Phnom Penh: Day One

By Kieran Anzelone

After our long (16 hour) flight from Dulles to Hong Kong, we had a 3-hour layover and then we flew from Hong Kong to Phenom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. We were greeted by our tour guide, Long Vannak. He introduced himself as he gave each one of us authentic Cambodian scarfs. Next, we got together and squished onto a bus with all of our luggage for the drive to the hotel. As we were on the way to the city there were many sights to see and several temples. However, the real sightseeing began when Long took us to the Royal Palace. The architecture and details within the palace walls were remarkable. Long mentioned the place had been there since the 1400’s. He also taught us about the strange bloodline of Cambodian royalty. The man who is currently king was not supposed to be next in line because he has an older brother, but his brother already had a political position which prevented him from taking the throne. The current King is around 60 years old and needs to get married soon and have an heir or his throne will be given to his older brother’s son. 

After the tour of the place, we went on a cyclo tour of the city. It was an amazing experience viewing most of the city while we were strapped to a bike in the middle of a crowded street. When I first got in the cycle I was nervous because of all the cars and motorcycles passing by so closely, but after a little while I realized these guys knew what they were doing. Later, Long surprised us with a sunset boat ride and we got to listen to music and enjoy the amazing views. Lastly, we ate dinner at Banana Leaf. The food was similar to the options offered at lunch and there was a Cambodian dancer preforming as we ate. Overall it was a very fun, long, and educational day.  

Bus ride from the airport.  Small bus, big luggage.

Bonding with Long, our wonderful tour guide.

The Royal Palace

Cyclo ride