Dusty roads with what can only be called contraptions on wheels. Criss-crossing the city on the back of a motorbike after dark and seeing almost no traffic. Ultra-slow, virtually unusable Internet connections. Arriving back at the hotel at night to find the doors had been padlocked shut from the inside and you had to rattle them to wake up a young Khmer sleeping on the other side who would unlock the door and let you in. These are just some memories from my one and only visit to Phnom Penh, back in In the 10 years since I first visited the Cambodian capital it has changed markedly as I discovered on a recent trip.
Phnom Penh is perhaps similar in size to the larger Thai provincial capitals, and home to perhaps a million people. The capital of Cambodia, it is the administrative capital, where most of the wealth is and as such, it is where rural Cambodians flock to find work. While the Cambodian capital has plenty of sights, the country's most famous attraction is the Angkor Wat temple complex, a few hundred clicks north.
Then there are the markets, from the Central Market to the Russian Market to the city's various fresh markets. In a whirlwind tour you could see most sights in a day β and I bet some do just that. For those keen to tick all the boxes, 2 days might be enough. But seeing Phnom Penh, to me at least, is not about just seeing the sights. Like Bangkok, it's about the vibe and feeling the city. Phnom Penh, while not sleepy, feels not dissimilar to Vientiane.
Think the Vientiane riverfront, a Khao San Road-like concentration of bars, restaurants and hotels, and the laid-back attitudes and genuine friendliness that you find in Chiang Mai and you're getting close to the feel of the riverfront area of Phnom Penh, the pretty part of the city where most visitors spend their time.
Getting around Phnom Penh is easy. Tuktuks in the guise of a motorbike pulling a carriage, motorbike riders as well as a few taxis make up the choices. You can walk and a number of the sights are in the riverfront area, just remember to look the other way when crossing the road if you're used to Thailand. Someone seems to have told every tuktuk driver and motorcycle rider in town that foreigners don't like walking, for you simply cannot walk past one without being asked where you're going and if you'd like a ride.
