SO MUCH TO DO
Our first full day in Phnom Penh was packed full of places to go and things to see. Our first stop was the royal palace. Obviously, this is where the king lives. We learned that he is just a figure head and doesn’t really have any political power. We also learned he studied ballet in France and is not married. Let’s just say I put two and two together on that one. Anyway, the palace was awesome in the 100°+ heat. We got to see the throne, the royal garden, the temple and the buildings that held some of the royal family’s gold, silver and gems. They even had a Buddha that wore a 20 carat diamond on her tiara. Talk about jealous!
Our next stop was national museum that housed all of the Cambodian temples’ artifacts. There were hundreds of Buddha figures and other statues from inside the temples. There were all sorts of demons and gods, much like the ones lining the entrance to Angkor Thom (smiling Buddhas). Our guide was a little hard to understand, but she kept making jokes that made me laugh. So I forgot about the heat and just enjoyed learning about Buddhism and all of the gods and relics that accompany the religion.
The final stop of the morning was Phnom Penh hill in the middle of the city. Legend says that a lady named Penh climbed the hill (which now is covered with 50 steps and a temple) and worshipped Buddha. So, the city was named after her and a temple was built in her honor. People still go there will gifts to Penh. Kind of cool, kind of weird. Somebody had brought a chicken.
As we were leaving the hill, we were stopped by a bunch of monkeys…really monkeys. One of them had stolen a baby bottle out of a stroller and climbed back into his tree to enjoy. It was hilarious!
