June in Phnom Penh

June came and it was the time for our family holiday. Last year, we spent 10 days on a camper van and drove from Helsinki all the way to Senja in Norway. This year, we decided to go even further. To Asia to be exact to visit Phnom Penh, Vientiane and Bangkok. It was in December when we started reminiscing about our time living in Asia. Little did we know that in a couple of months we will go ahead and buy flight tickets. It took almost 12 hours to reach Bangkok from Helsinki. We arrived before 6:00 in the morning and it was a joy to be back in Bangkok as a family after 11 years. The airport was just the same with no significant changes. We sat around for almost 8 hours waiting for our flight to Phnom Penh. We went to the food court and enjoyed some Thai food and before we knew it, it was time to board the plane.

We arrived in Phnom Penh and the airport was not the same airport where we first landed in September 2001. We recalled how small, dark, chaotic and underdeveloped the airport was back then. Now, it was new and huge with so much unoccupied space. We knew there and then that the Phnom Penh was not anymore the same Phnom Penh that we left in December 2009.

The hotel van was waiting for us and it took a few minutes to walk to the parking lot. It was so hot that we can’t wait to get to the van for the aircon. The ride was a bit long on a good road, passing by empty lands, lots of construction and unfinished buildings. Somehow, I didn’t know where we were exactly and everything seems very unfamiliar. It was only when we reached the riverfront that I understood our location. The hotel where we stayed was familiar to us but somehow, the place became outdated and in need of renovation. The view from the hotel was amazing though. And as we walked by the riverside that evening, the Phnom Penh we knew started coming back. We walked as far as we could then continued until we reached the Independence Monument. The traffic was horrible and it was impossible to cross the streets without the thought of getting hit! Unfortunately, we arrived safely back at the hotel with the help of a tuk-tuk.

The next day we decided to visit the markets. First stop was Lucky Market where we used to buy all our groceries. But the once very busy street was now quiet and Lucky Market has become a bit fancy with products coming from Japan and South Korea. There was really no one shopping there but at least, they still sell the roasted chicken!

Psar Thmey was the next stop. It was surprisingly cool inside and quite clean and orderly. The boys were so happy to find the classic Same Same But Different t-shirts.

Then we went to Sorya and found that the once busy mall was quite empty. Many shops were closed. We recalled how lively this mall was and those times when people were learning to take the escalators and elevators. We ended the day on a revolving rooftop bar to see the ever-changing Phnom Penh. We also celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary!

The next day, we went to Toul Tompong Market. I found the market not as busy as before.

Then we headed to Wat Phnom. The boys used to enjoy watching the monkeys here but now, no more monkeys can be found. The locals told me that they were taken somewhere as they became a nuisance, fighting with each other and attacking people.

Then it was the last mission for this trip and that was to check out all the old places where we lived in Phnom Penh. One turned into a physiotherapy clinic of some sort. The second house was totally demolished and instead a tall strange wall has been built and the last one remained the same but now surrounded by tall apartments.