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CAMBODIA-VIETNAM BACKPACKING TRIP 3: PHNOM PENH - SLOWER THAN TURTLE

Sunday, October 30, 2016

[Percutian Bajet ke Kemboja-Vietnam]

Assalamualaikum


WARNING: THIS IS A LONG POST AND IS HEAVY WITH PICTURES

Introduction to Amir


Ayu, Atin and I are friends & Ayu and Amir are friends. So technically, Amir was a complete stranger to me and Atin. I am an introvert so does Atin so I was afraid that this trip would be super awkward.

Our first conversation was about money. I was in charge of converting money so I carefully put everyone personal expenses in their own personal envelope. On that envelope, I carefully wrote everyone USD balances complete with calculation of exchange rate and everything. I was proud....but this guy, he took the money, without even seeing my note, without even calculating, he puts his money in his wallet and crumpled that envelope! oh my effort!!! I asked him "eh tak nak kira dulu ke?" and he's simply "nak kene kira ke?". Damn, I should have took 1 or 2 dollars! rugi rugi...On a serious note, that's when I know that this guy is plain naive and well, quite funny...at times..so thankfully it was not awkward.


"Tau tak tasik ni berapa dalam?"
"Tak tau. Berapa?"
"Paras dada itik!"

krik krik.

Best data plan for cheapskates
($5)

We budgeted our sim card purchase to be $5 per person so imagine the bling bling in our eyes when we discover Seatel! It's something like Yes that we have in Malaysia where we rent the MIFI and everyone could use it for $5 for all. I mean from $5 per person became $5 for all!!! major save. The downside of this is this is only a data plan which means no local calls and the device only lasted for around 5 to 6 hours. If you're opting for this too, I suggest you have a power bank in hand.


Slightly faster than walking
($20)

Now it's time to find a Tuktuk driver. This is not a task for the weak. Taxi drivers, Tuktuk drivers, all will surround you and quote their price...some even take your bag first! but this one guy, he gentleman-ly approached us and carefully explain everything we're instantly hooked. The only problem is price. The price he quote us was $30 for city tour which covers 5 places but we only budgeted for $20. He's willing to do it if we exclude killing field. We accepted (I mean need I say more how cheapskate we were).

P/S: If you have time and money, you should definitely go to the killing field here in Phnom Penh. Sure they have it in other district too but judging from pictures I googled online, Phnom Penh is the biggest and scariest? (is it ok to use this word?). We visited the one in Siem Reap but nothing much there.

Going back to the Tuktuk story,


First Tuktuk ride ever! We were excited!

Until we started to notice other Tuktuk swooshing right pass us, people honking, at one point I swear I saw someone walked faster than us! We kept asking him if everything's alright he just smiled and kept saying "it's okay" until.....the Tuktuk started to make weird sound it's hard to ignore! It was loud and scaryyyy! Thankfully he decided to do something about it. We stopped for a while in a motor repair shop and it was slightly better after that but we're still slower than average.

Our driver, good looking and gentleman. If it's not for his slightly malfunction Tuktuk, I would give 10/10. I have his number if you want but let's just hope his Tuktuk is fully fixed by now.

Royal Palace/Silver Pagoda
($6.5 per person)


I'm not sure whether this is even the correct fee. There's no clear pricing displayed anywhere. Hong, our Tuktuk driver (yes we're on first name basis) told us it's around $3 to $5 and when we google it's similar too but at the counter we were asked $6.5...so we're a bit confused here....and we're not the only one. I stick around that ticket booth for awhile to see whether they charge other people similar fee and yes they did but everyone is as shocked as we were. Maybe they did change the pricing...recently...#husnuzon

Regardless of that, everything about this place is pretty, from the architecture, the landscape to the sky, everything! 

need. I. say. more.






Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
($3 per person, free for student)

Okay...before I proceed let me tell you the important of researching. Again, since I was busy blablabla, I only have time to google what's in the itinerary, only. Nothing less nothing more...and this place is not in the itinerary. It's okay if I am a history person but errmm, I'm an ignorant remember?

So from bersuka ria in Royal Palace to this....I was distraught. This place is too much for emotional me. To make matters worst, I was in charge of listening to the audio guide and I need to simplify it for them...

Sharing the audio with Ayu through earphone. This is only the beginning guys beginning! and I am already looking like this

I walked in to each building, felt the wall, absorbed the smell, saw all those blood stains and pictures and illustrations, imagined the scene...........by the time I reached building B, I lost it...In the end I decided to just sit at the benches there.


How is it possible that a human being could do all those thing to another human being? That I could not comprehend. All of us were born with hearts right? How can they? Did they not feel anything....even slightest bit of pity and remorse towards the people they torture?

The museum displayed the picture of the torturer and ruler of those time too...so when we walked pass it, we all vented our anger and all of us came out with our own imagination on what we'll do to those people....we said mean things...almost as mean as what they did to those innocent people...but when we asked each other "would we really do it?", none of us could answer...because deep down...even if we really wanted to we couldn't.....because we're not psychopath. Only psychopath could do what they did to those people.

Wat Phnom
($1 per person)

On the Tuktuk we discussed a lot about the religion of Cambodia people....because somehow it feels like Buddhism, but we saw Hinduism in it too....which is nothing like what we have seen before. Countries we visited prior to Cambodia was nothing like this. We could easily see whether it's Hinduism or Buddhism but this one is tough. All become clear when we observe this Wat. It is indeed, Buddism with Hindu's influence. In wikipedia they call it Theravada Buddhism. We learn a lot.

 the entrance
Prayer related items


The first of many many....many scene of Atin with her bag. :P In fact, because she did this too much, every time someone was busy with their bag too we called them pulling a "Fatin"....sorry Tin!

Feeling yellow


Wat Ounalom
(free :P read disclaimer on my budget post)

Nothing much here....okay wait..let I rephrase that, we did nothing much here because by now, for us, all Wat are the same (Korea all over again!)....and by now, we were tired and no longer have the energy to appreciate anything. beautiful building, oh okay...beautiful sky, oh okay.

We hang out for a while around the entrance...took several pictures and left.




Riverside


We walked from Ounalom to here...memang basah ketiak...but little did we know, this is the first, among a lot more ketiak basah! T________________T


We have ample of time to kill so we decided to just lepak at the riverside. To this date, if you ask me what river is this, I won't be able to answer you with a straight answer. In google map it's Tonle Sap river but some calls it Mekong but I thought Mekong is further in front? I have no idea.


We noticed this local boy capturing birds and then sell them to someone who will then release the birds. I guess it is for some religious belief...thinking back, this boy is so nice! He's the only one who didn't even ask us for 1 dollar even if we took his picture...awwww....we should have give you that 1 dollar (more on this later).


We moved indoor once we realise the clouds were getting darker and heavier...and thankfully we did! hujan lebat gila woiiii...macam ribut pun ade....so dengan muka tak malunya, we stayed in the cafe for around 2 or 3 hours...should have been longer if not for the staff who kept coming and asking if we wanted to order more (read: please leave if you're not ordering anything more) -__________-  okaaayy fine, we'll leave.

Phnom Penh night market


Nothing much....really...if you're a Malaysian and has been to one of the uptowns he have around Klang Valley, it's exactly like that. Very very similar. As I said, really, nothing much. There wasn't even any good souvenir shop around.

oh hey Happy New Year to you too!

In 15 minutes, we have no where else to go..we're not hungry yet, but we needed a place to sit and freshen up...so we decided to find a muslim restaurant (for their surau) ... kemain google maps bagai only to realise, MK Halal Food is just right in front of us...literally I mean. angkat muka je dah nampak.

picture source: Tripadvisor

After that cafe, our budget for the day burst already so we only ordered 2 main dishes...but as soon as the first taste, we regretted we did not order more! sedap weehhhh. After a really really tiring day (Our average step counts was around 14,000++), a really good meal just blew it at away! seriously. I highly recommend this restaurant. Please please please try....and to all my muslim readers out there, the surau, superb. A++. The best restaurant's surau that we have been throughout our trip (yes that includes Vietnam as well). They renovated the whole of second floor as surau, it's huge.

Another plus point for this restaurant is the staffs. They're very helpful and friendly. I was just asking around on where can I buy a plug adapter, they told me all the shops might be close at that hour (10 pm) so they gave me theirs instead I was shocked! I beg them to sell it to me but they refused! Allah please bless them beautiful soul. :)

Sleeper bus to Siem Reap
($15)

We departed to Siem Reap that night itself around 11 pm.

The first of many more sleeper bus

Us in the morning.

This is definitely an experience worth trying. I won't go into details now as this will be covered in Day 4 later where we spent the whole day, only on the bus.

Till then, tata.

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