We left Siem Reap at 07:30 and followed a relatively new and broad road that heads south-east for the 250 km to Phnom Penh.
After an hour of fairly slow progress in heavy traffic we made a stop at a famous bridge built 800 years ago during the reign of King Jayavarman VII. The hundred metre long bridge is built of laterite stone in a succession of pointed arches across the river at Kompong Thom. The main highway used to cross this bridge but it has now been diverted around this ancient structure to prevent any further deterioration.
We alighted at one side of the bridge and three young women suddenly appeared with cameras and by the time we’d walked across to the other side they were there waiting with tourist photos showing us with the bridge in the background. The photos were not good but nonetheless we felt a bit mean refusing to make any purchases.
The next comfort stop was at a roadside market at Skoun. Gauging from the numerous stalls along the road this is the pineapple centre for the region. However this was not the reason for our visit. Skoun is also famous for its peculiar cooked foods such as big black spiders, cockroaches, crickets, caterpillars and a range of other ‘appetising’ delicacies, which are collected from around the nearby cashew nut trees!
We each sampled a cooked locust and although it was a bit crunchy the taste wasn’t too distressing although the thought of what we were eating was more of a concern. Needless to say, no one tried a grilled tarantula.
We arrived at Phnom Penh at 13:00 and made our way through high density traffic to our hotel called the White Mansion.
This impressive building was formerly the USA Embassy but was converted to a hotel some ten years ago. It has been refurbished very tastefully and we have a comfortable top (fourth) floor room with attic ceilings.
In the mid to late afternoon we ventured out and walked towards the east where eventually we came to the Tonle Sap River just a little upstream from its confluence with the Mekong. Along the quayside there were stalls, cafes, department stores and copious numbers of bars and restaurants.
After a fairly long hike we arrived at a recommended riverside restaurant and had a delicious meal of buffalo steak, fried rice and vegetables.
After dark, the waterfront area has a somewhat dubious reputation for active thieves and pick-pockets so we decided to get a tuk-tuk for transport back to our hotel. The cost for five of us squeezed into the one tuk-tuk was $5 in total for a 5 km ride.
Tomorrow in Phnom Penh city we have the opportunity of visiting some of the famous landmarks and also viewing infamous sites associated with the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot.