Day 1 in Phnom Penn

It was pouring as I left KL LCC terminal to head towards Cambodia. Flight delay was usual since I was on a flight on Air Asia, the budget airline.

It's my first holiday trip alone abroad in a country where I don't speak the language. Even though I have worked at locations in China alone, I could at least speak Mandarin!

As I stepped out of the Phnom Penn International Airport, I was greeted with touts waiting to offer me rides to various kinds of places. Holding my "precious" copy of the Cambodia Lonely Planet, I headed over to the official taxi counter where I was asked to pay US7 for a trip to town.

The rain was pelting down steadily as I left the airport.The cabbie kept apologising for not having a working air-conditioning system in his car as it had apparently broken down the day earlier. I didn't really care as I was too engrossed with the street scene. I was feeling a little overwhelmed by being alone in a strange city when I was greeted by a familiar sight....




Ah, good old DHL....WorldWide Express -- "Deliver Anywhere Faster" ---
Come to think about it, I have seen them almost everywhere I have been, perhaps with the exception of Pingyao, China...

I got to town safely but slightly wet. =)
The cabbie got me to go to his recommended accomodation instead of my prebooked ones! I went to have a look at the room. Wasn't too bad...


Now, it's time to talk prices...I was conscious that the driver will probably take a cut in this...but at this point in time, i was past caring...I was tired....and a couple of USD is not going to matter much. However I was also stuck with the fact that I shouldn't "spoil" the market by not bargaining! So I bargained and saved US 3! I paid the room attendee the cabbie fare and ask him to thank the cabbie on my behalf!

It's resting time now...and boy was I hungry....and it's getting dark so I had better find food soon!

I wandered past a couple of doors down and found a neat restaurant! It serves Khmer Food! Yippee! And what's even better....it is run by an NGO funding an orphanage!


As it was my first night in Phnom Penn, I decided to only have vegetarian! Boy was the noodles good! I ordered an extra serving of garlic bread too! I am such a glutton.....
I wished I did take some photos to show of the food, but in my hunger haste, I wolfed down all the food even before I thought about taking some shots....

However I did manage to take some shots of the restaurant and of the kids performing!
The food's great and best of all, the money is being used to fund the orphanage nearby! We even had some of the children perform for us! The Cambodians are really friendly people! My headache is starting to ease a little with the panadol....
I didn't dare to try anything spicy or meaty so I settled for a Cambodian vegetarian noodles! Mark, if you were here, you will definitely like it! It's great! =)


During dinner, I had the chance to talk to fellow travelers!


I am begining to like Phnom Penn already........more to come tomorrow!