Korea trip, Day 3: Phnom Penh

We spent the next day getting to know the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Lakeside Guesthouse turned out to be a longish sort of building with a patio on the back next to the lake, complete with a floating double deck boat lounge thing.

It was a gorgeous sunny day, high 70s, and most importantly, a complete change from the weather back home in Detroit.

By the way, this is why I have a beard - it's like a winter hat for your face, and I needed it for work when I got back stateside.

Kris was enjoying the weather as well, since it was just about as cold in Korea as it was at home.

After having some fresh fruit and coffee for breakfast, we met Kelli and Chris at their guesthouse, the Grandview, which was about 100 feet from Lakeside. With nicer rooms and a private bathroom with shower, we decided to check in - it was worth the bump up to $5 a night.

The view was a little less than grand, though...

You can almost see the lake. From there we took a tuk-tuk to the market and walked around, but no one bought anything as it was mostly the same stuff in every stall - jewelry, shoes, luggage, books, and/or ugly clothing. We then walked to the mall, which was an equal disappointment since it was basically all the same shit as the outdoor market, just more expensive since it was inside. Another tuk-tuk to the riverside area, which was more popular and somewhat more upscale. We got dropped off near what I guess was a riverwalk, but there were barely any people walking on it.

 They had most of the flags of the world along the river, which was pretty cool, and across the street were some of the nicer hotels and restaurants.

We then walked up the street and sat outside at a corner joint called Riverside Bistro and had some drinks.

 

I stuck with Beer Lao, which Chris confirmed was the best in Cambodia. A couple strange things I noticed here - strange to me at least - and was common to all restaurants in Cambodia, were that tips were not expected or accepted, and they didn't have napkins. In the lower right of the last picture is a tissue dispenser. That's what you were supposed to use to wipe your hands, wipe your mouth, clean up any spills or condensation, or whatever else you might use a napkin for, but they were vastly less useful then an actual napkin. A little annoying seeing as you had to use at least 5 tissues at a time for anything, but probably pretty cost effective for the establishment. Okay. Also annoying are the children that roam the sidewalks trying to sell tourists their books or sunglasses or whatever else is in the boxes hanging around their necks. Most of these children were exploited by adults to get money, and some were very persistent in trying to get us to buy their junk, but we had been told not to buy anything from any of the children. No matter what we thought or felt, they were just being used, and it was best to say no. Fortunately the Riverside Bistro had a couple security guards lounging around who would keep away the children as well as the even more persistent tuk-tuk drivers (more on that later). Anyway, we needed a bite to eat so we strolled up to Hope and Anchor, another place we could sit outside and enjoy the weather. I settled on a grilled cheese sandwich and more Beer Lao.

Note the kleenex. Sweet.

We ended up playing some darts inside and relaxing outside until it got dark and they turned on some nice green lights.

Turns out that Cambodia becomes quite beautiful at night.

When we were all set with our drinking we took a tuk-tuk back to our guesthouse

and dropped off Kelli and Chris. Kris and I returned to the patio of Lakeside Guesthouse and sat on the upper deck of the boat that was floating on the lake. Everything was amazing, from the low tables and the pillows we sat on, to the perfect clear warm weather and awesome view. Unfortunately I didn't have my good camera with me so I settled on my N95 - not so good in the dark.

Oh well, a picture's a picture. After that we went to the restaurant at Grandview and met Chris and Kelli for a couple drinks, and Kris bought a scarf off a little girl who answered all of Kris's questions correctly.

Kris and I decided on a couple final rounds before bed, so we went to another bar whose name I can't remember, but they had Skynyrd on the radio so it was all good.

After that we got some sleep before we had to get up and take a long bus ride to the coast.

A note about tuk-tuks: They are pretty much a scooter connected to a carriage that can carry 4 people, two facing forward and two backward.

They are very cheap, usually $2 to get anywhere, and comfortable for the most part. But the drivers are incredibly persistent, sometimes following you down the street begging you to take a ride even if your destination is a block away. If you have a hard time saying no, you'll be tortured by tuk-tuk drivers and scooter drivers and children selling stuff and old ladies selling stuff and shopkeepers selling stuff and everyone else who wants your money. Before I went to Cambodia, I had a hard time saying no to people. Now I don't. Seriously.