"Those days in PP" Phnom Penh by picek

I loved Phnom Penh on my first visit - I spent my evenings out at Sisowath Quay and watched the activites which there were plenty. It has that festive feel when people came out and spreaded their plastic immitation of bamboo mats on the grass in front of royal palace. Teenagers were holding their girls, families were pickniking and every now and then we were approached by someone selling fresh fruit or snacks or cold drinks or by beggars (so many of them in PP).

I had been talking to a few people who then took me around to see the nightlife - a very different kind of nightlife for locals there is. They mostly went out to the beer bars and karaoke or discotheques where they played live or recorded Khmer music and danced. They really do dance very nice and when I joined them I saw it's not at all easy to do moves so smooth - ah, but it was great fun. They were laughing but they didn't look mean (I wish I knew what they were speaking:).

Monivong ave

Plenty of historical books will tell you story on Phnom Penh and its past. It still feels that burden nowsadays but I want to see its future. We have to move on. People don't feel very comfortable speaking about Khmer Rouge. They lost so much then.

Do visit Tuol Sleng museum and/or Killing Fields. The Tuol Sleng speaks loud with photos and torture stuff on display and it screams of pain, but Killing fields... they speak with macabre silence.

For history of Kampuchea (or Cambodia if you preffer) it is essential to visit National Museum too. It is indeed a country where museums are rare and therefore worth attention from traveller or foreign resident.

Monivong is one of the busiest avenues in PP and it ends up in Central market. It seems that traffic here never stops - as well as business. Loads of services in ground floor; restaurants, agencies, shops, small businesses. Children play football on the top of the roofs - you won't even notice them unless you look up. There seems a little place to relax in green and clean.

Lots of cars drive past with black window, hiding faces of those confined in it. One know what it means... for 'them' and for 'them'.

A society that is trully interesting, diverse to the both extremes, of past and future, of royal or religious, of NGOs or homeless, or simple or complicated people ... lives and shares the same air of the city.
Your eyes will see many colors and feels. What a place.

typical PP street

I though that I would never see such thing in my life but here it was: I was watching troops of macaque monkeys which were plentiful in the trees and parks; I like watching them because they're funny but I somehow dislike them in the same time (they do all sorts of naughty things and seem dirty, and sometimes dangerous). However, I went often to parks and alleys to see them.

Once I observed them with a few dogs (both males and females). Two dogs were stuck with themselves when there were matting. Finally they somehow separated after long time together there by the grass and male left (probably it was very painful). And if that wasn't just enoguh for (poor) dog a female got attacked by monkey and whom he had xxx with her very fast and then ran again in the tree. A few Khmer guys and me were watching them - it was indeed the funniest thing and most controversial in the day!
Seldom somebody believes such things are possible. I unfortunately then didn't want to take photo of them two together having xxx to use it as evidence to support my story. Finally this maybe won't happen in PP only - you can see plenty of macaques in many SEA places.

Once I went to sit down by Silver pagoda to watchen another time - but this time they only came so close to steal my coke which I fosrt didn't want to give up. But monkey was terrible - he or she beat my hand and showed teeth (from my antroploghy lessons I remembered that showing teeths means they want to fight so you better don't do it).
Another group of monkey had stolen a shoe from one girl there and they took it into trees. Everyone was trying to get it back but monkeys - they were just having fun with it and didn't think of return it either. Only some hour ago they got tired of it and dropped the shoe back. I was laughing (that time) at others misfortune.

Last time in PP I went again to Silver pagoda park but I only saw very few monkeys. No fun going back there. Where were the monkeys gone anyways? Did they decide to get rid of them?

It was in late 2008.

(most notorious place is Lop Buri in Thailand, however)

• Pros:unique SEA capital, diverse atmosphere
• Cons:air conditions and traffic is not nice