On our second day in Phnom Penh, we went to visit the Royal Palace in the morning. Everyone was excited as it is our official full day to explore Phnom Penh. We hired a driver that will drive us around whole day for $55. It was worth it because 1) the van has air condition, Cambodia is really hot and humid, guys 2) some places that we want to visit are quite far.
We were all excited and gathered in our hotel restaurant for breakfast and ready to leave after filling our stomach. But the hotel staff stopped us and informed us that our attire will not be allowed in some places that we wanted to visit.
Some places in Cambodia has strict attire protocol especially The Royal Palace and temples. Ladies should be modest and covered up which means no shorts, sleeveless tops and short skirts are allowed. As for the guy, any shorts past the knee length is fine.
The entrance fee for The Royal Palace is $5 which is rather expensive if compared to other places. But The Royal Palace is really well kept and clean. It is the exact opposite of the outside. I guess the grass is really greener on the other side #nopunintended.
The landscape at The Royal Palace is so beautiful and for a while I forgot that I was at Phnom Penh. Not trying to be mean but after a day soaked in dust and saw litters and cockroaches everywhere, that was exactly how I felt when I was in The Royal Palace.
Not sure if this is the Silver Pagoda or not.
We went in without a guide because well, the admission fee is rather expensive so we skipped guided tour. In the end, we learnt nothing about The Royal Palace. I'm sure they are some great history behind it. So if you are keen, better opt for the guide.
There are many great buildings inside but we are not sure which is which. Some buildings allowed the visitors to come in but some are not. The atmosphere were tranquil as visitors are told to be quiet around the palace ground. Except for the occasional tour guide narrating the history of The Royal Palace, you can admire the architectural in peace.
These kids on field trip are super cute.
Poser much? hahaha
We took like millions of photos there. Instead of touring the place, it is a huge place, we basically scattered on the center area taking turn to do photoshoot for OOTD. Yeah, we are vain like that but it was really fun.
Behind the scenes lol.
The sun was starting to shine very bright and it was getting hot. However, it gave us the perfect lighting for photo. So while waiting for our turn, we seek refuge under umbrella.
Photography failed but look at the lush background.
If you wonder who took most of our photos, it is Zyuan.
The Royal Palace
Samdach Sothearos Boulevard, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Open from 7:30 -11:00 / 2:00 - 5:00
Our next stop is National Musuem. I'm not a museum person but it was fun looking around the artifacts. I'm still learning to appreciate the history values left behind every displays.
No dress code for National Museum so my denim jacket was gone.
A selfie in the garden. Just realized that my brow game is damn strong here.
The entrance fee for National Museum is $5 as well. Again, we wing this visit without a guide. For a museum, a guide will not be necessary as there are many leaflets at the entrance for your reference. Most of the displays here are original statues from Angkor Wat, Bayon and other temples in Cambodia. The statues are not in good shape due to natural process and human activities. Back in the days, the statues from the temples are often stolen and sold to other countries for a fortune. What left at the museum these days are the one that can be recovered.
This is the bronze statue of the reclining Vishnu
Blurred photo because I had to rush this before the guard caught me.
No photography are allowed in the museum but we still sneaked some until got caught by the guard. The guard then redirected us to the garden for photo. She was right, the garden is perfect for photoshoot and yes, we did take like another million of photos there before leaving for lunch.
I will share the photos in next post because this entry is already lengthy enough.
National Museum of Cambodia
Street 13
Sangkat Chey Chumneas, Khan Daun Penh
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