Phnom Penh Cambodia Travel

I thought my recent trip to Cambodia was going to be something of a coup amongst my globe-trotting clique. How wrong I was!

Ever since the final pockets of Khmer Rouge activity were dissolved in the mid '90s, tourists began returning to Cambodia. Lured primarily by the romantic grandeur of Angkor Wat, it seems everyone wants a piece of Cambodia these days. Tourist numbers are climbing exponentially as jaded holidaymakers shun the well-worn traps in favour of Cambodia's relatively uncharted territory.

Established adventure tourism operators like Peregrine, Classic
Oriental and Travel Indochina all offer extensive Cambodian itineraries, reinforcing the country's stabilising political climate and bringing welcome foreign currency to the needy nation.

There was a genuine feeling of adventure as my fellow Peregrinners and I shuffled off the Saigon airport shuttle and filed aboard the twin-engined turboprop that was about to airlift us to Phom Penh's Pochentong Airport.

The gleaming new international terminal, albeit modest, was a welcome indication of Cambodia's recovering economy. Customs and immigration formalities were completed without delay and even those daring souls who arrived without visas were processed promptly and, for once, I arrived at the luggage carrousel before my bags.

After the chaotic Saigon traffic, Phnom Penh was a doddle, although it was clear the newly motorised citizens aspire to the same mobile anarchy of their near neighbour. Road rules were being introduced, I was assured. Cars in Cambodia and Vietnam are, thanks to their recent French colonial heritage, left-hand-drive. Motorcycles are ambidextrous.

Parisian architecture bordered by wide boulevards and narrow back alleys further betray the French influence that dates back to the 1860s. As the tribulation of the 1970s is related, I find it hard to imagine Phnom Penh as a virtual ghost town during that time, and what's even more amazing, is that so much seems to have survived, particularly the 14th century Wat Phnom and Silver Pagoda.

Our stay in Phnom Penh was brief but poignant. Our ebullient guide, Sothy, was orphaned during the nightmarish reign of the Khmer Rouge and our tour of the notorious "killing fields" was a sombre affair. A highlight nonetheless, it's not one to be celebrated as we walked amongst the shreds of discarded clothing, stray teeth and the occasion half-buried bone. That and the macabre S21 prison museum downtown left little to the imagination.

After a contrastingly festive meal at the pleasant Riverside restaurant, Team Tiger was formed at the nearby Foreign Correspondents' Club in recognition of what was quickly becoming the official beverage of the tour. In fairness, the local Angkor Draft wasn't a bad drop either, but 'draftees' didn't have the same ring to it.

Our hotel, the Regent Park, would be unremarkable anywhere else, but its inability to raise a comment can be taken as a compliment. Right next door is an Internet café complete with web phone for those who forgot their global roaming GSM handset.

Part 2: Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. Go!

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