Cambodia: Phnom Penh

Rambutan in the Russian Market, Phnom Penh

Yesterday was really fun. Met some cool guys in the morning and buddied up with then for the day. We visited the Russian Market, then went to the Central Market. On the drive to Wat Phnom we were taken past the US Embassy....where I mistook the guard waving at me for him telling me not to take pictures. How cynical of me. We did Wat Phnom which was a really nice break from the crazy markets.

We had our tuktuk driver recommend a good restaurant for lunch where we could get frog. He took us to a pretty decent place by the river. I tried it curried and fried... and it tasted just like chicken. I got Khmer Amok which I can really only describe as a cousin to curry. It had a much cleaner taste than the traditional yellow Indian curry. I also tried a few tastes of a Cambodian chicken soup which had a really nice, delicate flavor.

Great architecture at the Royal Palace

We went to the Royal Palace. Cambodia is a Kingdom and I believe the complex may still be in use.  We were very restricted in the places we could roam. We looked at a map and realized that we were only allowed access to about 1/3 of the grounds. It had quite a bit of interesting architecture and monument-looking structures. There was a lot of gold and red, which I've noticed are big colors in Asia.

After the palace it was beer time! We found a place near where we at lunch and grabbed a couple $2 pitchers. Let that sink in. $2. Pitchers.

We took a quick breather after happy hour. I snagged a quick nap and shower and then we hopped up to the hostel bar- - -  where they had free beer for an hour! We went back down by the river for dinner and hit a few of the hostel-recommended bars.

It was a super fun day... I was just bummed that I hadn't met those guys earlier. I took a ton of pictures, but this is by FAR my favorite of the day!

Ornately decorated door at the Royal Palace, Phnom Penh