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1/27
1/27
After a morning spent figuring out Vietnam visa options, we settled on the electronic visa. The bus company suggested not using one, but it was our only option at this point and figured the great philosopher yogi berra was worth following: it either happens or it doesn’t!
We attempted to visit the national palace museum (attempt 1), but it was closed for a midday break. Many Tuktuk drivers waiting around the entrance (presumably for tourists in this exact position) offer us tours. We persevered on to the national museum, despite the wide variety of sales tactics (including the ever-popular insisting that the museum was also closed!).
An interesting layout with minimal interpretation, the open-air museum focused on the Khmer empire, but also included more modern pieces, including an exhibit of contemporary paintings. Kaia bemoaned the lack of humidity control available to such a set-up, and we were both shocked that some pigeons had clearly come to roost in the rafters (though I suppose thousand-year-old sandstone is little affected by avian excrement).
We returned to Masala Dosa for lunch (some of the menu we had been most interested in was lunch only!) and avoided the late afternoon heat in the hotel. Dinner at local spot Sok Leng Lort Cha sated us with local short noodles and Cambodian beer.
Royal palace (exterior)
National museum: the upturned decorations at the top and peaked roofs are reminiscent of Cambodian temple architecture.
Reclining Vishnu wants to hear all about it.
Photography wasn't actually allowed, but this little guy was in the first room, and once we had already broken the rules, it was easier to sneak more.
Isaac correctly identifying period of construction based on sculpture characteristics (most telling is the supports for the arms!)
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1/28
Walking to the central market, we were again engulfed in the heat of Phnom Penh. I’m not sure what combination of lack of shade, unluckily hot week, humidity, and unlisted factors contributed to this assessment, but Phnom Penh was one of the most oppressively hot places we visited. The local market offered some shade cover, but wasn’t immune to the heat. Wandering the dense market: clothes, watches, bags, pens, designer names next-to flimsy plastic tchotchkes, the commercial part of the market was familiar after our time in Bangkok. As we moved towards the consumables, the differences arose: different fruits, vegetables, and seafood presented and contained in different vessels. The meat and poultry section (remember the words of our tour guide in Khao Sok, Bum: “don’t worry if you are vegetarian, no meat, only chicken and fish), was particularly brutal. It is not often that us urban folk are in a space occupied with the sound of squawks of birds and the slam of the clever. Cuts of meat hung on hooks at eye level, and the casual conversation of coworkers sharing a cubicle wall bubbled under the commotion. At least we would know that any ingredients in the seafood noodle soup we enjoyed for lunch were fresh! A row of 40+ small tables and counters separated the “ingredients” portion of the market from the exterior, and owners hawked a variety of food, most specializing in only a few dishes.
After lunch and a Cambodian doughnut for the road, we made our way to Wat Phnom. Surrounded by a lovely park and situated atop a small hill in its center, we walked through as a very busy weekend morning kept the monks busy!
We avoided some afternoon heat with a smoothie and some coffee, and made our way down to the national palace (attempt 2). We had done some of the reading that informed the facts I relayed on the previous post, and I was quite jaded against the current government of Cambodia. Hot and rebellious, we sat by the entrance and forwent (forgoed?) the visit for a drink. The travel gods punished our choice, as if we had been delayed in our pursuit, we would've caught happy hour, and saved the admission price to the palace on the drinks! Determined to visit the following morning, we got takeout from Surn Yi vegetarian and packed up.
Central Market food stalls. Each table/counter of 4-6 seats was turned over in 15 minutes or less!
Wat Phnom Daun Penh: on the same hill it is said to have been built originally in the 1300's!
This interior room of the central market was mostly jewelry and watches.
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