Phnom Penh : An Intro to Cambodia
It has been a while after my last update. There’s a lot of things going on actually, apart from being too busy juggling between work and home; another time saw me occupied with studies (I’m sitting for a professional course this year) and not to mention a 4-day trip to Cambodia which we did in March. Well, there were actually times when I was quite free, just too lazy to write anything. Since we’ll be on our next trip soon, I think I should better put my updates before my rusty RAM overwriten with something else.
Our flight to Phnom Penh was scheduled in the wee hours of Friday the 9th. We have to wake up at 3.00am to be able to reach the airport in time. But that night I had trouble sleeping – something that is common to me prior to every early morning flight. After hours of gazeless stare at the ceiling, I managed to fall asleep but only to be rudely awaken by DH panic voice. Damn, we overslept and the clock already showed 15 minutes past 4. We must be sleeping like a log and missheard the alarm. I rushed for shower and get ready – the fastest I’d done in less than 15 minutes. We then hastily bid our sleepy kids goodbye and sped off to the airport.
We reached LCCT just in time for the check-in and immigration, and shortly afterwards being called to the gate. It’s a three hours journey from KL to Phnom Penh International Airport, and we filled the time catching up with the lost sleeps. The plane safely landed at 8.05am local time, and soon we found ourselves idling at the airport front gate. Tuk tuks started calling to us, and finally we chose one as the guy looks decent and less persuasive than the others.
In front of Phnom Penh International Airport. I sometime confused whether this is DH blog or mine coz he made more appearance than me 
It was a smooth ride (although a bit slow) from the airport to our pre-booked guest house at Sisowath Quay, and these were our inaugural introductions to the land of the Khmer:
Our first tuk tuk ride in Cambodia. Unlike the three-wheel tuk-tuk in Thailand, tuk-tuk in Cambodia is basically a 4-seat carrier attached to the rear of a motorbike.
Another type of public transport in Phnom Penh. Anything can be used as long that it can carry as many people, and presto! Now you have a minibus
Like Vietnam, motorbikes rule the street; a cheap and convenient transport to carry the whole family members.
Ideal transport for family outing and shopping. Ample space for 5 to 6 people plus a box and some groceries.
Cambodia was once dominated by French in the past, so seeing their legacy is common here.
A guy staring back at me when I tried to snap his photo in the street of Phnom Penh.
So, what would you do if you only have 24hrs in Phnom Penh? These were what we did: visit the Khmer Rouge concentration camps and enjoy what the city has to offer – in fast track mode!
That, I think I’ll cover in the next part of this story. Stay tuned!
I was in the Land of Smiles as well last May! Travelled all the way from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. Can’t wait for your next entry! How do u find the killing fields and the Tuol Sleg Museum? Sedih kan?
Hi Zara, thanks for visiting. Gosh, when I said stay tuned for the stories, never thought it would be this long.. sorry ya. Hehe… I’m such a lazy writer and not so fluent with words… taking time to write a simple story. The concentration camps are really eye openers, and experiencing it yours truly is totally different from reading on the net. Although I always wanted to return to Cambodia someday, frankly I hope I wouldn’t have to repeat those sad memories again.
just landed here from the earlier post. hahaha…but seriously i always heard people said that u don’t have to spend too many time in Phnom Penh bcoz 1 day is enuff. is it true? i mean apart from the genocide museum & etc etc…what else does PP offer to tourist?
As usual we don’t have the comfort of staying at one place for too long (I’m quite attach with my kids actually, and work does not permit us to take long leaves). I always envy people that can do that
But PP to me is nothing much except the concentration camps, unless you are into shopping. If you have more time to spend in PP, maybe you would want to consider visiting the silk island and Takeo (a lot of Pre-Angkorian ruins there).