My Visual Travel Experience: Phnom Penh

I spent 3 days in Phnom Penh in 2015. Most visitors to Cambodia tend to just go to Siem Reap to see the ancient temples of Angkor, but I decided to visit Cambodia's capital city as well. I didn't regret the decision one bit. Yes, Phnom Penh does bear the tragic scars of the Khmer Rouge regime from the 1970's when millions were killed, but the city offers a lot to visitors and I enjoyed exploring it.

Phnom Penh is a city having close to 2 million inhabitants. The city often serves as a transit point to Siem Reap, where travelers go to see the famous Angkor temples, but Phnom Penh is certainly not without its attractions. The city’s key attractions include the Royal Palace (where the king resides), the Silver Pagoda and the National Museum.

Two of the key sites – the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek - highlight the city’s harrowing past, when the Khmer Rouge was in power. The hard-line communist party was responsible for close to 1.7 million deaths during their 4 years in power from 1975 to 1979. Anyone who did not believe in their philosophies was seen as an enemy of the state, and most of these people met with a brutal end. During their reign, Phnom Penh almost became a ghost town, with many citizens forced to leave their homes to go and work in the country-side. The Khmer Rouge regime – under Pol Pot's leadership – was overthrown with help from Vietnam.

King Sihanouk, an extremely popular figure in Cambodia, was one of the longest reigning rulers in Cambodia’s history. He was overthrown in a bloodless coupe in 1970. He returned as king in 1993. In 2004, he abdicated and his son, Sihamoni, took over.

The Royal Palace was built in the mid 19th century, with assistance from the French. It is the home of the King of Cambodia, but large parts are open to visitors. The Silver Pagoda lies adjacent to the Royal Palace. The Throne Hall is the most imposing structure of the Royal Palace. The central spire has a 59 meter high tower. The building is used for coronations and important events. The Dancing Pavilion was originally used by the kings to view parades and processions. It is now used for royal celebrations and banquets. King Sihamoni’s coronation took place here in 2004. The Royal Waiting Room is where the king and queen wait for their ceremonial elephants on coronation day.

Throne Hall, Royal Palace

Dancing Pavilion, Royal Palace

Royal Waiting Room, Royal Palace

The Silver Pagoda is best known for its Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which has an emerald Buddha statue, as well as a Standing Buddha made from 90 kg of solid gold.  Besides the Emerald Buddha and the golden Standing Buddha, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha has numerous miniature Buddha statues. The Mondap has a Nandi Bull statue inside. The building is a small library that has sacred texts. There is a pavilion with an Equestrian Statue of King Norodom, who reigned from 1834 to 1904. Phnom Kailassa lies on a small hill, surrounded by trees. It has many Buddha statues lying outside it. Inside, there's a statue of the Buddha's footprint. The Royal Pavilion is an open hall used by the royal family as a reception area and by Buddhist monks. It has many Buddha statues inside. 

Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Silver Pagoda

Equestrian Statue of King Norodom, Silver Pagoda

Buddha Statues at the Royal Pavilion, Silver Pagoda

Bell Tower, Silver Pagoda

Wat Phnom was built in 1373 to house some important Buddha statues. Perched on a small hill, the temple is the highest point in the city. To get to the temple, one has to climb a Naga stairway. On one’s way up, one gets to see dogs, cats and other animals, which are fed by the temple’s monks.  

Wat Phnom

Interior, Wat Phnom

Wat Ounalom was built in 1943 and is the headquarter of the Buddhist Sangha. The Khmer Rouge killed the temple’s leader, Samdech Huot Tat, for his religious beliefs. A statue of the leader was thrown into the Tonle Sap river, but it was later retrieved and kept back in the temple. Before the Khmer Rouge atrocity, over 500 monks used to live in the temple.

Wat Ounalom

Wat Langka is a large temple located in the heart of Phnom Penh. It was founded in 1442. The temple gets its name because of the historical ties with monks from Sri Lanka. Many of the temple's monks are very respected teachers.

Wat Langka

The National Museum of Cambodia has a beautiful terracotta exterior. The museum has a large collection of Hindu and Buddhist sculptures from the 10th century AD onwards, including a 12th century sculpture of King Jayavarman VII. The museum has a large central courtyard with a sculpture garden. The centre of the courtyard has a statue of Yama, the God of Death.

National Museum of Cambodia

Ganesha Sculpture, National Museum of Cambodia

The Independence Monument was built in 1958 to commemorate the country’s independence from France in 1953. It is in the form of a lotus shaped stupa, influenced by the Khmer temple of Angkor Wat.

Independence Monument

The Vietnam Cambodia Friendship Monument was built in the late 1970's to commemorate the friendship between the two allies after Vietnam helped in overthrowing the Khmer Rouge regime.

Vietnam Cambodia Friendship Monument

The Monument to Norodom Sihanouk was inaugurated in 2013 and is dedicated to the king who guided Cambodia to independence from the French. The king was born in 1922, and died in 2012. In 2004, he abdicated, due to poor health, and his son, Norodom Sihamoni, took over.

Monument to Norodom Sihanouk

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) lies along the river-front and is a favourite with travelers. It has an elegant bar and restaurant, and offers great views of the river-front. A great place to just hang out, meet fellow travelers and just spend time in a leisurely fashion!

Foreign Correspondents' Club

Central Market is a large covered market with a vast range of products, including clothes, jewellery, souvenirs, clothes, footwear, fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and meat. It has a large central hall topped by a dome, and four covered alleys radiating from it, full of stalls. The market is popular with locals and tourists. The art deco building was built by the French in 1937.

Central Market

Dome, Central Market

Wooden Sculptures, Central Market

The Russian Market, locally known as Psar Tuol Tom Pong, is a great place for bargains. The market is called the Russian Market because of the huge number of Russians who shopped there in the 1980's. The market has tin roofs, under which there are narrow alleys, with stalls selling souvenirs, clothes, handicrafts and all sorts of goods.

Buddha Sculptures, Russian Market

Paintings, Russian Market

Tuol Seng Genoside Museum (S-21) was originally a school which was used as an interrogation and torture centre to extract confessions during the Khmer Rouge period. Most of the prisoners were sent to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek after confessions were obtained. When Phnom Penh was liberated by the Vietnamese, only 7 survivors were found in S-21, kept alive due to various skills they possessed. The museum makes for a very disturbing visit, with photographs, prison cells, prisoners’ beds, graves, and torture equipment.

Gallows, Tuol Seng Genocide Museum

Photo Exhibits, Tuol Seng Genocide Museum

The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek lie some distance outside the city. There were several such killing fields across Cambodia, but this was one of the main ones where more than 10,000 prisoners were killed by the Khmer Rouge. It has been converted into a memorial and makes for a very poignant visit. Many of the prisoners brought here came from Tuol Sleng Prison, where confessions were forcibly extracted. The Stupa at Choeung Ek was built in 1988 as a memorial to the victims. The stupa has 17 floors, and through the glass panels, one can see skulls, bones and weapons used in the killings. The Killing Tree was the tree against which babies used to be smashed to death before being thrown into pits. The Khmer Rouge’s policy was to kill all members of a family, so that there were no feelings of revenge.

Skulls, Killing Fields of Choeung Ek

Stupa, Killing Fields of Choeung Ek

Killing Tree, Killing Fields of Choeung Ek

Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre is a sanctuary for animals about 40 km outside the city. One can walk through enclosures that house deer and monkeys, but the more dangerous animals are of course behind bars. The centre was opened in 1995 and covers an area of 26 sq km. The animals there are largely animals rescued from illegal wildlife trade. 

Monkeys, Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre

Deer, Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre

Phnom Penh is designed in a grid system, so it’s quite easy to find one’s way around. The noisy but efficient tuk tuks are the best way of seeing the city. They are not expensive, and though they do expose travelers to the city's pollution, they are the city's life line.

Tuk Tuk

No doubt, I found myself disturbed after my visit, having visited the Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields, and having read up about the Khmer Rouge atrocities. However, I really enjoyed visiting the Royal Palace, the various temples and the National Museum of Cambodia. For people going to Siem Reap to see the grand Angkor Wat, I would certainly suggest that a couple of days in Phnom Penh would be well worth a small detour!