Monday, December 16, 2019 | Phnom Penh, Cambodia | Language: Khmer, French and English widely spoken | Population: 1,501,725 | Currency: Cambodian Riel

Phnom Penh’s current population is around 1.5 million with 90% predominately Buddhist and has been many things. A trading post in the 15th and 16th centuries, often dominated by Siamese or Vietnamese interest, it’s almost stolen by Spaniards and Portuguese mercenaries and fight freebooters. The city was taken over by the French in 1865 who affectionately praised it as the pearl of Asia.

Following independence from France in 1953 Khmers ushered in what many Cambodians today consider as the country’s golden age. But this brief era of cultural and architectural bloom came to an abrupt halt in 1975, when the communist Khmer Rouge turned Phnom Penh into a ghost town and Cambodia into a graveyard (see previous entry).

This afternoon we were treated to a cyclo city tour. A relic of old Cambodia, the cyclo is still very much in use, perfect for getting around the busy streets. It felt like we were traveling through time as we observed examples of both Colonial and New Khmer Architecture along Sothearos Boulevard, the French Quarter, and Norodom Boulevard. 

We stopped for a visit to the Champey Academy of Arts (CAA), one of the local professional and non-profit schools in Phnom Penh offering a Cambodian traditional performing arts training program. Champey’s mission is to inspire young people to preserve, protect and promote their nation’s culture.  We were entertained with music, dance and smiles.

Before returning to hotel, we embarked on a sunset river cruise along the Mekong River and through the floating villages of Tonle Sap, the river that flows both ways. Cambodia has the only river in the world that flows in two different directions. Twice a year, Tonle Sap changes its flow direction, depending on the season. Between November and May (dry season) the waters of Tonle Sap drain into the Mekong River. During the rainy season in June, the river flows in the opposite direction and comes back to the lake. Making it quite unique and miraculous.

And this sign was impossible to resist.