Royal Palace, Phnom Penh.

Built approximately 150 years ago, the Royal Palace of Phnom Penh is made up of several buildings and pagodas that serve different purposes.
It is currently still inhabited by the royal family but part of it is open to the public, turning it into one of the main tourist spots in Phnom Penh.





(from Snapchat)

There's actually a small garden outside the royal palace where locals gather in the evening when the weather is not that hot.
Surprisingly, there are lots of pigeons around. Was waiting for my friends when a girl who looked about 4 years old tried to sell me a bag of corn to feed the birds. She couldn't speak English and I had to politely refuse in my poor Khmer language. We ended up sitting around and pushing the bag of corn towards each other. I felt bad but what good would that do?





Cambodia is hugely affected by Buddhism and Hinduism. There's a whole mural depicting the Reamker, a Cambodian epic based on Ramayana (Ramayana being on of the things I studied in high school and somehow got stuck). Parts of the mural were being reconstructed but the paintings were quite detailed.





The entrance tickets cost 40,000riels ($10) for foreigners. Welp.
At this point, it is best if you get a tourguide that could be found near the ticketing counter.

Photography isn't allowed in the interiors of most buildings there but the handcrafted idols, jewellery, and decorations look so exquisite and fine.



Even the gates were crafted beautifully. I'm always fascinated by intricate ornaments and decorations despite my practice with spatial design.



Unfortunately, we didn't get to visit that much as it was raining that evening (rainy season just started in Cambodia so I got cheaper flights but enough time to visit and walk around).
The cloudy weather did allow some dramatic shots though.

Definitely a must-visit if you're into delicate designs, history, and/or art in general.
Must-see? The silver pagodas. They are just spectacular.

(another Snapchat quality, oops)



Special thanks to my Toyo and Sive, my friends/tourguides in black, for the entrance ticket, short tours, and food tours. Not sure what I'd do by myself seeing this was actually my first trip alone.

Remember what I said about the abundance of pigeons? The park is just next to the Mekong river, probably the reason why it's a good place to chill (same for pigeons).

Technically I visited the outsides of the palace a couple of times after that and it was really nice to just sit there and enjoy the moment, looking at tourists and locals alike.



The tiles at the Royal Palace park was so photogenic, I couldn't resist. That pop of colour is precisely what I didn't pack for my trip.
Also, drop by the National Museum located nearby if you have the time.

Royal Palace Phnom Penh
(Sothearos) between Street 240 & 184, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Opening Hours: 0800-1030; 1400-1700 everyday

Next post coming up real soon! Will try to finish this series by the end of this week as there's a lot of catching up to do and not to mention some other projects.