Travel To Phnom Penh The Historical Capital Of Cambodia And Experience the Water Festival

Phnom Penh, one of the first city which despite being a capital made us feel like we belonged there. We had an amazing experience just munching at the riverside cafes, taking a stroll around many lanes and finally sitting by the river Tonle Sap talking about life, relationships, philosophy while admiring the river.  Interesting fact about Tonle Sap river is that it changes course twice a year. The beautiful breeze just calming our souls made us realize though we were in a foreign land, we felt at home doing what we love the most "Traveling." The friendly locals with their smiling faces made us feel not just welcome in their country but we felt like we belonged there.

We started our sight seeing by visiting the most famous and important Pagoda in the city- Wat Ounalom. This sprawling Pagoda is in the heart of river front and is a star attraction of Phnom Penh. It is one of the oldest Buddhist foundations in Phnom Penh. Established in 1443, it is here where the Chief monk of Cambodia resides. It consists of 44 structures and it used to house more than 30,000 books which were unfortunately destroyed under the Khmer Rogue regime. The Wat has now been renovated and it is believed that in one of the stupas housed here lies the eyebrow hair of Lord Buddha. We took a walk around the Pagoda and were received by an old monk who opened the doors of the Pagoda and performed a small ritual for us and blessed us and was happy receiving a small donation. Though we knew the ritual was more to get some money, we were happy to oblige considering the ripe age of the old monk. 

Cambodia's National Museum took us back to the glorious 12 century. The museum structure in itself is extremely impressive and photogenic. Different galleries are beautifully laid out and the lovely central green lawn is an ideal place to sit and be lost in thoughts. The relics and artifacts are extremely well preserved and exhibited in the best possible way. 80% of the relics are associated with Hinduism centered around Lord Shiva and Vishnu and various incarnations of Vishnu. There are quite a few impressive and cute Ganesha statues as well. Park at-least 1 to 2 hours for this attraction and do remember that they close by 5 pm while most of the gallery lights are turned off by 4:40 pm. Entry per person is USD 10 and if you want an audio guide it would cost an additional USD 5. There is an in house cafe serving refreshments and there is a traditional dance show organized every day from 7 to 8 pm. Tickets are priced at USD 15 to 25.

Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda is a perfect half a day tour into Cambodian Royal life. The massive Palace complex has 25 attractions that were pretty well laid out and mapped. We did not find the need to hire a guide. The Palace is the King's residence and Royal ceremonies take place here till date. Set aside a few hours for this beautiful monument that reminded us of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Among the many attractions within the Palace compound the show stopper is "Wat Preah Keo Morokat" aka The Silver Pagoda. It gets its name from the silver tiled floor. This is where the King meets with the Monks, royal ceremonies are performed and at the center of this grand hall sits the stunning, priceless emerald Buddha. There are many other exquisite antique Buddha relics showcased here. We spent considerable amount of time in this Pagoda where right below the emerald Buddha stands the staggering Buddha statue that is made out of 90 kilogram gold and if that not enough it is embedded with 2086 diamonds! Right behind the Buddha statue is a palanquin made of 23 kilogram gold. Photography is prohibited inside the pagoda. 

Within the palace compound are the magnanimous stupas of King, Queen and Princess and Phnom Mondop- an artificial hill symbolizing mount Kailasha. The murals and wall paintings within the complex are spectacular.

The Preah Tineang Chanchhaya (Chanchhaya Pavilion), this grand hall is out of bound for tourists and we could only catch a glimpses from outside. The beautiful pavilion serves as a venue for Royal dancers and the King addresses the country from here and the hall is used to host State and Royal banquets. The beautifully painted domes and the massive golden chandeliers add to the striking beauty. Photography is prohibited here and in Silver Pagoda. The Palace complex is open from 8 to 11 am and 2 to 5 pm everyday, admission is USD 10 per person including camera fee.

After a tiring Palace visit we headed to Fresco Cafe at river side and enjoyed a piping hot pot of Grey Earl tea and pain au chocolate. It was an amazing quaint cafe and easy on the pocket too.

We spent our first evening strolling around the Tonle Sap river banks and enjoying the city like locals do. To get the local feel or the vibe of the city, the best place to head to would be their local and night markets. The local market offers a glimpse into the local life beyond the tourist radar. People could either love this or hate this and we loved the local market experience. While the local market shuts shop by sunset, the night market starts setting their stalls and is the perfect place to enjoy their local cuisine. It was here, we had the unique experience of tasting durian flavor ice cream and looks like we still have not warmed up to the taste. But as always the coconut and blueberry flavor was lip smacking and was served in the coconut shell.

We were in Phnom Penh just in time for the Khmer water festival held in November which denotes the end of monsoon season. One startling fact that we got to know was that the Tonle Sap river flows in the opposite direction post this festival. Along with the locals we were also gearing up to celebrate the much awaited water festival of 2017. The entire city was getting geared up for the mega festival that was being celebrated again after the tragic event which claimed the lives of close to 350 people in 2010. People from all parts of Cambodia had congregated on the banks of tonle sap river. The water festival is such a big mega cultural event that the picture in their 10000 Reil currency is of the water festival with the Royal Palace in the backdrop.

It was an event of a massive scale and out and out a local festival. Beautiful boats that were lit up were sailing on the Tonle sap river. We were quite excited to witness the festival. The first day of the 3 day festival was an extravaganza to say the least. We witnessed exciting and thrilling traditional boat races and cultural shows. Post sunset the sky was lit up by magical firework show and as we were enjoying the lit up sky, several boats sailed on the tonle sap river beautifully lit up with the Royal Insignia and various emblems of the Cambodian government. It was an awesome water parade of Khmer culture, traditions and glory. We were extremely lucky to witness such a gala event.

Apart from the boat races and offering to the water Gods locals celebrate by feasting and having fun on the streets. It is more like a mela with tons and tons of authentic food stalls, indigenous games. Cambodian are dressed in their very best singing and dancing and having a gala time. There are many bands from across Cambodia that perform live during the festival. So if you are planning your Cambodia trip around November save the dates. Word is it gets extremely crowded and people from all parts of Cambodia descend on Phnom Penh and with this comes anti social elements and petty crimes. Be mindful of your personal safety and belongings. Just basic common sense should keep you away from any trouble.

Our first impression of Phnom Penh was on the way from airport to hotel there were banks, banks and more banks. In a short 11 kilometer drive we saw way more luxury cars. The streets were filled with Porsche, Rolls Royce, Range Rovers, Land Cruisers, BMW's, Audi et all. Maserati and Bentley were parked on the streets right next to one of the many pubs. Cambodia is gifted with amazing fresh tender coconuts for just a dollar. During our trip we spent more on coconut than on alcohol. It is massive, extremely sweet and of-course very good for health.

During our last day in Phnom Penh we had plenty of time to spend and we had the best of time and learnt a very valuable lesson that "you don't have to spend money to be happy or occupied." The climate was perfect for a leisure long walk to Wat Phnom- an ancient Buddhist pagoda sitting pretty in the center of a massive park. After a customary visit to the pagoda we walked down to the park. We were sitting under the shade of one of the many hundreds of massive trees. To entertain us and give us a glimpse of Cambodian culture there was a massive group of youngsters playing traditional games. It was an amazing experience which kept us occupied for hours. Though not part of the playing group we were super involved and cheering spectators. Later we were invited by the kind group to join them and we gladly obliged. 

After this it was time for the senior Cambodian citizens to show us a very exciting game of Khmer shuttle cock kicking- a springy badminton like feather ball. It is more like badminton and the aim is not to drop the shuttle but instead of a racket any body-part can be used, usually the legs. There is so much class, style and acrobatics involved. These things along with the leisure walk around the park and unending conversations kept us occupied for several hours together without spending a penny and fulfilling very basic requirement of hydration.

While in Phnom Penh if you crave for Indian food "Phnom Penh India" on Sisowath Quay Road (River Side) is the best option. They did not over do the flavors and their tomato soup, veg kofta and garlic naan were lip smacking. They serve generous quantity and the salad is super fresh. A lavish dinner for a couple costed USD 12. The service is top notch.

We checked into Hotel Golden Noura Villa Pub in Duan Penh, in Phnom Penh. This budget property is right by the river side, at a walkable distance to several cafes, roof top restaurants, bars and a happening night life. We reached in the afternoon and a quite little room was neat and ready to host us. The room is located with all modern amenities and is a steal deal at the discounted price MMT gave us. The Palace and the museum is at a walkable distance. USD's are widely accepted and preferred. There is no need to convert USD to local currency.

The hotel is centrally located. The Palace, Museum, River Front, night market, plenty of eat outs and bars are all at walkable distance. The hotel seems safe we left our passports, DSLR and cash in our room which was left untouched. The room and the sheets were pretty clean and spacious. The breakfast at the hotel was decent but slightly over priced.

During our multiple halts in Phnom Penh 19 happy house backpacker hostel was not one of the best hostels around. We opted for the standard double room and the rooms are quite small. But the very friendly and helpful management totally made up for it. The hostel is very close to local market, riverside and the palace is at walkable distance. The hostel offers Wi-Fi, pool table, massive movie collection and laundry. We had initially booked the standard room with fan but it can get a little stuffy so we upgraded to an air con room for 4 extra USD. They also help in organizing tours. The night market is also pretty close by. Though the rooms in the hostel are small they were extremely clean and tidy. The only downside to the room is you cannot hang your clothes or towel in the room as there are no hooks. This hostel is right in the next lane of Cambodia's very own Soi Cowboy.

Even here the tuk tuk guys played the age old scam saying that the "palace is closed" and offered to take us else where. They were trying to make a living but not in an honest way. 9 out of 10 times the palace would be open, do not fall for the con. 

Plenty of guys in the streets of Phnom Penh offer marijuana and other drugs. Be wise do not do drugs! Especially in an alien country where genuine help might be a distant dream. Also, you don't know what stuff they are trying to sell under the guise of marijuana. It could either be a simple con or a serious crime! Reiterating Do Not Do Drugs!

Stay safe in Phnom Penh there are lot of reports of bike borne hooligans who snatch any valuable from a tourist (especially en-route the airport.) Be very careful and cautious of your surroundings. Be sure to split you cash and have your valuables safe while on the streets of Phnom Penh. There are anti social elements in all countries and cities, they do not represent the country! Be mindful and simple safety techniques will ensure you have a good time in any part of the World.

As we arrived in Phnom Penh we encountered one of the simplest and least time consuming formalities. We had already applied for Cambodian E-Visa that Indian citizens are eligible for. This single entry e-visa is valid for 90 days from day of approval and one could stay for a maximum of 28 days. At the immigration station all we had to do was fill out an arrival and departure card and after basic questioning our passports were stamped.

As we walked out we were approached by many a tuk tuk and taxi drivers, we politely declined them and walked towards the pre-paid taxi union kiosk. Based on location and distance of drop, flat rates are set. This is one of the safest and scam free ways to leave the airport. We were charged USD 12 for the cab ride and tuk tuk's are a few dollars less expensive.