Day 3, Thursday, 21st February - Phnom Penh

Uncomfortable..... I'm still not entirely comfortable using Lucky Star Hotel as a base. I booked it online for 2 nights principally to keep within my budget but in a strange country I'd rather be nearer the tourist hotels. This morning I consider this option but as I only plan to stay here one more night it's hardly worth it so stretching my budget further. Right now I'm happy to venture into the street and pick up a filled roll and coffee.
City Tour..... My driver is waiting at 9.30 am. I head back towards the river, first to the Royal Palace. Around the Palace are wide boulevards closed to traffic offering me a chance to take photographs unhindered. The classical architecture is certainly fitting for a king looking pristine and new. Although I've built the entry fee into my budget for the day I question whether it's really necessary for me to go inside. I note that only part of the grounds is accessible and while the Palace is undoubtedly of Royal significance I'm not sure about the historic value. As I approach the building marked 'ticket office' all I can see is a dark-glassed window with a hole in it perhaps more suitable for pigeons. I glance around but am ushered forward. Yes this is the right place. I peer into the gloom inside the pigeonhole. Yes there is a figure in there but no eye contact. It remains motionless as if just imported from Madame Tussauds. I push a dollar bill through the pigeonhole and it comes straight back out again. It's like I've woken a sleeping giant. The matronly figure will only accept the correct money: Unbelievable for a site as important as this. The outcome is quite predictable. I make my way to the exit.
Before I move on there are a couple of chores I need to do. Firstly I need to stock up with dollars at an ATM but more importantly I need to book a bus ticket for tomorrow. That's arranged quite efficiently at one of the many shops along Sisowath Quay. I get change for my dollar bill too!
That job complete, I wander back towards the Palace area. Nearby, with all the splendor one would expect of a Royal building, the newly constructed King Sihanouk Memorial is a reminder of the recent passing of this great leader who meant so much to Cambodian people during such harrowing times. It is just about 2 weeks since his remains were transferred to the Royal Palace.
My driver seems eager to move on to another site bypassing an important one on my list, but I soon have him doing a U-turn. On reflection, I should have just let him drop me here. I could have made my way around on foot. This is a popular tourist area and the police are keen to enforce the no waiting restrictions in the area. Why don't they arrange buses for tourists then? But my next stop more than makes up for the last. I'm soon outside the National Museum of Cambodia. This museum is laid out chronologically in a similar way to the National Museum in Kamphaeng Phet that I visited not long ago. It starts with pre-history and runs through the various classified periods up to the modern day. Of course, artifacts from the Angkor period dominate but of more surprise to me are the objects found recently that pre-date Angkor i.e. before the 6th Century. These objects reveal the presence of an advanced culture dating back over 2,000 years. Excavation of important sites in the last few years that are still ongoing has dramatically increased the knowledge base about a civilization the nation knew practically nothing about. Thanks to a period of stability in much-troubled Cambodia, great strides have now been made with international co-operation and training. I spend an hour here, but I could easily have doubled that. It's time for lunch nearby.
There are a number of other venues I could add to my list, but these are more for shopaholics. The only other one of any historical significance is next on my list. It is a temple on a small mound in the city, known as Wat Phnom. On the face of it, it is not unlike many of the temples I visit in Thailand with a chedi and a viharn surrounded with smaller chedis. The site is small and visually unremarkable. As I wander around I wonder why it even figures on the list off attractions at all. Certainly, there is a wealth of priceless Buddha images located in the viharn, many more than you would expect at a site like this. The temple buildings themselves look austere. They don't even look old. As I exist via another gate I stop to read the sign board thankfully also written in English. This puts a completely new complexion on what I've just seen. This is truly a sacred place dating back some 700 years to the very foundation of Phnom Penh itself. This insignificant temple mound is the very heart and soul of Phnom Penh. It is proof that Cambodian culture and beliefs are not dead. It's the very thing I've been looking for. So why you might ask is it not lavishly decorated with gold and silver and all that glitters as are the temples for example in Thailand? The answer is simple. It was smashed to pieces by Pol Pot's regime.
Before I head back to Lucky Star Hotel there is one more thing I wish to do. As I look around me, I see majestic ministerial buildings, banks, top class hotels and wide boulevards the sign of wealth and prosperity. Yet hidden in side streets are shanty towns that house those not so fortunate. It's clear that new wealth is being created here but has yet to permeate down to the lower levels of society.
My final stop is not on the tourist map, well not yet anyway. Over the last couple of years I've read of a project to re-instate Cambodia's railway network. This is by way of Australian investment. An initial target date for the opening of a number of lines out of Phnom Penh was 2013. I now head for Phnom Penh railway station to establish what is happening. My driver is somewhat amused when I mention this destination and he is entitled to be. The answer is nothing. The whole complex is closed and guarded. There are some liquid container wagons which confirm what I've read that there is some traffic between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville on Cambodia's south coast. It’s seems essential that this important piece of infrastructure is in place in order for Cambodia to continue its recovery. Of course, I would also welcome the opening of the line for passenger trains from Phnom Penh all the way to the Thai border. As I leave the station it is not totally deserted. The station forecourt is used as a parking lot for tuk-tuks. While I'm a little disappointed I'm glad I came here because reading about something is not the same as actually being there.
Making plans..... I head back to Lucky Star Hotel and bid farewell to my driver and guide. He has generally offered good and patient service and I know with my support a small amount of wealth will have filtered down to base levels of society. It's still only 2 pm. I can take a break, but first I need to reinforce my plans for tomorrow. The bus to Siem Reap has already been arranged. It will pick me up from the hotel too. For my stay in Siem Reap, I have emailed ahead. I have now received a reply confirming my reservation. I have also sent through transport details and I'm pleased to know I will be collected from the bus station. How efficient is that?
Before dark, I can add one more attraction to my list. It is within walking distance from the hotel. The Olympic Stadium was built in 1966 for an event which never happened, but today it is the focal point for residents of Phnom Penh to come and exercise in whatever way they choose. Simply walking around the track, taking part in an aerobics class or playing football in the yard is free for the moment at least. Behind the stadium a large development project is under way seemingly another shopping complex. Outside the stadium I notice a signboard that advertises a Cambodian football league for 2013. Wonderful! I now spend a good hour wandering around but finally arrive back at the restaurant I used last night. It's the only one I can find that has a menu in English.
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