Phnom Penh Cambodia - Day 2

The following morning we were up bright and early. Right after breakfast we rode a tuktuk to yet another temple. Wat Phnom (“Temple of the Mountains", "Mountain Pagoda”) is a Buddhist temple built upon an artificial hill. Even at that early hour, the place was buzzing with activity. People were trekking to the top to make offerings; there were vendors, some were selling birds that one could then set free to obtain good luck for the day. On the grounds below, people were gathered around an elephant, watching as visitors fed it bunches of bananas and even gave it several “Coke” bottles to drink.

Wat Phnom

Our bus back to Ho Chi Minh was leaving at 1130 am so after Wat Phnom we went back to the hotel to check out and proceeded to the Central Market. Once again we became fascinated with the variety of merchandise available. After a few more purchases, we walked through the food and fresh produce section on the way to the bus terminal. We were hoping to catch a quick lunch at the market.

Among other things the selection of fruits was delightful. There was this one fruit that was totally new to me so we went to take a closer look. The lady vendor offered me a taste; it was very good and I decided to buy some. The place was quite cramped and crowded. I was engrossed with making my purchase when a lady vendor from the adjacent stall called my attention and pointed to my shoulder bag. This bag had lots of zippered pockets and the pocket that was facing away from me was open and the strap of my camera was dangling out! Through sign and body language, the lady conveyed to me that she had scared away the pickpocket who had attempted to steal from my bag! Luckily nothing was taken. Whew! Thanks to the vigilant lady!

What fruit is this?

We quickly walked away from the crowded market and went to eat lunch at a quieter restaurant before boarding the bus (this time it was a VIP double-decker bus). Once again we went through Cambodia and Vietnam immigration at the border. We were back in Ho Chi Minh a little past 5pm. 

Note: A few days after posting this, my daughter texted me from Bangkok to inform me that she had just tasted a popsicle with this mystery fruit flavor. The fruit is called salak (snake fruit); it originated from Indonesia but is now grown in Thailand and Malaysia.

Phnom Penh Cambodia - Day 1

Our bus to Phnom Penh was to depart from Ho Chi Minh at 645 am so we requested the hotel for an early breakfast. Then we walked to Pham Ngu Lao where the bus terminal was. We were early birds; we were the first ones to board the bus. Other passengers then started coming; we were traveling with a group of students who had attended a football camp in Ho Chi Minh. They were returning to Phnom Penh with their coach. 

The bus ride took about 5½ hours; at one point the bus boarded a ferry to cross a river. We also stopped for a short break at a roadside cafeteria.  Then we were at the Vietnam-Cambodia border.  The bus company took care of immigration and visa processing so it was really very convenient. First we had to go through the Vietnamese immigration, then we walked to the next building where we got our Cambodian visas. I noticed the many new casinos and hotels (some still being built) after we crossed the Cambodian border.

Cambodian border

Newly-built casinos

We arrived at the Phnom Penh bus terminal shortly after noon. The terminal was situated near the Central Market. When we saw the marketplace, the variety of merchandise attracted us like magnets.  We ended up buying lots of souvenirs even before we had checked in at the hotel. Loaded with our overnight bags and the newly bought items, we hailed a tuktuk and headed for the Silver River Hotel.

Central Market

After unloading our stuff and freshening up a bit, we were ready to hit the streets again. Based on the maps we had downloaded from Google, the places we wanted to see were within walking distance. Wat (temple) Ounalom was right down the street from the hotel so that’s where we started. 

Wat Ounalom

Our “places to see” list also included the National Museum, the Royal Palace, the National Assembly, Wat Botum, the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship monument and the Independence monument. During our walk there were tuktuk drivers offering to take us on a city tour; we declined all offers. There was this one guy who was very, very persistent; he followed us around on his tuktuk for several blocks but eventually quit. I guess the maps we downloaded were not that updated; many street names did not match. We had lots of misses (no, we really did not get lost) but we continued walking anyway and got to see other interesting buildings and landmarks that were not on our list.

The persistent tuktuk driver

National Museum

Plaza in front of the Royal Palace

Royal Palace

National Assembly

Wat Botum

Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Monument

Independence Monument

Other places of interest

We stopped at Vego Salad Bar for a snack and to rehydrate (it was very hot and sunny). We were actually looking for a vegetarian restaurant that was on our itinerary but found this place instead; we were not disappointed. After the meal, we were once again ready to go. This time we hailed a tuktuk to take us to the Russian market which was quite a distance away. Apparently it was already closing time so most of the shops had ended their business for the day; there were only a few street stalls that were still open.

Back at the hotel we indulged in a Khmer massage. Aaaahhhh, we deserved it after the day’s travel and all that walking.