Day 2: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The first day of our tour began in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. We met our guide for the day, Ramsmey (Smey) at breakfast. He'll take us to see the Royal Palace, Crematorium, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and a walk through the Russian Market.

The location of Phnom Penh was chosen for its ideal situation at the intersection of 3 rivers: the Tonle Sap, the Bassac and the Mekong rivers.

We pass by the Independence Monument in the middle of a traffic circle, commemorating Cambodia's indepence from France in 1953. It is a lotus shaped stupa. Stupas are Buddhist structures, sometimes used as burial mounds or places of meditation.

Signs commemorating the former King Norodom Sihanouk who passed away in October 2012 line the streets.

The Royal Palace

Our first stop is the Royal Palace. Sections are open to the public, but the King and his family still reside here.

The corners of the roofs are decorated by nagas (Sanskrit for serpents). They are symbolic in Buddhism and Hinduism and serve as guardians. We'll see more serpent imagery at the temples in Siem Reap. Oh yes, J.K. Rowling, it all makes sense!

Above: The french style pavilion was gifted from Napoleon III and under restoration.

Below: Detail from a mural that surrounds the pagoda compound depicting Ramayana, a Hindu epic, painted in 1903-04.

The Shorea Robusta or Shala Tree is mainly found in the southern area of Asia. It's a symbol in both Hindu and Buddhist religion and it's believed that Buddha was born beneath a Shala tree.

This elaborate crematorium site was built to honor the late King Norodom Sihanouk and costs 1.2 millions USD. The funeral took place in early February and the site will be taken down in a few months.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum was a highschool that was used as a prison and interrogation center during the Khmer Rouge regime. It's estimated that as many as 20,000 people, thought to oppose the regime, were brought through the prison, tortured and executed. It's eerie to walk through these buildings but important to know what happened here.

We don't have a chance to go see the Killing Fields, but these photos are enough.

Bou Meng is one of the last survivors of the prison camp. He's written a book about his life and experience there. When they can, he or another one of the survivors will sit at the museum to speak to people.

The Russian Market

We wander around the narrow aisles of the Russian market (named that for the Russian expats who mainly shopped here in the 1980's).

Our first real Cambodian meal. We have some crispy rice cakes with pork paste, fish amok, chicken stir-fry and coconut water. I miss these rice cakes! Light crispy cakes where you can see the actual grains of rice, waiting to be topped with spoonfuls of savoury minced pork. The little pods contain Fish Amok, a traditional Camodian dish of steamed curried fish in coconut milk. Everything is so tasty!

After lunch, we're transported to the airport to fly to our next stop, Siem Reap.

© Amy Lee 2013