Phnom Penh

One of the better preserved French relics in Southeast Asia, the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh has a lot more to offer travellers than a quick, depressing swing through Tuol Sleng and a run out to the Killing Fields.

Cambodia's history stretches far back beyond the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. As far as Phnom Penh goes, legend has it that its beginnings stretch back to the late 14th century, when an old woman named Penh found a tree with a handful of Buddha images lodged in one of its nooks. She retrieved the images and had a hill (phnom) built to house them: Penh's Hill, or Phnom Penh, was born.

Established at the crossroads of the Bassac, Tonle and Mekong Rivers, Phnom Penh remained little more than a large village and didn't become the permanent capital until the late 19th century during the reign of King Norodom I. On April 17, 1864 Norodom agreed to make Cambodia a French protectorate in an attempt to keep the bellicose Vietnamese and Siamese at bay. In the years following, the construction of Phnom Penh proper began. Interestingly, 111 years to the day after King Norodom I signed his first treaty with the French, the Khmer Rouge entered, took control and totally emptied Phnom Penh.

By the time Cambodia became a part of French Indochina in 1884, Phnom Penh had developed into a sizeable, largely French-designed city, and by the 1920s it was considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Southeast Asia, earning it the moniker Pearl of Asia.

A few decades of optimism -- some overseen by then King Norodom Sihanouk, a charismatic arts-loving playboy -- were finally interrupted by war. Historically Cambodia had been a battleground between the Thais and the Vietnamese, but through the late 1960s and early 1970s, Cambodian fought Cambodian as a brutal civil war engulfed the country. By the time the Khmer Rouge took power in 1975 and evacuated the city, Phnom Penh became a ghost town, and it was but a shadow of itself when the Khmer Rouge were finally evicted by a Vietnamese invasion in 1978-79.

People trickled back to Phnom Penh and the city slowly returned to life. However, it wasn't until the 1990s when UN-sponsored elections took place (accompanied by a slew of aid) that the city really began to develop anew. The new century has seen considerable financial investment from China and South Korea and an onslaught of new construction projects have resulted in many of Phnom Penh's French relics as well as its unique 1950s and 1960s architecture falling to the wrecking ball, only to be replaced by characterless glass and brass affairs. The result is a hodge-podge of stunning French colonial buildings and concrete egg-carton eyesores.

And as the money has flowed, so have the people. The once sleepy streets are developing into a chaotic mess of motorcycles, cars, minibuses, ox carts and remorques battling for space. Urban migration continues apace and it's not unusual to see entire families camped out on footpaths. Poverty is endemic and one not well addressed at all by the country's largely dysfunctional government, despite Prime Minister Hun Sen long being a darling of the international aid community.

Phnom Penh and Cambodian history is well documented at the National Museum, S-21 and the Killing Fields. Other attractions include the Royal Palace, temples, markets and boat tours and a bountiful supply of excellent cafes and restaurants for gourmands, bars for night owls and spas for those who need to unwind. Phnom Penh is a charming spot, so don't make the mistake of allowing just a day or two here.

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A wonderful city to learn, rest and play.
By elocin (dabbler - 1 review)
Written on 28th June, 2009 after a visit to Phnom Penh in June, 2009
I was travelling Phnom Penh in June 2009 which is considered to be the beginning of the wet season.

The days were hot but each day's scorching heat was relieved by a spectacular splattering of rain in the mid to late afternoon. It made the sunshine bearable and cooled the winds.

Prior to arriving there I was in Siem Reap and had purchased a few books on the subject of Khmer Rouge from smiling, hard working one legged men. I read them cover to cover, devestated by the extremes of human condition, joyful at the courageous outcomes but eager to learn more.

I headed to Tuol Sleng one morning and the experience was eerie, surreal and humbling. In most reviews of Tuol Sleng, you will undoubtedly be heeded with warnings such as, 'not for the faint hearted' or 'R rated' or 'arrive on an empty stomach', in addition to the above, my warning would be 'educate yourself'. Read a book. Google it. Wiki it if you must, but be wary that it not a place to be posing for happy snaps or laughing about which bucket cocktail was the last one you remember before passing out in a tuk-tuk. (Sorry, small rant because that's what I overheard when I was there).

The movie that is screened twice daily is worth watching even for five minutes if you have little to no knowledge of the horrors.

I recommend paying the extra US$6 for an English speaking guide provided by the museum. My guide was fluent in English, informative and obliging to any questions or queries.

The rest of the day, after the museum was solemn for me.

The next day to change the mood, I had organised (upon reading the review on travelfish) a guided tour at the Phnom Tamao Animal Refuge Centre with Betelnut Tours. My boyfriend and I were fortunate to have the tour to ourselves, normally they take up to six people on the tour. I cannot recommend this enough. If you don't go for the animals, go for the lunch they're going to make for you. We bought the meat from a local butcher (by that I mean, a family selling their cow in front of their house) and the food was the yummiest Khmer food we ate on the whole trip.

Our guide was a wonderful girl called Watanna (please excuse spelling), she spoke better English than some people at my Australian university and was very knowledgable about the animals. She must be so kind and visit so often, as a lot of the animals greeted her while we were on the tour.

The highlight for me was meeting the elephants and seeing them joyfully play in the water. Splashing freely and stamping about. It was such a beautiful sight.

The shopping was exhausting. All that haggling and meandering through aisle after aisle of market stalls will drain any expert shopper. I recommend learning the etiquettes of bargaining, such as, make it worth their while. Don't haggle to the last 50cents if you're only buying one thing. Choose a stall with a few things you want to purchase and then politely and happily come to a price you are both happy with. Do it all with a smile and a laugh. Don't waste their time and yours (or your boyfriend's – as he made me adequately aware).

I only managed three nights and four days in Phnom Penh this time but there is definitely more to see.

The local printed guides are great for up to date information on things to do, sights to see, especially restaurants and bars, which seem to sprout like mushrooms after each rainfall. The guides are available free and everywhere. I found it to be more useful than the Lonely Planet SE Asia on a Shoestring.

I hope you enjoy your trip to Phnom Penh as much as I did.

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Vision: Phnom Penh