Cambodia - Phnom Penh page 1 of 4 A visit to Cambodia is a challenging experience, reconciling the spectacle of Angkor, with the tragedy of the country’s recent past. The temples of Angkor are without question amongst the most spectacular and stunning creations of humankind. From the awesome spires of Angkor Wat and the enchanting faces of Angkor Thom and the Bayon, through to the extraordinary beauty and detail of the carvings at Banteay Srei, the magnificence and scale of the temples is without rival. I joined Travel Indochina's 5-day "Temples of Angkor" tour in September 2005:   Days 1 – 2 ~ Phnom Penh We began by getting to know our tour leader and local guide over evening welcome drinks and a tour briefing. The next day we discovered Cambodia’s refreshing and re-invented capital, Phnom Penh, visiting the beautiful Grand Palace and the Silver Pagoda. Later we explored the fascinating Khmer National Museum, and ended our touring at Tuol Sleng museum, a stark reminder of the horror of Pol Pot’s reign. The rest of the afternoon was free to explore this intriguing post-colonial capital. the flower of the Cannonball Tree @ the Royal Palace.   the cannonball fruits grow en masse from stalks surrounding the trunk of the large tree The Royal Palace consists of a number of structures set within a pagoda-styled compound.   Preah Tineang Tevea Vinicchay (Throne Hall) Naga - mythical serpent, often multi headed; a symbol used extensively in Angkorian architecture   Statuette at the entrance of Preah Tineang Tevea Vinicchay (Throne Hall) Phochani Pavilion (Banquet Hall)   Preah Tineang Chanchhaya (Chanchhaya Pavilion) Gardener @ the Royal Palace, Phnom Penh   Phnom Mondop Statuette - Royal Palace, Phnom Penh   Spirit House in front of Wat Preah Keo Morokat (Silver Pagoda) Stupa of HM King Ang Duong (r: 1845-1860), great-great-great Grandfather to King Sihamoni. Constructed in 1908.   Independence Monument - Built in 1958 as a memorial to Cambodia's war dead after the gaining of independence from France in 1953, the monument, built in the Angkorian style, consists of five levels decorated with 100 snake heads. Tuol Sleng, the eerily peaceful former school grounds which became a detention and torture centre under the Khmer Rouge.   Tuol Sleng Museum, known as the Museum of Genocidal Crimes, was used by the Khmer Rouge as a detention and torture centre in the late 1970s. Visitors can see the crude cells built in the classrooms and the torture devices used to extract confessions in Stalinesque purges of the regime.   Today the building houses exhibits, paintings and photographs of many of the victims. Toul Tom Pong Market (or Russian Market) is probably the city's best source of objects d'art.   With its wide tree-lined boulevards and low-rise buildings, Phnom Penh still harks back to the colonial days of this former French playground. We enjoyed a traditional lunch @ Khmer Surin - a Khmer restaurant   We enjoyed a traditional lunch @ Khmer Surin - a Khmer restaurant Phnom Penh   an elephant in the grounds of the National Museum Central Market is one of the largest and busiest markets in Phnom Penh. Built in 1937 by French architects.   Pedalled rickshaws, called cyclos, still ply the streets as in colonial days and provide an excellent opportunity for sightseeing. The heavens unleashed the monsoonal rains and Phnom Penh's streets quickly flooded.   The monsoon lasts from May to October with southwesterly winds ushering in the clouds that bring 75-80% of the annual rainfall often in spectacular intense bursts for an hour at a time with fantastic lightening displays Phnom Penh in flood   Post Office   Click to Continue

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