Originally, I'd planned to go on the optional tour this morning to the Killing Fields where Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge murdered so many Cambodians. However, I was still feeling unwell and decided this might be unwise.
Instead I decided to go on the same tour as Suzy, Yolanda, Peter and Maria which was a tour of Phnom Penh. As it turned out, Peter didn't come because he is suffering from the same tummy upset as me.
Our ship was moored at the wharf at Phnom Penh next to the APT cruise ship and so we had to walk through the APT ship to get to the wharf. We departed at 8:45pm with our Cambodian guide, Sattya, and our Vietnamese guide Huy.
We walked about 200m to a square to look at the colonial architecture such as the post office. Although it was a challenge to cross the road, the traffic did not seem to be as chaotic as in Vietnam. For a start there was a higher proportion of cars rather than motor bikes. Also most people were keeping to the correct side of the road.
After inspecting the main hall of the post office, we got into a series of tuktuks that we waiting for us nearby. The tuktuks have a covered seating area for passengers and are driven by a motor bike built into the front.
Although each tuktuk could accommodate four people, they'd arranged to have only two people per vehicle. This was probably to make sure we were facing forward and could see the view as we travelled through the city.
Our guide said to take note of the tuktuk's number because we would be using the same tuktuk and driver repeatedly during the morning.
The first stop was at a grand avenue with a very wide median with grass and flowers. Just next to where we stopped was a statue and monument to Prince Norodom Sihanouk who ruled Cambodia for many years and was very popular with the people.
We then walked the end of the avenue where there is another monument before getting aboard our tuktuks again for a trip through the city streets. Many of the buildings were very old but there are now tall skyscrapers too.
Our procession stopped at Raffles Hotel for a bathroom break before heading off again for the markets. The markets are in a large structure with a central dome and several wings. It is quite different from markets we have seen earlier on our trip because it is inside and orderly.
After about 40 minutes, the tuktuks picked us up again for a trip through city streets to Malis Restaurant where we had a nice meal with a set four-course menu. Our guides told us that this is one of the best restaurants in Phenom Penh.
I'd told our guides that I wanted to buy a Cambodian SIM for my mini WiFi. Sattya had volunteered to come with us in our tuktuk after the lunch and take us to a shop where we could buy it. The shop was called Smart Shop and reminded me of technology shops you can see in most parts of the world.
Sattya used his personal ID to get a special offer that was only available to local residents. The SIM cost us $US1 and we got 100GB of data for $US8. I wish it was so cheap back home.
Once the salesperson had activated the SIM, Sattya showed me a screen that said I had some incredible amount of data credit - either $US33,333 or $333,333. He assured me it would be enough for the remainder of our holiday in Cambodia. I'm inclined to believe him.
We were back at the Scenic Spirit by about 1:30pm. I thanked Sattya for looking after us so well and when we were back on board I told Joyce, the hotel manager, how impressed I was with him.
At 3pm we all set off for another excursion (except for Peter who was still sick). Once again the tuktuks took us for a tour through the city. We used the same driver as before. The tour lasted for about 20 minutes and ended up at the Raffles Hotel.
Our new guide gave us a tour of the hotel and gardens. He gave us a talk about the history of the hotel and famous people who have stayed here such as Charlie Chaplin, Jackie Kennedy and President Obama.
The tour took us to the Elephant Bar and then to the Royal Room where we experience high tea. There was a wide range of food to tempt us apart from the scones and jam. Waiters hovered as we sat and enjoyed our elegant afternoon tea.
Next we returned to the boat in our tuktuks taking photos along the way. We were back by about 5:00pm.
The girls went ashore at about 6pm to go shopping with the aim of being back on board for the daily port talk at 6:45pm. Although dinner was served from 7pm, most people weren't feeling very hungry after a big lunch followed by afternoon tea.
We walked about 200m to a square to look at the colonial architecture such as the post office. Although it was a challenge to cross the road, the traffic did not seem to be as chaotic as in Vietnam. For a start there was a higher proportion of cars rather than motor bikes. Also most people were keeping to the correct side of the road.
After inspecting the main hall of the post office, we got into a series of tuktuks that we waiting for us nearby. The tuktuks have a covered seating area for passengers and are driven by a motor bike built into the front.Although each tuktuk could accommodate four people, they'd arranged to have only two people per vehicle. This was probably to make sure we were facing forward and could see the view as we travelled through the city.
Our guide said to take note of the tuktuk's number because we would be using the same tuktuk and driver repeatedly during the morning.
We then walked the end of the avenue where there is another monument before getting aboard our tuktuks again for a trip through the city streets. Many of the buildings were very old but there are now tall skyscrapers too.
After about 40 minutes, the tuktuks picked us up again for a trip through city streets to Malis Restaurant where we had a nice meal with a set four-course menu. Our guides told us that this is one of the best restaurants in Phenom Penh.
Sattya used his personal ID to get a special offer that was only available to local residents. The SIM cost us $US1 and we got 100GB of data for $US8. I wish it was so cheap back home.
Once the salesperson had activated the SIM, Sattya showed me a screen that said I had some incredible amount of data credit - either $US33,333 or $333,333. He assured me it would be enough for the remainder of our holiday in Cambodia. I'm inclined to believe him.
We were back at the Scenic Spirit by about 1:30pm. I thanked Sattya for looking after us so well and when we were back on board I told Joyce, the hotel manager, how impressed I was with him.
Our new guide gave us a tour of the hotel and gardens. He gave us a talk about the history of the hotel and famous people who have stayed here such as Charlie Chaplin, Jackie Kennedy and President Obama.
Next we returned to the boat in our tuktuks taking photos along the way. We were back by about 5:00pm.
The girls went ashore at about 6pm to go shopping with the aim of being back on board for the daily port talk at 6:45pm. Although dinner was served from 7pm, most people weren't feeling very hungry after a big lunch followed by afternoon tea.
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