It was our very first time in Phnom Penh, and the city greeted us with a mix of history, heat and incredible food. From the glittering Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda to iced coffees and a sky-high lunch of Cambodian favourites, the city had us hooked from the start. Come along as we explore Phnom Penh's royal history and end the day headed towards Vietnam.
At 8am Mr NQN and I disembark the ship for our very first visit to Phnom Penh. While we spent two weeks in Siem Reap in 2016, we didn't quite make it to Phnom Penh and we are both excited to be here for the first time. Phnom Penh is located on the banks of the Tonle Sap, Mekong and Bassac rivers and was founded in 1434. 2.28 milllion Cambodians call it home.
Our first stop at this early hour with the mercury rapidly climbing is the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda located near the promenade of Tonle Sap River, Phnom Penh. The Royal Palace is the official royal residence of the King of Cambodia and is an example of Khmer architecture. The 174,870 square metre or (1,882,300 sq ft) palace grounds are divided in 2 parts - the official part used by king and the unofficial for everything else.
The grounds are beautifully kept and although the king is set to have a meeting in the coronation building or throne hall in half an hour, people are still able to take a peek inside although photos and entering are not permitted. We see the gold throne that he sits on during a coronation but there is also his everyday golden chair that he sits on at other times. This palace was built twice: first in 1435 and then in 1866 once Cambodia's capital relocated from Oudong (which we visited yesterday) to Phnom Penh.
On top of the throne hall sits the 59 metre/193 feet four headed Hindu figure of Brahma. The four faces represent important things in Brahma: compassion, sincerity, equanimity and sympathy. And look closely at the roofs - these represent scales of the naga, a revered mythical serpent that often adorns important buildings.
Our guide Theany explains that the royal family are largely figureheads and not involved in politics. The king Norodom Sihamoni is 72 years old and known as the "eternal bachelor" king as he has no children and remains unmarried. Before he ascended to the throne at the age of 51, he lived in a Paris apartment, commuted by metro and made a living as a dancer and choreographer. During the reign of the Khmer Rouge, he returned to Cambodia and lived under house arrest at the Royal Palace with his parents. In 1981 after the Khmer Rouge were toppled, he returned to Paris to resume his career.
It wasn't until 2004 when his father abdicated that he ascended to the throne to serve his people. As he has no children, once he passes, a 9 person throne council will select one of his nieces or nephews as queen or king. His mother Queen consort Norodom Monineath is 90 years old and bears a striking resemblance to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
To the left is the grey building that looks distinctly European. This is the Napoleon Pavilion, a gift from Emperor Napoleon III to the Cambodian King Norodom and is currently used as an art gallery.
We also stop at the Silver Pagoda, located on the south side of the complex where you are also not permitted to take pictures. The silver pagoda is not actually silver in colour - these are the mausoleums or stupas that surround the pagoda with a white/grey appearance.
After this we stop at the Fine Art museum that contains 50,000 artifacts. For some relief from the heat, head to the museum cafe with an indoor and outdoor section where you can get a delicious coffee tea and smoothies. We have an iced latte and a mint and lime smoothie that cools us off. We also try an egg coffee with the top froth like a thick meringue giving the strong coffee underneath a sweet thick topping.
Outside the museum there is a range of antique shops, shops and restaurants with everything from French bakeries, bagels, Korean spicy noodles and grilled pork rice. A woman carrying a cart full of longans walks past and then a man passes the other way carrying a cart of sugarcane sticks with a recording announcing sugarcane juice for sale. There's plenty of street food available.
The market sellers sell everything from incense, popcorn kernels, toys, candy fresh meat and even though it is 11 am, it all smells fresh and delicious.
For lunch we are diverging from the usual itinerary which takes the rest of the group to the Titanic restaurant. Instead we are headed to Anik Palace Hotel, a 4 star hotel that is heavily inspired by European architecture. It is located in the Boeung Keng Kang 1 (BKK1) area also called the golden area with many restaurants, cafes, boutique hotels and embassies.
We head up to the thirteenth floor which is where the Luna Sky Bar is located. It feels like you're in a version of Venice with a bridges and is also where the pool and sun lounges are located. The Anik Mojito is the perfect cocktail to cool off with in this heat.
We start with an amuse bouche, a num krok or small, crispy rice cake. These are usually a street food and this is the fanciest num Krok I've seen. Prum Vutha the Cluster Executive Chef At Anik Hotels Group tells us that the secret to getting them beautifully crispy on the outside is to use older rice from that morning or the day before. This is decorated with edible yellow flowers and purple water hyacinth.
Next up is a refreshing pomelo salad with diced cucumber, yellow capsicum, chilli, garlic and mint with a grilled prawn.
Our main is the Amok Trei, the traditional Cambodian fish dish and once of my favourite Cambodian dishes. It's fish mixed with Khmer paste steamed in banana leaves with chiffonaded noni leaves. This version is wonderful with a lovely depth of flavour and tender fish.
Last but not least is our dessert: Khmer Num Akor Ktis, made with rice flour formed into little round cakes. These are served with coconut cream with sesame seeds and these are so beautiful light and delicious as they are steamed until fluffy. We find that Cambodian food is less sweet and spicy than its neighbour Thailand.
The itinerary for after lunch is supposed to be a walk around the Central Market, French quarter and Wat Phnom but the sweltering afternoon heat has robbed us all of any energy so after a quick walk around the Central Market and French quarter, we head back to the ship for a cold drink and a rest in the cool air conditioned cabin. With three and a half hours free between now and dinner, I decide to have a massage on board.
The massage therapist Sophia comes to your cabin as massages are done on your bed as there is no spa on board. This means it is more relaxing and you don't have to get up to go anywhere afterwards. I start with a Khmer massage but I switch to an oil massage and it is very relaxing and the 50 minute massage is an excellent $28USD spent.
After that is dinner in the restaurant. Every night alternates between Cambodian and Western food. Tonight's dinner is Western food and starts with an eggplant, tomato and basil pesto salad with slices of cheese.
I very much enjoy the carrot and ginger cream soup that follows. Out of all of the food so far I've learned that the soups and salads are great.
The main reason why I went for the slow roasted pork loin is because it mentioned it came with French fries and gravy. There are around 8 crinkle cut fries although they are crunchy and tasty. Unfortunately the pork is a bit on the dry side but I have had enough with the rest of the food.
The vegetarian egg noodles are the pick of the two although I think next time I will just go for the Mekong fish and rice and forget the chips.
For dessert there is a share plate of bananas foster with a caramelised rum butter sauce. After dinner I go back to the room and shower. We are completely wiped out from the heat of today and we sleep soundly as the boat cuts through the water, towards Vietnam.
So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever explored Phnom Penh, or is it still on your travel wish list? And would you brave the heat for sightseeing or head back to the boat for a cool off?
NQN and Mr NQN were guests of CroisiEurope but all opinions remain her own.
CroisiEurope
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