Phnom Penh, Cambodia Day 1 (Saturday, November 5th, 2016)

When we travel with a tour group, we love coming to our first city a few days early, so we have time to adjust to the new time zone and get to know the city on our own before the tour starts.  

We awoke at our hotel this morning and the first thing on our mind was a shower.  We literally poured ourselves into bed last night after taking a little time to wind down from all of the travel.  I jumped into the shower first, and they seemed to have hot water, but it was really only luke warm.  So I shivered through my shower. It seemed to get slightly warmer as time went on, but maybe that was just my imagination playing tricks on me.  It never got warm enough to be comfortable.  I chose to shave with lotion after I got out rather than endure the process of shaving off all my goosebumps.  

Once we had both showered we headed downstairs for our complimentary breakfast at the hotel.  The dining room was very nice, with a lot of options to choose from.  They had traditional Cambodian cuisine as well as western breakfast items to choose from.  We took our time and enjoyed our breakfast, including some Cambodia coffee, which is a sturdy cup of coffee.

Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia, and our hotel is located right on the junction of and Tonle Sap River, just above where it meets the Mekong.  We've decided to explore our local area on foot, there is a lot to see right around our hotel without venturing too far.  

As we stepped out the door, the first thing we noticed is how busy this part of the city is.  Whether we are walking along the river, or exploring the back streets or the Kendal Market, it is bustling. 

Cambodia is less developed than Thailand was, and each family is working hard to make ends meet.  Tuk Tuk drivers are everywhere, offering rides to anywhere you want to go, and people on the streets are eager to have you look at their wares or eat in their restaurant. Everyone seems to know enough English to strike up at least a short conversation with the tourists.  English seems to be the chosen second language in most parts of the world.

Everyone has been very polite so far, and we've seen many smiling faces.  It is just a very crowded, fast paced way of life.

The first thing that hit us as we stepped out the front door was the smell that is prevalent in many southeast Asian countries.  We're not sure what it is, but it is very different than we are used to.  We think it is a mixture of the high humidity, mixed with the strong smell of Asian spices and who knows what else.  And it changes slightly from neighborhood to neighborhood, but it doesn't go away.  (We found out later it is the smell of fermenting fish paste. Smells like hell, but tastes like heaven!).

We headed over to the river walk first to give ourselves a chance to adjust to the crowded city we were in.  The river walk has a lot of open space unlike the crowded streets the other direction from our hotel.

The traffic on the street corner right outside our hotel

The Tonle Sap River.  It is the livelihood for most people in this city, especially the very poor

A temple we can see from our hotel window

Looking from the river walk across the main street

A river boat on the Tonle Sap River.  The hotel behind it is right on the point where the two rivers meet

Once we became comfortable by the river, we chose a street and headed up into town.  We were very comfortable with the people around us, they were all very nice, it was just the traffic and crowds that were a little overwhelming.  Our city is very quiet and less populated than Phnom Penh, so it takes some getting used to.

A nursery, selling beautiful plants

Motor bikes are everywhere, even parked on the sidewalks

One of the places we really wanted to see was the Kandal Market. We weren't sure what to expect, but it sounded like it is set up daily, and the vendors sell everything from food to clothes to housewares  As we were walking, we happened onto the market and decided to go in. We don't really understand how vendors get a stall in the market, but we're sure they rent their space and then cover it however they want.  The market stalls are covered with umbrellas, tarps, plastic, or whatever they can find.

In the meat market, the women sit in the middle of their stalls and cut the fresh meat with cleavers.  They will cut and weigh out exactly what you want.

The fish is also cut and weighed for each customer.  Most of it is still alive.

Each vendor sits in the middle of their stall, surrounded by their product

Chicken feet seem to be a delicacy

Bananas and fish, an interesting combination

Rice and packaged products

Motorbikes drive through the market among the pedestrians

This vegetable stall was very clean and tidy

Shoes.  So many to choose from

A fabric shop with on-sight tailors

After we made our way through the market, we headed back out onto the street.  

Just like Thailand, power lines are all above ground

The white and green sign is a pharmacy.  They are plentiful in Phnom Penh

A pedi-cab looking for a customer

One of the things we have noticed is that the city is divided into districts.  If you want sunglasses, you would head to the sunglass district and there will be multiple stores to choose from.  The same with other types of goods and services.

Laundry services are very reasonable for your everyday clothes

There are many street food vendors

Many companies offer tours with free hotel pickup and delivery

A coffin shop

Comforts from home are available, but not necessarily cheap

Whenever we would start feeling slightly lost, we would just head back to the river.  We always knew right where we were if we were on the river.  

Even if we weren't lost, we often headed to the river.  We enjoyed watching the fishing boats.  The plants floating behind the boat are water hyacinths.  There are dried and used as fertilizer on organic farms.

Many fishermen fish from the shore if they don't have a boat

People who don't own a motorbike, carry their goods on their head

A city park

A pay-to-park lot for motorbikes

A brick, mortar and tile shop

This man is loading bricks into his wagon, and shoveling sand into buckets.  It's all done by hand

An electrical worker, repairing electric lines

The lime vendor's stall smelled SO good!

They  can haul anything with a motorbike

The Kandal Market is literally down the street from our hotel

For lunch we went to a little place that Steve found on Trip Advisor called Friends Tapas.  They are a vocational training restaurant for under privileged Cambodian children.  The are well known among Americans because their water and fresh vegetables are safe to drink and eat.  That is unusual here in Cambodia.  We typically have to drink bottled water and eat only well cooked meats and vegetables. 

We sat on their beautiful patio since it was such a nice day.  Their food is delicious!  We highly recommend this restaurant!

Prawn and glass noodle Salad with fresh herbs and chili lime dressing

Rocket and pumpkin salad with Chinese Pear, blue cheese and apple cider vinaigrette

Steve in front of Friends Tapas

After lunch we took a stroll be the palace.

In a few days there is going to be a boat festival all over Cambodia.  Boats are starting to show up in Phnom Penn for it.

For some of the poorer people living by the river, it was laundry day

We tried a nearby indian restaurant for dinner, but weren't impressed.  Maybe we'll have some better recommendations tomorrow.

We had a great first day exploring the city!  Now time to get a little more sleep and continue to get our internal clocks moved forward the 14 hour difference from home in the Sates!