Where and when: Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 2023
0800: It is our last day in Cambodia, but there are more things to see before we leave, so we have an early checkout from the Pavilion hotel.
0815: Brief stop at the Independence monument and the statue of King Norodom Sihanouk.
0830: Visit to the Cambodian Royal Palace
The Royal Palace was built in 1866 and is the home of the current King, His Majesty King Norodpm Sihamoni.
Covid measures are still imposed here and all visitors have to wear face masks.
The Palace complex has many pavilions, including an audience hall, The King’s private apartments (not open to visitors), several stupas enshrining the ashes of the previous Kings and Queens and Royal family members.
The most notable buildings of the Palace complex are the audience hall where the king meets foreign dignitaries, and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha which houses a statue of the Buddha carved in Emerald. This temple is also known as the Silver Pagoda because of the silver floor tiles inside the building.
Inside the palace there are also several buildings linked to Hinduism such as the Kailasa mountain, and a gallery depicting Ramayana.
You can also see several exhibitions about ancient artifacts and clothing, palanquins and elephant seats used in Royal Processions.
There is also an exhibition showcasing the 2004 Coronation of King Norodom Sihamoni.
1000: Visit to the National Museum.
The National Museum of Cambodia was established in 1917.
The museum building is a great example of elaborate Cambodian architecture, and built in the shape of a square with a central courtyard.
It houses many archaeological artifacts found all over Cambodia. Almost all of these are connected to stories from Buddhism or Hinduism.
The museum is also home to the World’s longest hand-woven scarf. The scarf is 1149.8m long and 0.88m wide. It was woven over a period of 5 months in 2018 by 22,315 people (both Cambodians and foreign visitors) to Phnom Penh.
1045: Museum visit over, it is time to say goodbye to Cambodia. We travel to Phnom Penh International airport for departure.
As we departed, I reflected on the time in Cambodia. Unlike any country I’ve been to before Cambodia felt very familiar – it may have been ancient temples, white sand beaches or the welcoming locals – it felt a lot like visiting Sri Lanka. We’d only scratched the surface with this visit, but I would definitely like to come back to see more. I will write more about this in a future post.
Diary of a Tourist 