National Museum
Cost me 3USD a ticket and an additional 1USD if you like to take photos within the garden. Here, you’d find more detailed carving of several statues. I reckon some of the chopped of heads of those statues around Angkor are relocated there. Kinda boring after a while but I do like the architecture of the Museum – grand and huge somewhat like a portion of a palace.
Royal Palace
It took me about 20mins to walk from the Museum. You have walk around to the front of the Palace and boy it was huge! Just take note that the Palace closes at 5pm and some of the interior exhibits closes at 430pm – impatient staff wanting to go home. A ticket will cost 25,000 riel (about 6USD) depending on their fluctuating exchange rates. The Silver Pagoda is connected as you walk through the Palace.
Chinese & Cambodian Friendship Monument
Brisk-walked for 30mins to the park and sat there to read a book. Once a while I’d pop my head up and look at the little children coming up and giving me this odd look. “Who is this person reading in the park?” Seems that I was the only one – families were gathered chit-chatting, working-out (similar to the Singapore Morning Workout), running, and couples looking at each other dreamily as if their eyes would melt into each other (sweet). Some walking their dogs and some just jogging. Random stuff happening in the park and makes me miss the Zocolas in Mexico!
Walking around the streets of Phnom Penh and next to the river
To be honest, it was a little uncomfortable walking around the streets in the late evening (yup, I know its unsafe for a girl to be doing that) I was hungry and I couldn’t find a suitable place to have dinner so I walked and walked and I guess I passed 6 blocks and before I knew it, it was already dark! I was kinda lost but I didn’t want to bring out my map and so I re-traced my step back to the river. It was a great walk and it allowed me to see the locals selling food and just hanging around in the streets.
Choeung Ek Memorial (Killing Fields)
It takes about 30mins to get from my hotel to the fields. Entrance fees are 2USD and if you need a guide, the fees are based on tips. This is the place where they killed and buried several thousands of Cambodians. Throughout the fields, you will be able to find pits emptied of soil and those are the graves of mass burial. There is even a labeled tree where they beat captured prisoners and beat them against the tree. I always believed that trees are like silent living things – they have this spirit in them. Hence, this tree must be weeping, whenever hideous acts were carried out. A stupa housing numerous skulls (I counted! 12 levels!) and worned clothes is built in memory of these victims will welcome you once you entered the site. I didn’t spend too much time there for there were not much grave sites to see and given that I read all of the narration on the boards - perhaps one would take at most an easy 45mins to cover the grounds.
Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (aka S-21)
This is a HAVE TO GO if you want to learn about Cambodian’s recent history – Khmer Regime. Entrance is 3 USD. This museum used to be a high school for kids! I can’t believe it. (For Qtssians: These grounds seemed like the one we were using as a temporary school in Commonweath back in 1997). Containing 4 blocks 3 stories each. Personally, I liked the top level of Block C and I spent a lot of time there reading the stuff – extremely moving. I could literally feel shivers down my spine whenever I read the horrid acts of Pol Pot’s followers and how these innocent Cambodians perished. I wondered who put those weird thoughts in his head!
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