'Phun' in Phnom Penh!

The Silver Pagoda houses many national treasures 

Having passed its shiny gates a couple of times in our tuk tuk we decided to visit the Grand Palace. Like most temples in Asia shoulders and knees had to be covered which is rather hot when its 35C and very humid! Although the grand palace itself was closed due to the recent death of the Cambodian king, the silver pagoda was still open. There wasn't much information available but the buildings were very pretty and the grounds were fun to wander around.

Faces on top of the palace to look over the city

All we could see of the palace

Smile!

Dinner with Freya and Jimmy- best food in Asia

That evening it was time to try out some local cuisine so we headed to the night market for dinner. None of us really knew what anything was but we just went for it and tried what turned out to be pork wontons. It was our cheapest meal by far and the most yummy! At the market the stalls are all around the outside of the square with the middle covered in carpet where everyone just sits on the ground munching their food.

Tuk tuks are the cheapest form of public transport and so there are loads everywhere. Unlike the Thai ones the Cambodian tuk tuks are pretty comfortable. The drivers also take a lot of pride in them and so pimp them out! We saw Bat-mobiles and even spider-mobiles (not sure he was aware of Spiderman's method of transport). Our favourite driver, Channa, had an eagle on the front of his which was useful when trying to find him in a crowd of others all wanting to drive us.

Channa and his tuk tuk

Wat Phnom is the temple after which the city takes its name and can be found in the middle of a huge roundabout! This makes it a little tricky to get to because crossing Cambodian roads is just as scary as crossing Vietnamese roads (although Cambodian locals are more likely to help you). Being the cheap skates that we are we decided not to pay the entrance fee but just walk around the roundabout, where we came across some monkeys, much to our surprise.

Wat Phnom 

The clock actually told the right time!

Since it was time to do some Christmas shopping we headed to the Russian Market which is well known for its fake designer labels. Asian markets are like no other market we have experienced before, they are one square block with a maze inside it. All the stalls are cramped together and its easy to get lost! Stalls selling the same things are always next to one another and so it can be quite fun bargaining between them to see who drops the price the most. 

Where we bought Mum's Christmas prezzie

 Lastly, Daughters of Cambodia is a cafe/shop in Phnom Penh which is well worth a visit. It is not just any old cafe as it provides jobs for girls previously involved in the ongoing sex trade industry. The organisation gives girls an opportunity to learn new skills and make money so they can escape the industry once and for all.