Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Phnom Penh

Alain and I will be in Cambodia and Laos over the next couple of weeks. Today was our first day in Phnom Penh. The temperature here is very hot and humid as August is also Cambodia’s rainy season.

My first observation of the little that I have seen so far of Phnom Penh is that poverty and luxury are right next to each other.

On the one hand you have some streets where people live in very poor housings, hanging around garbage, while at the next turn or so the area is well maintained and spacious with big hotels, nice restaurants, and buildings.

 

The Imperial Palace

Our visit at the Imperial Palace was very interesting though we were not allowed to take any picture inside the majority of the buildings (the cool ones at least). The Imperial Palace is composed of several buildings which most are in used every day by the current king (Norodom Sihamoni) and employees.

This is the building where the coronation of the Kings take place. We were not allowed to go in nor take pictures, just look inside. In there we could see the high chair where the King sits for his coronation.

A side view of the Coronation Hall.

The King of Cambodia is the head of the state of the Kingdom of Cambodia, however, his power is limited to that of a symbolic figurehead. The monarch represents peace, stability, and prosperity to the Cambodian people. The King is elected, making Cambodia one of the few elected monarchies of the world.

This building is now closed, but was used by the kings as a high platform (portion to the right) to get on their elephants. Elephants are almost extinct in Cambodia.

The following two images are two of the Stupas we can see on the Imperial Palace grounds. In this case they contain the ashes of the more recently deceased kings and their family members.

There are architectural similarities between the Cambodian and Thai Imperial Palace, but the Thai Imperial Palace is more colorful and spectacular while the Cambodian one more sober.

Beautiful lotus flowers at the Imperial Palace.

Everyday Life in Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh has busy streets and the motor bike is very the main choice of transportation for the Cambodians.

Here, I was trying to capture the busyness of the street with its street vendors. I need to figure out if my camera has a wide angle option; would definitely help in those situations.

This little boy noticed me when I was doing my tourist and taking pictures.