Travel Stories : Phnom Penh (Day 1 of 3)

Write up by Count Extra.

From watching Youtube and the Internet binge-watching to buying a couple of air flight tickets was all it takes for us to end up in Phnom Penh for a 3 days 2 nights escape from Kuala Lumpur.

Sir Cheapskate and I boarded the earliest Air Asia flight on a Friday to kick start our adventure and the journey took us about 2 hours to reach the Phnom Penh International Airport. The nap taken during the flight was much needed considering how sleep deprived we were the previous night. FYI, Cambodia is 1 hour behind from Malaysia time. The flight was a smooth one despite the oversight made by the cabin crews for giving out Custom Declaration forms instead of the Landing forms to its passengers. Maybe we (and even the Caucasian tourists) did look like the locals.

It took us quite a while to make our way out of the airport but we managed to haul a tuk-tuk to get to our accommodation. The best mode of transportation to get around Cambodia is by tuk-tuk. It’s one of the breezy ways (and cheap!) to travel apart from walking. Our fare was only $7.00. Oh yes, the secondary currency for Cambodia is in US Dollar.

Worry not as it is relatively safe to be on this vehicle and the local drivers know their ways around the roads (and even narrow streets). You are in good wheels.

The Hostel

We managed to get an early check-in for our accommodation at Feliz Hostel Café & Bar; located 11km from the international airport. The hostel’s staff are all friendly and very accommodating towards their tenants. Apart from its 24 hours reception, it also has its own bar space for those who enjoy their alcohol (and virgins as well). It has a clever use of steel as part of its interior architecture and long staircase that leads to the rooftop which is open for the tenants to enjoy their dinner and just chill there during late night.

We opt for the 8-bed Mixed dormitory. Each bed has its own power outlet and night light which is very convenient considering the dorm is dimly lit. Storage locker is located right under the bed.

Find out more about the hostel and bar here.

Pit Stop 1: Bloom Cafe

Once we dropped our bags, our first stop was to get something to eat as we were feeling a bit peckish. We manage to navigate our hungry bodies into Bloom Café. This café specializes in cupcakes and we sure did enjoy eating them. Some are even too pretty to be consumed but we had to anyway because we were super hangry and needed the calories to push through the afternoon. These are the Drag Queens of Cupcakes. Look at its fascinating piece of an icing!

Attraction 1: National Museum of Cambodia

As mentioned previously, getting around by walking in Phnom Penh is certainly do-able. You get to see up close and personal of the local scenes and also snap a lot of stock photos for your Instagram. Don’t deny as we all do prioritize this as much as getting that relaxation period during our travels. But yes we worked our glutes off walking about 2 km from our last pit stop to the National Museum of Cambodia.

First impression; it’s big and old looking building. It's RED!

I can’t comment much architectural wise. You may refer to Sir Cheapskate as he is from an Architecture background whilst I from the Banking industry. But I must say that the structure is made of traditional design and not to mention the gorgeous gardens out in the courtyard! At this point I might have been thinking about taking a nap.

This museum houses the greatest collections of Khmer Culture material like ceramics, sculptures and artifacts from the Pre- and Post-Angkorian periods. You may find large amount of statues that once filled the various Wats in Cambodia and to put history into context, the exhibit captions are written in English and French.

Count Extra Rating: 3.5/5

Admission info

Opening hours: 8:00am to 5:00pm daily.

Individuals - Adults $10 / Teenagers $5 / Children $5

*Guided tours can be arranged for individuals or groups

* Tours are available in Khmer, English, French, Japanese and Korean.

Attraction 2: The Royal Palace of Phnom Penh

Located just south of the National Museum, we marched our ways to the Royal Palace that serves as the royal residence of the King of Cambodia.

Brief history; the Kings of Cambodia have occupied it since it was built in the 1860s. (Yes, it is THAT brief).

From what we know, the palace was built in the old town part of Cambodia and it was chosen by a Commission of Royal Ministers and Astrologers because it had great geographical significance in relation to the King back then. Interesting fact you find online…

Upon entering the palace ground, you will see a 59-meter tower boasting its mighty structure which is the Throne/ Coronation Hall. Sadly, tourists are not allowed to enter nor take any photographs of the interior as a respect to the monarch. From the way it was designed, you may see the rooftops been decoratively tiered with golden coloured tiles.

Official celebrations, coronations and audiences with foreign VIPs and government officials’ events are mostly held in the Royal Palace of Cambodia.

It took us about more than 1 hour to cover most of the palace grounds with the map given upon entrance and I even got to take my “power nap” underneath this huge tree in one of the gardens inside.

Count Extra Rating: 4/5

Admission info

Opening hours: 7:30am-11:00am / 2:00pm- 5:00pm daily.

Individuals - $10

*Guided tours can be arranged for individuals or groups

Pit Stop 2 : Early Dinner

Coming to the end of day 1, Count Extra and Sir Cheapskate were pretty much beat up after all those walking under the sun. So we decided to find a place for dinner that has local cuisines in their menu. Note that there is a number of Halal friendly restaurants for those who has diet restrictions during your traveling. We managed to find one in the city centre but I can’t seem to recall the name. That place has that one dish we’ve been dying to have since we bought our tickets.

This Khmer dish we are talking about is called Lok Lak Beef. It goes along well with plain rice, condiments or a simple vegetable dish and not to mention Cambodian Milk Coffee served cold! Took some reccommendations from Sir Cheapskate since he has been to Siem Reap prior but a first timer for Phnom Penh.

END OF DAY 1 OF 3.

- Count Extra