Travel to Phnom Pehn, Cambodia from Singapore

Table of Contents

Cambodia

Day 1

1. How to Go to the City from the Airport?
2. Seametrey Children’s Village
3. You Khin House ✐ Airbnb Review
4. Four Ladies Kitchen ♨ Food Review (i)

Day 2

1. National Museum
2. Wat Phnom
3. Phsar Thmei
4. Sorya Shopping Mall
5. Silver Pagoda and Royal Palace
6. Street Hawkers
7. Lucky Supermarket
8. Bayon Market
9. Phsar Reatrey

Day 3

1. Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre
2. Tuol Sleng Museum / S21 Killing Fields

Day 4

1. Cambodia Post
2. Koh Dach
3. Khmer Saravan Restaurant ♨ Food Review

Day 5

Four Ladies Kitchen ♨ Food Review (ii)

CAMBODIA

♥ Phnom Penh (20 – 24 Feb 2013)

rolleyes Contradicting Feeling for Phnom Penh rolleyes

It is a contradicting answer to ask myself whether I like Phnom Penh or not after spending 5 days 4 nights in the Capital of Cambodia.

The Khmers are plagued by the memories of the recent wars and they have fears till today if the wars would ever come back again and would they ever have eternal peace from now on?

Indeed, a trip to the Killing Field and Genocide Museum explained all. Painful memories of the past where anyone would wish that history would never repeat itself again.

I enjoyed spending 5 hrs of my time in The Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is also known as S21 Killing Fields learning about the inhumane acts carried out by the Khmer Rouge and empathizing with the terror of the Khmers, which were the highlights of this Cambodia trip.

It impinged my heart with sorrows and compassion for months whenever I think about it. The photos of those tortured deceased were so grossed that I stopped taking photographs in the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum at some point so as not to bring back the memories and to be reminded.

The Khmer People hope that the Government would improve their life and economy so that it could be comparative to their neighbouring country, Vietnam, which is improving their standard of living faster than Cambodia in many aspects.

There is no public transport – no bus, no train, no taxi on the road except for Airport pick-up and drop-off. The people in Phnom Penh ride motorbikes and use Tuk Tuk as a way of transporting tourists.

If public transportation does not improve, tourism in Phnom Penh would be impeded. There are no beautiful shopping centres or stunning attractions (probably one or two) to rave about or maybe I was disturbed emotionally to judge Phnom Penh accurately.

There are not many reasons to visit the same city for a second time unless there is progress in the tourism industry to attract people of various interests as it is considered a backward city. I would want to explore Siam Reap the next time when I go to Cambodia.

I love the place where I have booked from Airbnb. It was so homely, cosy and surrounded by extremely nice Khmers that it is better than staying in a hotel. The food was absolutely the best pamper here. You would hear that more of it if you continue reading.

So is my overview above a contradiction of my feeling?

Day 1

Places of Interest: ☑ Phnom Penh International Airport ☑ Seametrey Children’s Village ☑ You Khin House ✐ Airbnb Review ☑ Four Ladies Kitchen ♨ Food Review 

1) My friend and I arrived at Phnom Penh International Airport which was a small, simple-looking but clean airport.

2) Security was enforced in the airport.

3) People could only receive their guests outside the airport which was not typical of most arrival halls which the act was done within the airport.

How to Go to the City from the Airport?

4) From the airport, we have a choice to decide between taking a Tuk-Tuk which cost US$ 7 or a taxi which cost US$ 10 per trip, both at a fixed rate. We chose Tuk-Tuk and the ride took 20 to 30 minutes time to arrive at You Khin Guesthouse which I had booked from Airbnb. It had the lowest cost but most importantly, we wanted to support and do some charity.

5) Adjoining You Khin Guesthouse was Seametrey Children’s Village, a school for the children from underprivileged Cambodia’s families and a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO).

The school is funded by donations and revenue from guests like us who book the rooms from You Khin Guesthouse. It felt really good to go on vacation and to help the less privileged children at the same time so that they have a chance to study in the school.

The school operates on the principle based on the income of the parents and how much they can afford to send their children to the school. In another word, the well-to-do family will pay more to help the less fortunate families.

A tour could also be arranged by You Khin house to visit Seametrey Children’s Village and understand more about their school environment and condition. We had the opportunity to be shown around by a friendly staff, Than Soklim.

Through the latest Facebook post, the school would be moving to a new destination. All the best to them and I hope there would be a continuous string of supporters to the Founder – Mrs Muoy You, who has pitched many years of her efforts in improving the Cambodia Education System for the less privileged children.


Spinning arrowThe BEST Place to Stay in Phnom Penh, Cambodia!!!

Spinning arrow Look NO MORE!!

Every inch of the Guest House is tastefully designed by the husband of Owner/Director Muoy You, who was an Architect. Unfortunately, he has passed on but left behind an astounding legacy to be shared and enjoyed by the world in the less developed capital of Phnom

6) We went to the counter to request a dedicated and reliable Tuk Tuk driver to drive us around for the next 4 days of our trip upon our arrival at a very low and reasonable rate.

7) Even at the entrance of You Khin House, I was already intrigued by the cleanliness, the organisation of the space and the cosy design which made me feel at home immediately.

8) The dining room area which was facing a small pool attracted me to come and support the Cambodian food daily without fail.

9) We could even find a pool bed between the dining room and the pool.

10) The lounge area in another block of the building where the guest rooms were located had a couch, plenty of books and artistic paintings. There were also some musical instruments on display. I could feel the designer’s artistic streak.

11) In order to maintain the highest comfort level for everyone, all shoes have to be removed before going up the stairs. The guest rooms were located on the 2nd floor. On the 3rd floor, we could find a snooker table and more interesting seat designs for resting.

12) The rooms were very clean, looked very new and maintained at the highest standard possible. The toilet was extremely impressive for us! The design was pretty and had pebbles on the floor. Not a stain could be found in any corner and even the photo reflected no fingerprint on the glass pane.

We were particular about the cleanliness and hygiene of the toilet, not just the room! At this juncture, we were completely bowled over by the cheap, reasonable price that we paid for but was getting 5-stars cleanliness!!! In the guests’ review of Airbnb, they had wonderful impressions of You Khin House.

13) We had a lovely pool and dining room view from our room. Though we never dipped into the pool, it was still something lovely to use inside a simple guesthouse if you do not mind about the petite size.

14) Our first Khmer dinner in the kitchen of You Khin’s House – The Four Ladies’ Kitchen. It was very delicious and painstakingly prepared as you could see from some of the food pictures. They served big portion at all times!

It cost US$ 4.50 for a big bowl of Tom Yum Soup. Their Tom Yum soup was cooked differently from the original Thai style as the ladies over here used carnation milk in which the strong milky taste could be distinguished. It tasted nice in its own style but we still prefered the original Thai way of cooking.

We also ordered rice with eggs and fries that cost USD 4.50 and a plate of vegetables. We had mango juice squeezed from real mango and it was very delicious and sweet. My friend and I found all the portions to be too generous for just 2 people and we didn’t know it since it was our first order. Subsequently, we ordered less food because of the huge portion.

We went to the small mini-bar next to it and ordered a Cambodian beer named ‘Ang Kor’ which only cost USD 1!!! I am usually not an alcohol drinker. The beer was so smooth and that I gulped down very fast. I was perhaps too thirsty after eating so much food and the beer was kind of light.

We also have a nice exchange of conversation with the lady staff cum bartender, Soklim to learn more about the culture and history of Cambodia for more than 2 hrs!!!

Day 2

Places of Interest: ☑National Museum ☑Wat Phnom ☑Phsar Thmei ☑Sorya Shopping Mall ☑Silver Pagoda  ☑Royal Palace ☑Street Hawkers ☑Lucky Supermarket ☑Bayon Market ☑Phsar Reatrey

15) Photo-taking is not allowed inside the National Museum unless you pay. I saw mostly Siddharta stone sculptures inside the museum.

16) I spotted a woman outside the National Museum who was cleaning up the poo of her baby. She walked over to me and begged for money after discovering that I had taken a photo of them. I didn’t give any money to her though I pitied her predicament. It was strange for me to see how a mother could place her baby naked on the floor.

17) Wat Phnom is a Buddhist temple built in 1373, located on the highest ground of 27 metres on a “hill” in the city. The entrance fee is US$ 1 and there was nothing much to see inside to my disappointment. We discovered later that one could avoid paying the entrance fee by going from another entrance. What a loophole.

18) Phsar Thmei is the Central Market where one could find the bazaar selling food and clothes items. There were many things to buy, new and used items.

19) Walking along the busy, crowded streets around Central Market towards Soriya Supermarket. We were told that it was the most upper-class shopping mall in Phnom Penh.

I would describe the houses and streets to be very clustered and motorbikes being the main form of transportation for the Khmers were taking up a lot of space on the street. We felt quite safe to walk on the busy street but carried our haversack on the front for precaution.

20) Inside Sorya Shopping Mall, I was banned by the security guards to stop taking photographs inside the building later. The shopping mall did not look very posh and I equated it to a similar standard of Far East Plaza in Singapore.

Nevertheless, it was the first shopping mall in Phnom Penh built in 2003 and the Cambodians were not used to escalators because it was rare. y friend and I bought 2 original Hello Kitty calculators at a good price. According to my friend, she said the Hello Kitty calculator cost more in Singapore Pasar Malam than here.

21) We had western food in a Korean BBQ Chicken restaurant inside Sorya Supermarket. A rather classy and quiet ambience which we liked very much. The restaurant served quality food and aromatic ice coffee. It cost US$ 6.50 for this plate of chicken. We sat near the window and have a panoramic view of the street.

22) Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda are erected side by side. The roads were sealed and no vehicles could enter. It was meant for tourists to walk inside the sealed area to appreciate the majestic structures. They were the most fabulous constructions in the city that should make the people proud. Smart sentry guards were seen outside the buildings. Many birds were also seen conglomerating in some areas on the road.

23) The Royal Palace was constructed over a century ago to serve as the residence of the King of Cambodia, his family and foreign dignitaries, as a venue for the performance of court ceremonies and rituals. We could sense an air of royalty with the exquisite arrangement and layout of the Palace.

24) Street food in a busy street in a typical Khmer culture. It cost approximately S$0.30 for a bowl of noodles. How dirt cheap was that! To be honest, we dared not eat street food for fear of having bad diarrhoea or worst, food poisoning because we were unsure of their hygiene level.

I had spotted a few times on different occasions where there were flies on the food and hovering on it. It was an ultra disgusting sight because the hawker could still ask us whether we want to buy. Apparently, they were quite indifferent to the flies sticking on the food. Yuck! Feeling flabbergasted and nauseous at these sights.

There was another time when the bakery stall was just situated along the road with very heavy traffic, smoke and thick pollution from the flying sand on the road. The bread on sales was displayed in the open just beside the road. My jaw dropped.

Their hygiene and awareness level were so low that what was abnormal for many people had become a norm for them and inculcated as part of their lives. Indeed an eye-opener lesson watching how other cultures’ ways of living.

25) Traffic was always heavy on the road. The tuk-tuk driver drove us to Lucky Supermarket to buy some mineral waters for ourselves before returning back to our guesthouse. The mineral water provided in the guest house was not enough. It was cheaper to buy from outside.

Lucky Supermarket is Cambodia’s biggest nationwide supermarket chain providing groceries and a variety of other goods. The first one was seen in Sorya Supermarket where a photo was taken.

26) Bayon Market is one of the tourist attractions in Phnom Penh but there was really nothing much to see inside except for only household items which was considered another disappointment to me. We did not travel this far to look at household items.

Bayon Market seem to cater for the loaded people judging by the range of products that they carried and also and the profile of people who went there.

27) Phsar Reatrey is a Night Market located on Street 1 of Preah Sisowath Quay in Wat Phnom. It is open only on the weekend evenings from Friday to Sunday. This place was recommended by our tuk-tuk driver who said that a lot of Cambodians bought things from there because the prices were low and bargainable.

I liked this place as there are performances and loud music which gave an energetic vibe. Everyone seemed happy to come because it was very crowded. The clothes were rather cheap and we bought a few pieces back after some bargaining. As usual, once the staffs know that you are not a local because we do not speak their language, the price would surely be higher.


Day 3

Places of Interest: ☑Choeung Ek Genocidal Museum ☑Tuol Sleng Museum / S21 Killing Fields

I had taken many photos in the horrifying Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre and Tuol Sleng Museum / S21 Killing Fields. I felt uneasy when I uploaded them on my Facebook like some kind of unknown darkness was still plaguing me. So, I would rather not be reminded here.

I had been to Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland but I didn’t have this sort of eerie feeling which made me feel uncomfortable. This happened when I came back from Phnom Penh.

I remember going near to the skeletons in Choeung Ek Museum and I could still smell the pungency left over by the decomposed bodies through a very small hole although they had already been disinfected decades ago.

The road condition was very bad especially on the way to Choeung Ek Genocidal Museum and Koh Dach. The roads were sandy and the air was filled with the circulating sand which I had breathed in every minute.

The sand got into my eyes and even tore my contact lens giving me pain and discomfort to the eye throughout the journey in Koh Dach. Initially, I thought it was just sand getting into my eyes. I only knew it was torn half when I went back to the guest house to remove my contact lens.

Day 4

Places of Interest: ☑Cambodia Post ☑Koh Dach ☑Khmer Saravan Restaurant ♨ Food Review

28) I went to Cambodia Post which is a post office in Phnom Penh, sending a postcard to my friend. I took the opportunity to take a few photographs inside the post office before we left for Koh Dach.

29) We were going to Koh Dach Island, located at the banks of the Mekong River. We waited for the ferry to come while seated in our tuk-tuk.

30) A typical ferry where it ferries people and also vehicles to Koh Dach Island.

31) Can you see my Tuk-Tuk on top of the slope and getting onto the ferry?

32) Our dedicated Tuk-Tuk driver was the BEST! He was always ever-ready to smile and soooo polite. He brought us anywhere we want and waited for us patiently while we went sightseeing!!

33) 2 cheery smiles under the hot sun for 30 – 45 minutes of boat ride to Koh Dach.

34) In Koh Dach, you would see making fabrics as part of the livelihood of the people on the island.

35) A nice beach in Koh Dach is highly recommended as part of the itinerary in Phnom Penh. It was a unique and picturesque seaside with attap houses made of wooden stilts which was the delight of this trip. Imagine lying in one of those cute little attap houses to relax. My impression of the sea was not very clean and transparent though.

36) Boxed toilets could be found on the beach that looked like this.

37) The walk down to the seaside was a very long and steep slope on the beach to the sea. It was very thoughtful of the Khmers to place stilts on the sand for easier walking.

38) Waiting for the ferry to bring us back to the mainland. Hawkers were seen selling food there.

39) Sumptuous Khmer dinner in the Khmer Saravan Restaurant which was recommended by our full time tuk-tuk driver. We ordered about 7 to 8 dishes which cost us approximately S$ 60+ for 3 people.

Swimming fish

The food was finger-licking good and we pampered ourselves like kings and queens in the classy ambience. The overall review from the restaurant’s customers in TripAdvisor was rather positive.

The restaurant was located along the Mekong River. The patrons in the restaurant were mostly foreigners. Looking at the relatively higher prices stated in the menu, I was quite sure it was meant for tourists and not for the Cambodians generally.

Due to this reason, the tuk-tuk driver rejected our request profusely to sit and eat together. Given no chance for his rejection arising from our tenacious compulsion to do away with the relationship of formality between the driver and guests, he relented eventually to eat together with us.

We liked him so much and wanted to give him a very good meal as a form of appreciation. The tuk-tuk driver gave us a very tip-top service, demonstrating reliability and waited for us no matter how late we arrived at the meeting place from our visit. We might not always be on time even though we have promised to meet at a certain time.

He also said that he would always remember us and asked many times when would we be coming back. We would like him to bring us around in future should we ever come back.

The daughter of the tuk-tuk driver studied in the school. As an act of gratitude, the driver volunteered his service to the school as a security guard over the weekends and earn extra cash by being a tuk-tuk driver. We pay him USD 20 for each day of service. At the end of our last day, we gave him fat tips because he was worth every cent of it!!


Day 5

Places of Interest: Four Ladies Kitchen ♨ Food Review

40) The activity for the last day before going to the airport was to have the last meal and to take photos of the fantastic women chefs behind the authentic Khmer culinary scene – Four Ladies’ Kitchen.

We ordered Fried Chicken Rice and Mushroom Soup. The mushroom soup turned out to be this way!! A very pleasant surprise for us because typically it should be creamy and thick for our expectation from the western style of cooking but it wasn’t.

It came as consistency of liquid but the taste was exactly like the Campbell mushroom creamy soup except that it was made from real mushrooms and not some artificial flavouring.

The serving of the soup was huge! I would never see such a generous portion in Singapore. The other soup we had tried was the pumpkin soup made from real pumpkin and in liquid consistency as well. I must say the cooking was very impressive for me!!

Our wonderful and pretty cook cum housekeeper from “The Four Ladies Kitchen”. Natural beauty in real person which the picture could not capture. At 22 years old, she was very innocent looking and most importantly, she smiles at ALL TIMES without fail!

In the middle of the photos were our gorgeous ladies from the kitchen who gave us a bon appétit during the trips! Thank you wonderful ladies who took care of our stomachs every day with hygienically prepared food that we did not experience any discomforts during our stay so far…!

They had also a cooking class conducted here at USD 10 per pax or USD 15 for 2 people. I am seriously considering it should I go back to You Khin the next time.

Last but not least, our friendly tuk tuk driver whom I will always remember…

SINGAPORE

♥ Singapore (Apr 2013)

I took up french courses with Alliance Française de Singapour for 1.5 years before going to Nantes, France to continue my next level from Jan to May 2014 in Université de Nantes.

These were my classmates and my french teacher, Manu. Manu had taught us for 4 terms and coincidentally, he was also my neighbour staying at my next block. We always went back together after my class and discussed many things. He was also one of the funniest and nonsensical people that I have known, always making jokes and funny actions in class.

Some of my classmates had been around with me for most of my courses there. I actually went to Nantes with one of them, studied in the same university, the same course and stayed together in the same apartment! How cool was that! A blessing and fate in life to be able to do this together in a foreign country!!!

At the end of some course terms with AF, we would organise a party and everyone would bring something to eat. I have grown to love North Indian cuisine thanks to my North Indian classmate. Whenever she was around when we organised gatherings, I would pester her to bring us only to the North Indian restaurant.

Forget about all the other Asian delicacies. The 2 places that she brought us to eat – Mirchi Esplanade and a small restaurant in Little India had heavenly food that I never knew could get me so addicted!

My favourite dish is PAPDI CHAAT from MIRCHI ESPLANADE. I ordered them 2 rows in a night because I could never have enough of it! *love*