Phnom Pehn

This year in Korea our motto is, "Live like you're leaving" because we aren't sure how long we'll stay in Korea, where we'll go next, and what the heck we'll be doing, so we are trying to get as much done as possible.  It is a good attitude to have, even if you aren't living in a foreign country, and one that I think most people should embrace.  Because even if you aren't leaving Korea, you are leaving...one day...  whether you like to think about it or not.

Oops, I got off track.  Typical.  Anyway, in case we are leaving, we want to see as much of Asia as possible, and while we are off to a good start, we still have some places left to see while we are here.  Cambodia is one of them.

Actually, Cambodia wasn't really on the place of places to see, but it was on the map, so there you go.  Sometimes things that aren't really things just happen, and this was one of them.

When we thought of Cambodia, we thought of the Killing Fields, and the Khmer Rouge, and all of the awful stuff that happened in the eighties.  And while there is no denying that, Cambodia has a two thousand year history, rich with wonderful and amazing things.  It is a shame to think of Cambodia only in terms of its most awful self, when there is so much more than that.

So these first two pictures are a view of Phnom Penh from our hotel room.  In the second picture you can see the Tonle Sap River and the Mekong River joining.

R-Man really is becoming Korean, notice the peace sign.  The weather in Phnom Penh when we were there was perfect for us.  It was the rainy season, which meant that the sky was pretty overcast for most of the days.  It was hot, humid, but not sunny.
On our first full day we decided to forsake the tuk-tuk and walk around the city.  We came to here, the Royal Palace.  It was closed until afternoon, so we walked by, and played with the pigeons.  

A spire on the Buddhist Institute.

You have to be careful, no matter where you are... as we were walking by Wat Botum, the tuk-tuk drivers were telling us that it was closed, but they could take us somewhere else.  Come to find out, it was open, and free, and we were already here.  So... we went in.  

And there were lots of cool things to see.  The temple was established in 1482, about 40 years after the US of A.  These are some Buddhas of Vishnu, who is holding those tools. 

It was hot. 

I think those pointy roofs are so amazing. 

OK, this is the next day.  We get a tuk-tuk to take us around the city for the exorbitant rate of about 2$ per hour.  Please don't think we are ripping the driver off, normally tuk-tuk drivers make about 4$ per day, so this guy was getting a good deal.  But so were we.
The first place we go is back to the Royal Palace.  which was built in the 1860s.  It is still the residence of the king of Cambodia.  Because of that, they have a strict dress code.  You have to have your shoulders covered, and not just with a colorful scarf.  If you don't....

you have to wear The Shirt of Shame...
A $2 white tshirt that they sell at the gate,
for those with loose moral fibers that wear tank-tops to visit the home of the king...
Yup, that is me.  

One of the multi-headed snakes from Cambodian legend.

An entryway to the inner courtyard. 

This is the Wat Preah Keo Morokot
Temple of the Emerald Buddha
The Silver Pagoda.

More of the outside.  They don't let you take pictures of the inside.  And as I am a big believer in Instant Karma, I put the camera away and just looked. 

As you pass through the temples, there are these ladies working looms, and they are making the most amazing scarves and silk work.  

There are also interesting trees and statues.  

And musicians.  Of course, musicians.  

And bathrooms.  You may not believe this is true, but it is.  It is easier to find a clean bathroom in Cambodia than it is in ALL of Europe put together.  Check out this beauty with soap, toilet paper, ventilation, and all of it is FREE.  It didn't even cost one riel.  

Here are the kids, relaxing in the tuk-tuk.  We are at the next stop of the day, Wat Phnom, the temple that Phnom Penh was named for.

It was crowded with worshippers at the top, burning fake money and incense for their ancestors.  But here it was quiet.

After that we headed to the Russian Market to do some shopping, but it was so darn hot that we didn't last long.  

We passed by the Independence Monument, it was built in 1958 for Cambodia's independence from France in 1953.
Actually, many Cambodians speak french, and I got to practice my french un petit bit.  

Here we are at a little restaurant by the river.  Waiting for the sunset :)

And noticing this place... 

Home of the Inland Crime Prevention and Suppression Team.  

Our hotel at night. 

And again during the day... we had to have one day of just relaxing...

So of course this is the one day that it decides to be the rainy season... but we don't care.  We're tough like that. 

The next day we head to the airport.  Can you tell what is wrong with this picture?

We are on the wrong side of the highway.

The traffic was so bad because the Prime Minister was dedicating a bridge on the usual road,  that cars just decided to go into the oncoming traffic lanes.  There are no police or anyone directing it, the cars just decide to go.  Which may sound like  a good idea, except there are still cars coming our way.  

You can see in this picture, traffic going the other way in the shoulder of their side of the street.

The traffic was kind of like these wires.  Just totally random, but somehow, everyone got where they needed to go. 

And where we needed to go was the airport, to catch our puddle-jumper to Siem Reap... which is where we will be in the next post.....   Live Like You're Leaving!

xoxoxo