 |
| Postcard sent to self from Phnom Penh, Cambodia Sent 4 Oct 2015, Traveled 1,148 km |
Our theme for this weekend is a country that you would want to live in if you have the choice/chance.
To be honest I have several countries in Europe that I've always dreamed about for this theme. However, since my partner moved to Cambodia, I've been moving a lot back and forth. As a matter of fact, I'm waiting for my flight to Phnom Penh when I started writing this piece.
Cambodia gained more international attention since portions of the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider were shot in several of its temple ruins. A couple of the filming locations can be seen in my previous posts: Angkor Thom and Bayon. These locations are in Siem Reap, approximately 6 hours away by bus from Phnom Penh, the capital. The latter is where my third home and most of the business & central government offices are located.
There isn't much touristic sites here in Phnom Penh. There is however, a captivating good mix of Khmer and French architecture. Here are some of the distinguished buildings, standing out from the rest of the concrete structures.
To be honest I have several countries in Europe that I've always dreamed about for this theme. However, since my partner moved to Cambodia, I've been moving a lot back and forth. As a matter of fact, I'm waiting for my flight to Phnom Penh when I started writing this piece.
Cambodia gained more international attention since portions of the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider were shot in several of its temple ruins. A couple of the filming locations can be seen in my previous posts: Angkor Thom and Bayon. These locations are in Siem Reap, approximately 6 hours away by bus from Phnom Penh, the capital. The latter is where my third home and most of the business & central government offices are located.
 |
| One of the choice of postcards sent out to friends around the world |
There isn't much touristic sites here in Phnom Penh. There is however, a captivating good mix of Khmer and French architecture. Here are some of the distinguished buildings, standing out from the rest of the concrete structures.
 |
| One of the choice of postcards sent out to friends around the world |
When Siem Reap offers beautiful temple ruins, the buildings in Phnom Penh complete the storytelling about the tumultuous history of Cambodia. The country has many stories to tell from being once a powerful religious kingdom, a French protectorate, the Khmer Rouge, alliance with the Vietnamese, its rise from the conflicts and wars, and the journey towards stability. On the postcard below: The Cambodia-Vietnam Monument, The Independence Monument, The Choeung Ek Genocidal House, Leader of Cambodia Buddhism - Samdech Choun Nath, the Knotted Gun Monument.
 |
| One of the choice of postcards sent out to friends around the world |
In addition to the monuments, one of the places that draw the curiosity of visitors to the capital is the Royal Palace. The complex serves as the resident of the royalty and also houses a collection of precious items that are distinctively Khmer.
 |
| Postcard sent to self from Phnom Penh, Cambodia Sent 18 Oct 2016, Traveled 1,148 km |
Life in Phnom Penh is more relaxed and slower than Singapore. There is however, no established proper mass transportation system which I found annoying at times. There are no trains nor buses to go around quickly from one place to another around the city. For most of the residents, they own a scooter and the more affluent has huge big cars (always fascinating to watch this contrast while on the road). There is also of course the tuktuk, their local variation of the motorized rickshaw. A comprehensive guide of moving and living in Cambodia can be found on the same link for the tuktuk. I would say that it's a nice country to live in for a couple of years if you're curious about discovering more about its history & culture and mixing with a population on its journey towards globalisation. One needs an open mind though as the daily local life is totally different from the experiences of being a tourist. I really wouldn't mind completely relocating. I need huge savings though in order to do so as local employment doesn't pay too much in order to keep a lifestyle as in Singapore!
This is probably one of my longer entries for the linky party by far ... I hope it isn't a tedious read for the weekend.
Cheers from Phnom Penh,
~maria
Not tedious, but very interesting, Maria. I have to confess I know very little of Cambodia, and the few associations that come first to mind for me, even now, belong in history (1970s)- which in turn tells me that I'm getting old!! Glancing through the Wiki article also enhances my impression that over here we probably hear most about "your" end of the world when there is a war or some catastrophe going on... :o
ReplyDeleteIt would be a fascinating place to live and the buildings are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteNo tedious at all! I received a postcard from Phnom Penh some weeks ago. I would like to visit that country, but I've been never in the "Far East". I am not sure if I would adapt to live there. Well, I'm living in Morocco, and the day-to-day is really different to Spain,even if we are neighbours!
ReplyDeleteHi Maria, I sure enjoyed your cards AND your commentary. One of the neat things about Postcards for the Weekend is the way I'm seeing interesting postcards from or about interesting places not so much on my radar. You have known me long enough to know that my main interests are are national parks, trains, and ships. In most of my postcard collecting those are the areas I concentrated on. It's been interesting to see cards from completely different areas of interest. I have never been to Cambodia but after seeing your cards I hope to see it in person one of these days. Thanks for hosting and sharing and for your kind words on my blog.
ReplyDelete