Phnom Penh Royal Palace

The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh was not on our list of must-see places because no one comes from Cambodia gushing about it, but like the Everest that must be climbed "because it's there," we paid the fee and went in anyway, hoping to be surprised.

This was after having a nice but expensive breakfast at a restaurant halfway to the palace. We stayed at the restaurant a bit longer than expected, but it was perfectly timed after all because we found out we were just in time for the palace gates to open. We didn't have to wait outside like other early birds.

Scary flower that casts a sweet smell.

A lot of areas were prohibited to the public, so we could only look at most buildings from outside, and the ones we were allowed to enter were not so awe-inspiring.

Since we were reasonably early, we got in before the tour groups arrived. It was quite peaceful until the asian tourists came, elbowing needlessly for their pictures.

So we rushed out of the palace area and went to the temples.

Hindu epics painted on crumbling walls. 

Hasty repairs sprayed cement on the old murals.

A miniature Angkor Wat.

Ornate wat.

Holy spring.

The Buddha's Footprints.

These girls were getting their fortune from one of the wats. They were very nice
and smart; they tried to speak to us in Filipino and French! Cambodians are just as
friendly as Pinoys, it's surprising how different they are from the Thais.

We found the girls again in the Silver Palace, they taught us these were wishing plants,
you write your wishes on the leaves and they come true!

Just outside the palace is a typical Cambodian hut with
musicians and traditional works of art like this shadow puppet.

We ended the day with traditional Cambdian food,
this is all that was left of my chicken amok before I remembered to take
a picture. You can get the best amok in Cambodia from
Laughing Fat Man in Phnom Penh, I swear by it!