Phnom Penh (1) - Our Introduction to Cambodia

The spirit house shrine at the
Cambodian border

The boat trip from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh took about 5 hours including border controls.  Before we reached the Vietnam border, not long after we left Chau Doc, our passports were collected and we paid the $20 visa fee.  We were checked out at the Vietnam border and a few minutes later, docked again, where we received our 30 day visas for Cambodia.  It was all very painless and soon we were travelling up the Mekong through Cambodia.

Once again, we were surprised by the lack of industry along the river.  The style of temples changed as soon as we crossed the border and, once again, we were amazed how the simple act of crossing an invisible line in the landscape changes in culture and custom so quickly.

Travelling by boat is definitely the way to go in this neck of the woods and the journey time passes really quickly.  We arrived at Phnom Penh in the mid afternoon and took our first tuk tuk ride to the guesthouse we had booked.  We have to confess we had booked into an Irish Pub.  Not exactly authentic but it was hot in Phnom Penh and priorities were (a) cold beer (b) a balcony and (c) cold beer.  We are pleased to report that Rory’s provided everything we needed: cold beer on tap served in frozen glasses and a balcony overlooking the Royal Palace and museum.