This photo journal, part of the Phnom Penh series, features our hotel & some of the sights I saw on a tuk tuk tour on arrival day, when I had 2-3 free hours. The sights include some wats (of course), some French colonial buildings, & some monuments.

Introduction to Phnom Penh: Founded in the mid-14th century by the Khmers as a monastery, Phnom Penh replaced Angkor Thom a century later as the country's capital. The city has long been a vital trading hub at the confluence of three rivers: the Mekong, Tonle Sap, and Bassac. Perhaps the city's most auspicious history was when it lay vacant following an eviction order from Pol Pot. Within a period of hours, the entire city was deserted as almost all of Phnom Penh's residents were moved to the countryside in 1975, not to return until 1979 under the authority of Vietnamese troops.

It has been a long road to the peaceful and growing Phnom Penh of today. There were many years of frontier-style anarchy after the city was repopulated in 1979, including drugs and prostitution. Today Phnom Penh enjoys its own kind of harmony of opposites & offers visitors peaceful sunset moments at the riverside, as well as dusty, motorbike-choked labyrinth alleys & busy markets. There's also much of historic interest in Phnom Penh. The main attractions are the genocide museum & killing fields. The Royal Palace is a stone showpiece of classical Khmer architecture, and the Silver Pagoda, on the palace grounds, is a jewel-encrusted wonder. Throughout the city, you'll see the faded glory of aged French colonial architecture. There are also many notable Buddhist temples with resident monks. Phnom Penh has a pace all its own & is a city certainly worth exploring for a few days.