The Original Harmony

Today was our last day in Phnom Penh, and our last day in Cambodia. We started the day with a trip to the national museum which is divided up by era (pre- during and post Angkor) as well as material (bronze, stone and wood). There were some amazing artifacts in the museum; including some of the nicest original statues we have seen anywhere. The museum houses some of Cambodia’s most priceless artifacts, and has since it was built in the late 1920s. However, during the rule of the Khmer Rouge, the museum was subject to intermittent looting and far more damaging bats. Apparently, while no one was taking care of the museum colonies of bats found their way into the building. The artifacts were not well protected and the guano damaged many of the pieces in the museum. Now, however, many pieces have been restored and many pieces that were looted (either from the museum itself of the country as a whole) have been returned.

After the museum we went to the Russian Market, named after the source of the luxury goods that were once sold there. There were still a few things we wanted to buy including palm wood chopsticks and silks. It was very hard not to buy too much there, so many unique souvenirs; but it all costs money and takes up space.

Finally, we went to Wat Phnom, an oasis in the city. The Wat is built on a hill (called a Phnom I believe) and stands high above everything that surrounds it. It is quite a nice area with tall shady trees, nice greens and pleasant walkways. Though there is a large stupa like structure that is fairly unique, the Wat is fairly similar to all the others. However, there were more people here than usual because it is the Chinese New Year, making the scene quite lively (also there were many more people burning incense today, casting a haze around the whole area).

Unfortunately, however, we also ran into the first thief here of our trip; a big fat monkey. There were quite a few monkeys all around the paths at Wat Phnom, obviously accustomed to taking handouts from tourists. This monkey saw that Kelly had a bag, and wanted whatever was inside (souvenirs). It waited patiently for a little while but eventually tried to grab the bag right out of her hands. She held on, and the bag tore, causing the monkey to lose his grip.

In addition to the monkeys there were a number of different types of butterflies, and a fairly large colony of bats that took flight while we were there (quite the sight).

Because it is Chinese New Year, many shops are closed (including about half of the Russian market). However, there is a band in the back of a truck making rounds around the city with two dragons on the sides. There was also a group of kids this morning around 6 with percussion instruments having a good time outside playing music.

We will enjoy our last few hours here relaxing by the river probably. We have had a great time in Cambodia and will certainly miss it, but we also look forward to moving on to Vietnam.

We plan on writing a summary of our impressions of Cambodia, so look for that soon.

-Tim

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