Arriving in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
A very early morning flight from Bangkok to Phnom Penh on Thai Airlines (two flights every day). Please explain to me how Thai can serve a hot meal on a 50-minute flight and our airlines only throw a bag of nuts at us (if we're lucky) in the same amount of time. On board, Thai distributed Visa On Arrival forms along with regular immigration forms.
Landing, you take the filled out forms to one line. Hand in passport and Visa On Arrival form along with a passport-sized photo. Mill around for the next 10+ minutes until an official holds up a passport and calls out the name. When your name is called, walk up, hand in your $20 (Cash only in American Dollars), and you are done. A Cambodian visa in your passport.
Into a new line to go through Customs and Immigration that takes a lot longer. Finally through with suitcases, go out past the taxi people who give you a slip to hand to the driver. It's only $7.00 for a taxi into town. There was an ATM machine right there in the airport. Quickly discovered that there is a $2.00 charge to use all ATM's in Cambodia AND you only get American Dollars instead of Cambodian Rials. Cambodia functions on the American Dollar..a big shocker! All prices and rates throughout Cambodia are in American Dollars. Nobody ever wants our dollar and I can't remember the last time we visited another country where the American dollar was used as currency.
The Star Royal Hotel is located near the Royal Palace and overlooks the Tonle Sap River in the Phnom Penh tourist area. It looked dumpy on the outside but the room was big, clean and right in the middle of the tourist area on Sisowath Quay. Sisowath Quay is the riverside's main promenade on the scenic, bustling riverfront.
Out for a fast stroll past loads of sidewalk cafes with overhead fans (it's very hot here), vendors, people selling sunglasses, newspapers, tuk-tuk drivers offering tours. Everyone wears shorts, a glass of beer is $1.00, glass of French wine $2.50. The Cambodian tuk-tuks are interesting with different kinds available. The most common tuk-tuk seats 2-4 people and is pulled by motorcycle. There are also two-seaters and one-seaters pulled by motorcycle, and then the old-fashioned one-person variety operated by the driver pedaling his bicycle.
Since the Explore group wasn't arriving until tomorrow, we had all day to "explore" on our own. Walking down one of the streets away from the River, we came to the Art Deco Central Market with all its jewelry stalls and clothing. Making our way through the Central dome, we walked out the wrong door. The next thing we knew, Raffles Le Royal and the American Embassy were in front of us. Got completely turned around and since we were clueless which way to get back to the hotel, took a tuk-tuk. Negotiate. It shouldn't cost more than $1-2 to go almost anywhere. Duh...I forgot to bring the map with.
A fast sandwich at one of the many outside cafes when suddenly, an elephant walked by on the sidewalk with its handler and I hadn't even been drinking.
We'd save the touring for tomorrow when the group arrives since it's included in the itinerary. To bed...
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