Phnom
Penh the county's capital is located along the banks of the
mighty Mekong River, the Bassac and South East Asia's
largest lake, Tonle Sap. It is the centre of travel to all
outlaying provinces and connections to neighbouring
countries.
Once hailed as the most attractive city in
the region Phnom Penh's colonial splendour still shines
through. Streets vary between to wide paved boulevards lined
with flame of the forest trees to small narrow lanes, often
little more than dirt tracks.
The
Silver Pagoda,
Royal
Palace,
National Monument, National Museum,
Wat Phnom and
Toul Sleng Genocide Museum
are amongst the main attractions and can be comfortably
visited in one day. International and Asian dining outlets
are many and prices are generally lower than in most
neighbouring countries. Sidewalk
dining, pubs and discos compete for night owls. For
shoppers the Russian Market is worth a visit for
electronic good and the like or the Central Market for a
range of items from books to jewellery and Orasey for
general household goods.
Phnom Penh owes its architecture to Colonial France and its
business ethos to the Chinese. While the major ethnic group
in Cambodia is Khmer, during the French administration,
Chinese and Vietnamese immigration was encouraged and Phnom
Penh owes much of its past prosperity to the Chinese
entrepreneurial spirit..
Sadly many people think of Phnom Penh as the
site of the "Killing Fields" rather than as a delightful
city of enduring charm. Since these times though it has come
a long way and now welcomes visitors with open arms, smiling
faces and an infrastructure, that is developing (if somewhat
slowly) to accommodate tourists and business people from
around the globe.
Hotels
continue to be built and
recreational facilities
expanded and
national parks upgraded and developed. All in
all, your trip to Cambodia will be well catered for in this
dynamic city