There is something truly magical about watching the sun go up and down while cruising along the Mekong River. On this morning it was even more spectacular than other days as the sun lit up the city of Phnom Penh for us. The highlight even before leaving Jahan was seeing the Royal Palace just off the bank while watching the day-to-day operations of the city starting to commence around this immense structure.
Some of us started the day off taking photos, some with Tai Chi, some just taking the beauty of Phnom Penh in from the top deck!
We were immersed into the local means of travel in one of the most exciting forms possible, from the the front of a cyclo. We travelled through the hustle and bustle of the city and arrived at the Royal Palace shortly after.
We were able to go through the palace with our guides who shared the extraordinary history associated with the different structures within the grounds. When we finished we were met by our coach, which took us to the National Museum. At the museum we were able to learn the amazing history of the displays. Many of the pieces came from varied temples dating back to the eighth century, and some had taken very interesting journeys around the world before being returned to Cambodia.
We had a wonderful lunch at the prestigious Topaz restaurant and then broke off to explore in various ways. Most of us chose to visit the S-21 Genocide Museum and continue on to the killing fields in Choeung Ek. Although I could write of the feelings we all felt after visiting these locations, we all walked away with our own memories and lessons that are simply too hard to write down. Although it was tough to take it all in, I believe it is important to have visited these places to put the history of this region in to perspective. There won’t be any photos to share from either of the museums we visited as there were strict rules that there to be no photography.
The day was finished on a positive note with traditional Aspara dancers visiting the Jahan and—for those who still had some creative energy left—we went on a night photography tour capturing the night life of Phnom Penh.
