:
Wat Botum Park is obviously named after Wat Botum, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Phnom Penh dating to the first half of the 15th century. Wat Botum means ‘temple of the lotus blossoms’. The temple contains important relics relating to Buddha. We viewed the temple from the street where a board explained the temple, his birth, enlightenment, and death.
Just across from our hotel in central Phnom Penh was the long Independence Square park centred by the Statue of King Father Norodom Sihanouk. He was in public life for some 60 years during difficult times and several regimes. He held many different roles including king, prime minister, and head of state. He was possibly the most instrumental of public figures in Cambodia. He is worth reading about as, despite his successes and fame, his politics and affiliations appear to have been rather complicated. For instance, although he was key in Cambodia’s independence, he backed the Khmer Rouge briefly at one point. He was certainly a resilient public figure. He also loved the arts and became a film producer, actor, and song writer. An interesting man, indeed.
The 37 metre tall Independence Monument sits in a traffic circle just off the park and is beautiful from all angles, especially at night. It was built in1958 to commemorate Cambodia’s independence from France in 1953. It is shaped like a lotus-shaped ‘stupa’ or structure similar to those seen in the temples of Angkor, especially the temple Banteay Srei (if you’d like, check out my blog posts on Siem Reap in which I talk about the amazing temples and local life of Siem Reap - I was smitten). The monument design is said to combine the religious and secular.
During our three days in Phnom Penh, we had arranged two tours, but a third came about spontaneously, and it was a very good decision. I can guarantee that no matter how long you are in Phnon Penh, you will find yourself in one of those tuktuks sooner or later - probably sooner. Although they are a legitimate mode of transportation, they are also a tourist feature and a valid means of income. Step outside your hotel, and you will be approached by a tuktuk driver with pretty much the same sales pitch as all the others. They tell you that they know you have booked a tour that will take you to the killing fields, the genocide museum, central market, and the royal palace (all correct) and that they will show you some sights that are off the beaten path. We agreed to join ‘Tom’ for a one and a half hour tour for $25 for four of us. It’s a great way to see different parts of the city with a bit of air flowing through your hair.
‘Tuktuk Tom’ as I came to call him with our guys:
Tom stopped at the Independence Square (see above) before taking us along the riverside. It’s always an active place with people strolling and selling.
But Tom’s main little tour took us across the Chroy Chanqvar Bridge and down the other side of the Tonle Sap where many tourists don’t venture. Here, we stopped to see fishing boats but also to see a poor, informal, houseboat community at the confluence of the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers. We were told by different tour guides that Cambodia has a ways to go in terms of poverty and human rights; and a quick on line search will tell that although major gains have been made in the past 10 years, poverty remains a problem, especially in rural areas. There are apparently almost 200 ‘pockets’ of households in Phnom Penh which live in poverty and lack basic sanitation and resources. It’s worth researching. Tom reminded us to be respectful in our picture-taking of this little settlement.
The contrast that is Phnom Penh - house/fishing boats with sky scrapers in the background and the informal houseboat community at the confluence of the Tonle Sap and Mekong:
Our next stop was Wat Sampov Treileak, a Buddhist temple shaped like a boat between the Mekong and Tonle Sap Rivers. Here, a small and sweet old lady invited us in for a look and tied a red rope around our wrists for “lucky”.
With the heat and humidity, it was time for a passion fruit popsicle break. So good.
For our final stop, ‘Tuktuk Tom’ dropped us off at the Golden Temple or Wat Kean Khkeang, a lavish, opulent and rather ostentatious working Buddhist temple covered in gold . . . paint. It’s quite a sight with lots of good photo points, and it’s quiet as it is off the beaten tourist track. Inside, the main hall has a lavish alter and the walls and ceilings are covered in colourful murals and Buddha images. There are several smaller alters outside the east door and a (of course, golden) staircase heading towards the Mekong River past monks’ dormitories. There are several shrines hidden away on the riverbank.
The front entrance and hall:
Smaller temples on the east side:
The east gate which is arguably more photogenic than the main entrance:
The east side of the temple along the Mekong River is a good area for exploring. There are several smaller religious structures. We did not spend much time there, however.
As I said, a tuktuk tour is such a good way to see some lesser known sights and to feel a bit of breeze (albeit hot) flowing through your hair, not to mention experiencing that crazy traffic - up close and personal.
We had two organized tours arranged for our time in Phnom Penh, one a full day with ‘Tokk’ and the other with ‘Jackson’, both from Viator. Personal tours through companies such as Viator or Get Your Guide are a wonderful, insightful, and stress-free way to see a foreign city.
Tokk gave us a full day of Phnom Penh and, yes, the tuktuk drivers were right, he showed us the main sights. Two of the must-experience places in Phnom Penh are the Killing Fields and Genocide Museum. Because of the seriousness and emotion attached to these historic sights, I have talked about them in a dedicated blog, ‘Our Asian Adventure: Phnom Penh, Part 1 - the parks might be full and happy, but it was not always so’.
Our first big stop with Tokk was the Royal Palace, only blocks from our hotel. The Royal Palace dates to the 1860’s but was reconstructed between 1912 and 1932 and is home to the royal family. The king is just a ceremonial figurehead, though. Cambodia has a president and appears, for the most part, to be a one-party system. The palace complex is a grouping of buildings set on manicured grounds. The public is free to roam the complex with the exception of the king’s personal residence which takes up at least half the grounds.
There are several main buildings in the complex. The colours of the buildings represent Buddhism (yellow) and Hinduism (white)
A sneak peek at the king’s residence through the pillars:
The Victory Gate facing the Throne Hall used by royalty and VIP’s:
The Silver Pagoda, or Temple of the Emerald Crystal Buddha, is where the royal family comes to pray for health and prosperity. It is noteworthy for over 5,000 silver tiles on the floor weighing over1,000 kilograms. As well, it houses a standing Buddha statue made of 90 kilograms of gold and over 9,500 diamonds. There are over 1,500 artifacts on display in the temple.
The Silver Pagoda is surrounded by walls that contain murals - the Ramayana Mural depicting an ancient Indian battle. The mural is getting weather-beaten but is undergoing repair. It contains some 178 scenes that cover over half a kilometre.
One emotional shrine on the palace grounds is the Shrine of Princess Kantha Boptha who died at the age of four from leukemia (some say dengue fever). Given his intense grief, the king built a children’s’ hospital which was later destroyed by the Khmer Rouge. The king then asked a well-known paediatrician from Switzerland to rebuild the hospital, and the doctor also started a foundation for the hospital to help poor Cambodian children for free. There are now five children’s hospitals in Cambodia providing services for free. (Keep this story in mind for my next blogpost . . . )
Do you remember from my previous blogs how important the elephant is to Cambodian culture? They were used for transportation, for warfare, for hauling, for work, and for ceremony. They are a symbol of power and strength. There is a small pavilion on the palace grounds containing memorials to elephants with ‘saddles’ (technically,‘howdahs’) of all types and grandeur, a shrine, and a life-size statue.
You could spend hours or even return visits to the Royal Palace grounds. There is so much to see and learn. But there is also a lot to see in Phnom Penh, so we had to move on.
It was at this point that Tokk took us to the killing fields and genocide museum which, as I said, deserve a blogpost to themselves due to the seriousness and emotion atttached. On our way back, we stopped at Wat Phnom, a Buddhist temple and the highest temple in Phnom Penh, sitting 47 metres high on a hill outside of downtown. It has quite a legend attached dating to 1372 that you might want to research about a wealthy old lady, Penh, who built a small wooden temple on an artificial hill to house four Buddha statues. (You might have wondered how Phnom Penh got it’s name? ‘Phnom Penh’ means ‘Penh’s hill’, so Old Lady Penh was important, indeed.) As with many of the other temples we visited, it did not lack character or colour. The temple has been showcased on the Travel Channel as one of the ‘must sees’ of the world and also on The Amazing Race 15. The entrance is also guarded by 7-headed snakes.
There was money (lots of money) being offered all over the temple as a reverence or to ask for prayers to be fulfilled. The domes on the right are literally made of money.
And here’s a statue of Lady Penh. You can see money offerings tucked on her body. There was also ladies’ makeup being offered in a dish nearby.
Apparently, Lady Penh’s clothes are changed each day to coordinate with the day of the week. (It’s an old Khmer tradition in which each colour means something special, and clothing should match accordingly for the day: Sunday is red for bravery, Monday is yellow for equality, Tuesday is purple for honesty, Wednesday is light green for justice, Thursday is dark green for hope, Friday is blue for forgiveness, and Saturday is dark purple or brown for sadness.) Here’s a picture of traditional colours that were on display at the Royal Palace complex. What day of the week were you born, and what day did we visit Lady Penh?
Attached to the temple is the Preah Chao shrine, dedicated to a goddess to whom the people ask for good luck. There were many elaborate offerings. I have to remind myself thot what we might think is strange is true faith and belief for others.
The grounds around Wat Phnom are lovely.This floral clock was gifted by China in 2000.
We did love watching the toucans sitting in the trees outside Wat Phnom.
Our final stop with Tokk was to the popular Central Market or Psar Thmei or ‘new market’ which dates to 1937 and is a spider shape with a dome in the middle. Tokk said we had 45 minutes; he was surprised to see us back at the van after 15 minutes - Central Market was just not our ‘thing’. You can buy anything you want there, stall after stall filled with clothing, jewellery of questionable value, ornaments, souvenirs. The flowers were beautiful, though. Spoiler alert - I’ll talk about a favourite ‘locals’ market in my next blog post.
Well, that was a busy two days in Phnom Penh, between parks and tuktuks and temples and sobering history. But I’ve kept one of my favourite travelling days to last - an authentic foodie and street art tour in Phnom Penh with the delightful Jackson of Viator tours. He’s really got his act together from difficult beginnings.
Please check back in a few days for my final blog about the chaotic dance that works just fine in Phnom Penh when we visit a ‘locals’ market and a neighbourhood saved by art.
As always, thanks for reading. Enjoy this photo drop of the ‘ Phnom Penh’ dance:
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