photos here: Alan's Cambodia Photos 

Phnom Penh is the capitol city of Cambodia. While it's not bustling like Bangkok or Manila, it's very busy by Cambodian standards and has a uniquely Khmer charm. Phnom Penh has a strikingly visual comparison between the rich and poor -- as nice restaurants, fancy cars and destitute citizens all intermingle on the streets.

The traffic is pretty crazy and the streets are a constant, honking flow of tuk-tuks, motos, cars and busses. Also pedestrians...you can walk right through the madness if you just keep a steady pace and a straight line. Vehicles just move around you. And yeah, it does take a little getting used to.

While in Phnom Penh (we somehow managed to spend 8 days here) we enjoyed a pretty leisurely pace. We made the tourist circuits through Boeng Kak (lakeside -- backpacker area) and riverside (semi-backpacker area) settling at OKAY Guesthouse for our extended stay. In Phnom Penh the food is amazing and the sites can be chilling.

Early on in our stay, we went to the Killing Fields of Cheung Ek and prison/execution grounds of S-21. It's a sombre place - and one that seems to be overlooked by the western mindset. I hadn't really heard about it before coming to Phnom Penh. Khmer Rouge brutality still hangs over this area. The Killing Fields are a few km out of town, but S-21 is literally next door to shops, guesthouses and apartments. 

A real highlight of our trip was stopping at Na Gah orphanage to drop off rice, balls and blankets. The kids were pretty amazing. They loved to sit in Avril's lap and play soccer/volleyball outside with me. It felt good to help them out, and it was also a great time.

The Russian Market is a great place to stock up on everything from dvds to souveniers. Don't count on flip flops if your feet are size 11+...I had a terrible time finding big enough footwear in Cambodia.  

There are endless amounts of restaurants...from classier stuff along riverside, excellent amok on the lake, and noodles/waffles/spring rolls in the markets. I think we stuck around for so long because of the food and some general laziness.