Day 18

Today we took it easy - and didn’t feel guilty about it! We had every intention of going out exploring but, as we’re on the tail end of our holiday, feel like we’ve done a lot of sightseeing already.

We both slept very well as the beds and pillows here are so comfortable. Breakfast was quite a grand affair with a lot on offer in a formal dining room, but there were so many tourists and employees walking about, it was difficult to get food while trying to avoid people!

Our hotel is perfectly situated across the road from the Royal Palace so we headed out to take some photos. We had the opportunity of seeing Phnom Penh in a much better light today as we’d arrived quite late last night. The area near the palace is spacious and beautiful, and we walked through Royal Palace Park, across from the Tonle Sap River. It wasn’t as peaceful as we would’ve liked though, as the tuk tuk drivers here continue to harass you for a ride. Most of the time it was easier just to walk away.

One of the saddest things we’ve seen since coming to Cambodia is how a lot of their past history, including the Killing Fields, have become a tourist attraction. Whilst we mean no disrespect to the Cambodian people, we both agreed that we would only see sights that involved their happy history, as opposed to a very sad time in their past. Cambodian people should be remembered for much more than just the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot, and we’d like to show our appreciation for their hospitality in other ways.

The morning became very hot, and we contemplated how much of the city we wanted to see. Ted suggested getting an iced coffee which was a great idea, so we found a nice coffee house to chill out in and recover from the awful humidity. There weren’t a lot of sights that we wanted to see after the Royal Palace, so we went back to the hotel and enjoyed a day in the beautiful pool instead.

Our lunch was in the restaurant next to the pool, where we also had some relaxing drinks. Happy hour was happening too which made it even more enjoyable. We met an American lady who now lives in Phnom Penh - it was somewhat eye opening hearing about life in Cambodia and how different it is from ours. It has made us both very grateful for what we have in life.

We spent the evening having a look over the city from the Organic Sky Bar, which is on the top floor of our hotel. Dinner was in the elegant restaurant downstairs and again I found myself being overly courteous to the Cambodian employees who work there.

Tomorrow we fly back to Thailand as we start our journey home. I am very grateful we have come to Cambodia as it has been both eye opening and delightful at the same time.Les mer