National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh

National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh

Posted by roma on August 08, 2017 in Asia, Cambodia, Museums, National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, South East Asia,

The National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh is Cambodia's largest museum of cultural history and is the country's leading historical and archaeological museum.

The museum houses one of the world's largest collections of Khmer art, including sculptural, ceramics, bronzes, and ethnographic objects. Its collection includes over 14,000 items, from prehistoric times to periods before, during and after the Khmer Empire, which at its height stretched from Thailand, across present-day Cambodia, to southern Vietnam.

Area inside the compound

Lotus pool

Me and my backpack

Yup, those are Cambodian selecta umbrellas

The National Museum of Cambodia is located on Street 13 in central Phnom Penh, to the north of the Royal Palace and on the west side of Veal Preah Man square. The visitors' entrance to the compound is at the corner of Streets 13 and 178. The Royal University of Fine Arts is located on the west side of the museum. The museum is under the authority of the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. The museum buildings, inspired by Khmer temple architecture, were constructed between 1917 and 1924, the museum was officially inaugurated in 1920, and it was renovated in 1968.

Source: Wikipedia

Continue Reading

Friends the Restaurant, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Friends the Restaurant, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Posted by roma on May 09, 2017 in Cambodia, Friends the Restaurant, Phnom Penh, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, The Royal Palace, The Silver Pagoda,

I was in the Cambodian Capital for half a day. I have not finished writing about it but soon I will post more about this adventure.

In that few hours, was able to visit several places including The Royal Palace, The Silver Pagoda (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), National Museum of Cambodia, The Central Market, Wat Phnom, and finally, Friends the Restaurant.

Looks friendly enough

I took a bus from Saigon, Vietnam and basically hired a tuktuk (a auto rickshaw) when I arrived at Phnom Penh to take me around. The driver took me to all the places that we could manage to go to in five hours. My last stop was the Giant Ibis bus station for my trip to Siem Reap.

When in Cambodia, try Angkor Beer!

I was an five hours early for my 11:30 PM trip (we couldn't go elsewhere because most places close at 6PM) so I decided to turn on my internet and consult the Foursquare app for a nearby restaurant. The bus station is at the town center and very near a lot of places. There were a lot of interesting places on Foursquare's recommended restaurants but I separately checked on each and found out something that made me walk (yes, I walked) to Friends the Restaurant. It was a five to ten minute walk. See my route here.

Mango and cashew chicken. Really good!

Friends the Restaurant helps in putting former street kids in school, in homes, and into sustainable jobs. It is under the TREE Alliance, which is a group of training restaurants for the youth. So basically, I ate a meal and I felt like I actually helped someone go to or stay in school. Who wouldn't want that kind of dining experience?

Restaurant hours: 11AM to 11PM (kitchen closes at 10PM)
Address: #215 St. 13, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Contact details: +85512802072, contact@friends-restaurant.org
Website: http://tree-alliance.org/our-restaurants/friends.php

Related links:
The Royal Palace
The Silver Pagoda (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)

Continue Reading

Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Silver Pagoda, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Silver Pagoda, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Posted by roma on February 11, 2015 in Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Silver Pagoda, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Temples,

The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, also known as the Silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh, Cambodia is the official temple of the king of Cambodia.

The Silver Pagoda is located on the south side of the Royal Palace, Phnom Penh. Formerly, it was known as Wat Ubosoth Ratanaram. The temple's official name is Preah Vihear Preah Keo Morakot (Khmer: ព្រះវិហារព្រះកែវមក៌ត, "Temple of the Emerald Buddha") which is commonly shortened to Wat Preah Keo (វត្តព្រះកែវ) in Khmer.

The vihara houses many national treasures including gold and jeweled Buddha statues. Most notable is a small 17th century baccarat crystal Buddha (the "Emerald Buddha" of Cambodia) and a life-sized gold Maitreya Buddha decorated with 9584 diamonds, the largest of which weighs 25 carats. It was created in the palace workshops during 1906 and 1907, the gold Buddha weighs in at 90kg and is dressed in royal regalia commissioned by King Sisowath. During KingNorodom Sihanouk's pre-Khmer Rouge reign, the Silver Pagoda was inlaid with more than 5,000 silver tiles and some of its outer facade was remodeled with Italian marble. However only a small area of these tiles are available to be viewed by the public on entering the pagoda. Wikipedia

Here are some pictures:

The Temple

Entrance from the Royal Palace

Details around the temple compound

Phra Siratana Chedi

Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Mandatory feet photo

a garden with stone buddhas

a museum inside the compound

loom weaving inside the compound

Pictures cannot be taken inside the temple, that's why it's all worth a visit. :)

Continue Reading

The Royal Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The Royal Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Posted by roma on September 24, 2014 in Cambodia, Palaces, Phnom Penh, Silver Pagoda, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, The Royal Palace,

The Royal Palace (Khmer: ព្រះបរមរាជាវាំងនៃព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា, Preah Barum Reachea Veang Nei Preah Reacheanachak Kampuchea), in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is a complex of buildings which serves as the royal residence of the king of Cambodia. Its full name in the Khmer language is Preah Barum Reachea Veang Chaktomuk Serei Mongkol (Khmer:ព្រះបរមរាជវាំងចតុមុខសិរីមង្គល). The Kings of Cambodia have occupied it since it was built in 1860s, with a period of absence when the country came into turmoil during and after the reign of the Khmer Rouge.

The palace was constructed after King Norodom relocated the royal capital from Oudong to Phnom Penh in the mid-19th century. It was gradually built atop an old citadel called Banteay Kev. It faces towards the East and is situated at the Western bank of the cross division of the Tonle Sap River and the Mekong River called Chaktomuk (an allusion to Brahma). Wikipedia.

A cloudy day at the Royal Palace

It is not allowed to take photos of the interior of the Royal Palace, or go inside, but OH MY GOD! It really is ROYAL and almost everything inside is made of gold! I have seen a couple of Palaces and Pagodas all around Asia but this one, by far, is the most grand. Outside, it doesn't look much. But take a look inside, and your jaw will surely drop!

There's a 5 USD entrance fee to the Royal Palace complex, which included the Silver Pagoda, also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Read more about the Silver Pagoda, AKA Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

A short walk (20-30 meters) was required to get to the gate of the Royal Palace because the tuk tuks and other vehicles were not allowed inside the street fronting the gate of the Royal Palace so there's a whole block blocked off.

Upon entering, there's a map on the right to see your tour trail. A map is also given upon payment of the 5 USD entrance fee.

The first step into the gates to the Royal Palace:

Detailed architecture. WOW.

 Different pagodas and temples inside the Royal Palace Compound:

Just follow the map given to you at the ticket booth to be able to see all the structures inside the compound and to cover the grounds. Just don't hesitate to explore some more :)

Continue Reading

Scenes on the Road: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Phnom Penh City, Cambodia

Scenes on the Road: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Phnom Penh City, Cambodia

Posted by roma on September 08, 2014 in Cambodia, Cities of the World, Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh City, Scenes on the Road, The Sinh Tourist, travel, Vietnam, World Capitals,

I took a bus from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Cambodia for a very good reason that I love road travels.

Read why Road Travel is the way to go.

I left Saigon at 6:30 AM aboard a Sinh Tourist bus. Travel time from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Phnom Penh City, Cambodia is 6-7 hours. I know it's a whole lot of time, but if I did not took this bus ride, it would have costed me at least 200 USD via Skyscanner rates.

Here are snapshots of the scenes on the road from Vietnam to Cambodia. All photos were taken inside the bus while moving across the two countries :)

You know you are still in Vietnam as long as you can still read
signage written in Roman Alphabet, with different signs and pnctuations

From Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh City, a road travel would pass by several cities first including My Tho  and Can Tho both in  Southern Vietnam, and both are located at the Mekong Delta Region. 

Since I was coming from Vietnam going to another country, of course I needed to cross a border - at Moc Bai Border Gate in Tay Ninh Province in Vietnam. On the other end is the Bavet Border Gate in Svay Rieng Province in Cambodia.

Read full details (costs, bus lines, travel hours, procedure) about bus travel from Vietnam to Cambodia.

 Upon entering the border, a road lined with casinos greeted me, this is in Bavet.

Le Macau Casino and Hotel

Titan King Casino

Then a couple of kilometers of dirt road and countryside view.

Cambodian kids riding a motorcycle, without helmet!

You know you're in Cambodia because of this ornate arch

A few minutes later and we're aboard a RORO (roll on, roll off) ferry.

vendors aboard the ferry

After crossing the river, a grand entrance like this (below) is visible on the left side. It says "Grand Star Plaza" at the gate, but I cannot find further information about it. It looks like an entrance to a very posh village.

The towers are lovelier with the dark skies behind them

After passing this, we went to a few kilometers of dirt road again before finally entering another city, the Takhmao City, Kandal Province.

Easy to saw that it is a city because of the big establishments, traffic build up and modern buildings.

Then a bridge with a view like this:

The bus travel, although very long was well worth it. I loved the sceneries and it was quite a quiet ride.

The bus was just an ordinary provincial bound a/c bus, nothing special, but it was worth it. I had time to think, sleep and enjoy the view in good proportions. :)

Continue Reading

Traveling by Bus from Vietnam to Cambodia

Traveling by Bus from Vietnam to Cambodia

Posted by roma on September 08, 2014 in Bus from Vietnam to Cambodia, Cambodia, Vietnam,

Coming back to Vietnam, I have decided to travel to Cambodia, instead of staying in Saigon.

I heard that there are buses going to Cambodia from Vietnam so I thoroughly researched about it. I found that there are several bus lines that cater to this service. The following are the bus lines and their schedules and published rates:

Mekong Express:
Fare - 13 USD (Khmer), 14 USD (Foreigner)
Departure - 07:00 AM, 8:30 AM, 13:00 PM, 15:00 PM

Giant Ibis:
Fare - 19 USD
Departure - 8:30 AM

The Sinh Tourist:
Fare - 209,000 VND (10 USD)
Departure  - 6:30 AM

Kumho Samco Bus Line:
Fare - 10 USD
Departure - 6:00 AM, 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 10:30 AM, 13:00 PM, 15:00 PM

I took the Sinh Tourist bus because it was what my friend from Vietnam recommended to me.  I bought the ticket a day before to make sure I would have a seat in the bus. I actually paid 12 USD for the Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh Ticket, then they gave me a printed itinerary, much like an e-ticket.

My return ticket from Siem Reap was also already booked 

I left my hotel, Golden Rose Hotel, at 6:20 AM and arrived at the bus station, which is actually their office too, just in time. First thing to do was go inside the office to "check in" and they will give you an actual ticket in place of the e-ticket.

see the orange notes

After checking in, the driver or the bus steward would check the ticket upon boarding. Once inside, the bus steward (who did speak good English) gave out wet towels (very common in most Asian countries like Cambodia, Thailand and Bhutan), and a bottle of water.

I immediately opened my packed breakfast from my hotel, and the girl who sat beside me, together with two other friends, were talking about making it on time. They were Filipinas. So I politely offered my food to Grace, my seatmate. Then we started chatting.

This is us (from left to right) me, Grace, Claudine and Sai
at the Sinh Tourist office in Phnom Penh

The bus left at around 6:45 AM. Upon leaving, the conductor did not say anything, until around 10 minutes before we got to the border. He said we were approaching the border and he would collect our passports and we should bring all our belongings when we get off the bus to pass the border.

I read a lot of articles about crossing the Moc Bai-Bavet Border while I was planning my trip so I did not hesitate handing the bus steward my passport. The idea was that he would collect all our passports, sort it by country, depending on which ones needed Visa to cross the border, and pile it at the immigration line inside the border facilities. This way, it makes it much faster for everyone. Because loads of people cross the border everyday.

At exactly 9:00 AM, we were already at the Vietnamese Immigration office, Moc Bai border, side of Vietnam. We arrived there together with two other buses full of passengers, who also had their passports piled by their bus stewards, and a couple of individuals in motorcycles or private cars who had to do the procedure on their own.

We were at the border for more than an hour because of the number of people waiting in line to get their passport stamped, with the date of leaving Vietnam, by the immigration officer. Once the officer was done, our bus steward called out our names one by one. Listen carefully because your name might get mispronounced.

Once I got my passport back, we were asked to go back inside the bus, and then the bus moved a couple of meters ahead. We already left Vietnam.

We were asked for our passports again, this time, the bus steward did not collect them. He told us to leave our big bags and get off again for, this time, the Cambodian Immigration in Bavet border, side of Cambodia.

Our passports were stamped with the date of arrival in Cambodia by the immigration officer who asked for a dollar. I did not read anything about paying a dollar in  the Cambodian border, but I was willing to oblige, anyway it's just a dollar. But Grace, who went ahead of me, did not pay. So I told the officer I was not paying. She got frustrated and made face. I almost got tricked!

Please note that YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING AT THE MOC BAI-BAVET BORDER IN ORDER TO CROSS IT.

We, me and the other passengers with Philippine Passport were asked to go back inside the bus and wait. Our passports were given immediately. The other passengers had to do a different procedure to those who did not have a Cambodian Visa but needed one.

I did not need a Cambodian Visa because of my Philippine Passport. Other visa-exempted countries are Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.

You can actually apply for a Cambodian Visa online.

After this, we were asked to go back in the bus and the journey continued.

Right after crossing the border, different casinos lined the road of Cambodia.

Titan King Casino

At around 12:15 PM, we were already crossing the Mekong river by a RORO (Roll On, Roll Off) Ferry. The ferry ride is just 10-15 minutes.

another ferry crossing

There's actually a bridge under construction a few kilometers off the right side of the ferry. In probably a year or two, there would be a direct bus route to Phnom Penh without using the ferry.

The bridge under construction from afar, cloudy on this side.

I  think we stopped twice for restroom and snack break but I'm not quite sure because I was busy dozing off quite a few times after I have appreciated the view outside.

We crossed some countryside, a lot of dirt road, cities, and at 1:30 PM, we were already at the Sinh Tourist, Phnom Penh station. If you will be leaving for Siem Reap, there is a "connecting trip" from here that leaves at 2PM. And you have to go through the same procedure of buying a ticket and checking in before boarding the bus.

I stayed at Phnom Penh for this day.

Read about what I did at Phnom Penh in one day.

Continue Reading