Phnom Penh

Our route in Cambodia

Leaving Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in Vietnam, we were now heading to Cambodia.

The Kingdom of Cambodia or Kampuchea, is a country of around 15 million people, wedged between Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.

After many wars, including with its neighbours, the French, the Khmer Rouge, and then the Americans in the Vietnam war, Cambodia has finally reached a state of stability. 

However, the outcome of so many wars is poverty, and most of its workforce is still employed in subsistence farming.

Our first stop in Cambodia was to be Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city. 

We will then travel north, taking in Battambang, Siem Reap and the famous Angkor Wat.

HCMC to Phnom Penh is 285 km by road. We were going on a Giant Ibis bus and could anticipate a 6 to 7 hour journey.

The Bavet border post into Cambodia

After a few stops, we finally arrived at the Moc Bai-Bavet (Vietnam-Cambodia) border post.

Everyone left the bus, then surrendered passports to the bus crew, who arranged exit stamps from Vietnam.

Then, back on the bus, we reached no-man’s-land between the two borders. 

Then we were off the bus again to grab some lunch while the bus crew took our passports and pre-purchased visas, to Cambodian immigration.

Clambering back on the bus again, we went to the Cambodian immigration checkpoint where we picked up our luggage and passports. Then finally we were back on the bus to carry on with our journey. 

We were now in Cambodia.

The bus trip was very interesting, as we travelled through Cambodian rural villages.

Cambodian remork (tuk tuk)

The forms of transport were very interesting too. The tuk tuks here are called remorks. It seems they are used to carry absolutely everything, from passengers to goods.

We also had a chuckle at the number of people you can carry on a motorcycle here. 

It’s not unusual to see a family of four on one scooter!

Traditional meal at Le Safran

A few hours later, the bus dropped us by the Phnom Penh night market, near the river. 

From there, we grabbed a remork to our accommodation, the Le Safran La Suite.

Le Safran was lovely, with a swimming pool and restaurant. 

We ate at the hotel restaurant that night and enjoyed a traditional Cambodian meal.

The Supreme Court, Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is the largest city in Cambodia (pop 2m) and located at the junction of the Tonlé Sap, Mekong, and Bassac rivers.

The next morning we headed out for a sightsee.

We covered quite a lot of ground, given the heat. 

Our first stop was the impressive Supreme Court.

The National Museum, Phnom Penh

We also stopped at the Royal Palace, which is the royal residence of the king of Cambodia.

Then we visited the National Museum. 

Not only was it interesting architecturally, but also inside, showing historic Angkorian and Khmer relics.

Phnom Penh city street

As expected, there were many wats. Our favourite was Wat Phnom, with its beautiful gardens.

There is an impressive Buddhist-style memorial to independence from the French, right in the centre of town.

Nearby, is another memorial, this time marking the friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia.

The city shows a mix of French style buildings, hard up against classic colonial yellow buildings, against traditional shop-houses and temples.

Night-time lights in Phnom Penh

There is even a huge and impressive market built in art deco style.

The Sisowath Quay part of the city has quite modern riverside dining, while most backstreets offer an eclectic mix of local food and inexpensive cafes.

The weather was so sunny, and hot and sticky in the mid-40s, that it soon drove us back indoors to our hotel air-conditioning.

Marg with friend Lynsay at the Press Club

The next day, we went out in the late afternoon and evening.

We caught a remork for a drive around to take in the night-time views. It was great, as we had a wee breeze (although a hot one).

By nightfall, the city was beautiful. Everything was lit-up and it was like a fairy town.

We noticed that everyone else was out at night as well, obviously to beat the hot sun during the daytime.

Us at the Press Club, Phnom Penh

While in Phnom Penh, we caught up with one of Marg’s teacher friends, Lynsay, who had been teaching there for a few years.

We met at the Press Club. In 1990, Cambodia was at war under the communist regime.

Reporters at that time experienced great difficulty getting in and out of the country, trying to tell the world about Pol Pot and his oppressive tactics.

However, once the Paris Peace Agreement was signed in 1991, journalists were able to move in and out of Cambodia more freely, triggering the start of the Foreign Correspondents Club (the Press Club), as a place to meet and swap stories.

The Press Club is now in an old Colonial mansion right on Sisowath Quay, where the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers converge.

It was lovely to see Lynsay, who had some great stories to tell us about her time in Cambodia.

The next morning, we headed out again. But, this time on a mini-bus, to Battambang, in the north of Cambodia.