Our stay in the Cambodian capital let us recharge, cook our own food and escape the tourist zone thanks to Couchsurfing. In Phnom Penh we spent several days visiting markets and temples, wandering its streets, dodging tuk-tuk drivers and even stepping inside a classic Cambodian karaoke bar.
Phnom Penh is a city alive with energy, where the madness of motorbikes and tuk-tuks gives the city its own unmistakable personality. The traffic pulses with dynamism, risk and freedom. No rules, no regulations, no visible prohibitions — whatever it takes to move forward, to get there first.
Crossing the streets of the Cambodian capital requires a sixth sense. Forget traffic lights — they don't count, and in fact you'll rarely find them. Forget zebra crossings — you have no priority whatsoever. Launch yourself into the road and dodge the oncoming motorbikes. After a couple of days in the city you'll be weaving between bikes with ease and feeling completely at home. Free.
Buddhist monks walking through the streets of Phnom Penh
One morning in Phnom Penh we watched Buddhist monks padding barefoot through the city, dressed in orange robes and carrying baskets. People stopped as they passed, prayed and filled their bags with food and money. A couple of knocks on the right door — knock knock — and the occupant would come rushing out to oblige the monks waiting patiently on the doorstep.
By then the smells of street food had already lured us down a couple of streets, stopping at every stall and buying sweet and savoury snacks for a few euro cents. Hovering around coconut sellers, noodle stands and fry-ups; drooling for a bit before deciding on yet another extra meal.
Wandering the streets I found the Cambodian version of our churros
During visits to the temples I was ambushed by an elderly man who insisted on showing me inside one of the crypts. We knelt together in front of a Buddha and, after various bows, blessings and a couple of smiles, I continued on my way through Phnom Penh.
Under the watchful gaze of this Buddha
Any standout places in Phnom Penh?
One place that hits you like a punch to the stomach is the Genocide Museum — the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. It's a former school that was converted into a prison by the Khmer Rouge communist regime. During the harrowing years of 1975–1979 the atrocities that unfolded in Cambodia played out in this former schoolyard.
Visiting it is like stepping into a nightmare — not for the faint-hearted. Walking through the buildings that make up the complex, you see how classrooms were turned into cells: tiny 1-or-2-square-metre cages built from bricks and planks, and larger classrooms used as communal holding areas.
From outside, if it weren't for the bars, you'd still think it was a school
Once inside the classrooms, everything changes
A walk through the horror and cruelty of humanity that will leave nobody unmoved.
Have any of you been to Phnom Penh? What sticks with you from the Cambodian capital?
