Day 6: Phnom Penh --> Singapore

Alright, we're on our last day here, which bears such a light itinerary, I couldn't resist slotting in an extra sight-seeing location.. =P

After an extremely late breakfast, plus nua-ing in the hotel till we had to checkout, we finally made our way to the Wat Phnom temple in Phnom Penh!

Of course, there's also a story behind the Wat Phnom.. According to the guidebook, long before Phnom Penh became a city, a lady named Mdm Penh found 4 Buddha statues floating down the river. She took these 4 statues to a small hill, and built a temple housing these 4 statues. Gradually, the population increased as people came to pray, and the town bloomed, and, well, is now called Phnom Penh!


The Wat Phnom stands alone by itself on a circular plot of land, surrounded by busy Phnom Penh roads.. Check out the beautiful floral clock! =)


The other entrance of the Wat Phnom had beautiful steps lined with stone sculptures of Naga and lions..


Wat Phnom temple! =)


Oh, apparently there's a shrine to Mdm Penh too! In the foreground, there's a smaller shrine with a statue of a lady..

Anyway, it was still quite a small temple compared to like the Angkor Wat and other temples that we've already seen, so we didn't stay too long there, and instead took the time to explore the surrounding green pocket..


... elephant rides! =P


... and monkeys! =)


Which would explain the sellers of lotus roots.. Oops, sorry the seller isn't facing the camera, but I think if she saw us taking a photo, it'd probably cost USD1, somewhat like how Ningyi was badgered for 1 buck after taking a photo of kids on the boat in Tonle Sap lake, selling the famous "Banana 1 dollar!"

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So we adjourned for an early lunch at this cafe near the market we were gonna visit in the afternoon.. And we had barely sat down for half an hour, when Mohana & Co walked through the same doors! What a coincidence. Woah.

If you remember, we had left them back in Siem Reap on Day 4 when we moved to Phnom Penh, while they were travelling to Phnom Penh on our Day 5 (i.e. yesterday).. So today was their day to visit the Phnom Penh attractions.. We certainly had quite a bit of catching up to do! =)

After lunch, all 8 of us hit the Psar Toul Tom Poung (Russian Market).. Now, this market is supposed to be THE market to buy all things touristy.. And boy, was it one crazy maze!


Here's a sample. Imagine a pasar malam store, with its overhead shelter included, multiplied by 400, and squeezed into a small square plot of land. Now, throw in some hawker stores in the centre, plus some wet market stores in the centre to boot, and you basically have the Russian Market.

The sheer number of stores and oddities and souvenirs up for sale make it a tourist shopper's heaven of sorts.. Just remember: don't come in the afternoon in the hot season!!! OMG. We walked in at 2pm plus, and it's like, the inside has absolutely ZERO air circulation. It's like staying in a car in the hot sun, with the engines off and the windows all wound up. It was stifling. Tiring. Dehydrating.

We ploughed the stores for almost 2 hours - and i've realised that actually, most of the stores sell pretty much similar stuff.. and i'm tired of touristy-souvenirs. As i've said earlier, i'm not into buying those touristy souvenirs anymore. If any stall were to show me something totally unique, I would have bought it straight away. There were a few gem stores here and there, such as this store selling handicrafts and bible-covers, in support of Aids patients.. Too bad the covers didn't fit my bible. =(

So after a most draining 2 hours, we headed back to the hotel to rest and freshen up before our flight.. Spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the hotel and exploring the shops near the hotel.. Dinner was an uneventful affair with fast food - miles apart from the food we had been eating the past few days at cafes..

Before we knew it, it was time to hop on the tuk-tuk to the Phnom Penh airport..



Phnom Penh airport - sorry, not the best of shots, but the best I could summon with 1 hand on the camera, the other hanging on to the bags, and trying not to fall off a bumpy tuk-tuk ride.. =P
After checking in, we realised that we had to pay additional airport tax.. (ok fine, so i don't travel enough to know that i still have to pay airport taxes before returning home) -_-" which almost bankrupted all of us.. Still managed to find a present for a good friend inside the airport.. heehee..

Was with Linken staring at the airport lounge coffee menu when I heard my name being called..

"Alvin!"

.. and turned around to find - Teresa?!

OMG. What a coincidence!

Teresa, her godfather and family, Dr Gabriel Seow & family, were all on in Cambodia for a Catholic mission trip.. and we were on the same flight back to Singapore! Even the kids recognized me. Sheesh. -_-" Had a good time chatting with her and exchanging photos, since it's been a while since we actually saw each other! what with hospital postings and exams..

But before long, we were all boarding the Jetstar flight bound for home!!!

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... and you thought it was all over? Not a chance!

Remember my Day 1 post saying that there was never a dull moment with my RI pple?

Well, we were all happily seated on the plane at Phnom Penh airport. The arrangment was in 2 columns of 3, with me in between Mohan & Linken, and Edwin behind us. Now, there were 3 extremely excited (probably at going home to their manicures and salons)...

"Oh your hair is so smooth!"

"yeah, and so shiny!"

"Issit?"

*girl C starts braiding gal B's hair*

... and noisy girls who were sitting in front of us. I didn't pay much notice to them - after all, i've heard noisier ones..

But of course, my 2 travel companions weren't gonna take it lying down, and before I knew it...

LK: "Oh ALVIN! Your hair is ssooooo beautiful!!!!"

M: "Oh ALVIN! Come! Let me braid your hair..."

"Oh, do you want to try my hair moisturizer?" (just for the record, there is actually such a thing! yeah, imagine my surprise when I heard there it actually existed O_O)

Me? Totally mortified.. O_O


*silence*


Then gal C who i could see (i'm in the centre sit mah) starts turning and staring at me through the gaps in the seats..

"Excuse me, we can hear what you all say behind you know?"

*Haiz. you know what they say in chinese, bu4 zhuo4 chu1 yi1, zhuo4 shi2 wu3 (meaning, if you're gonna do it, go all out to do it)..

Me: "Excuse me, we also can hear what you all are saying in front, you know?"

"What we all say in front is for us to hear one!"

"Well, what we all say behind is for us to hear also!"

Sheesh. Just what i needed - a catfight before we even took off!

Eventually, they had some zi4 zhi1 zi1 ming2 (self-awareness), when during the lift-off, one girl went..

"Eh, how come so quiet arh? we're like the only ones talking leh.."

Alas. this moment of brilliance didn't last - they started yakking away immediately.

So we shifted the seats the moment the seat-belt signs were off.

Issue settled. =P

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*Touchdown in Singapore at 2330hrs!

Yeah.. Customs was a breeze, and before we knew it, we were out of the airport! having bid a hasty goodbyes to Teresa, Dr John Lee, and Dr Gabriel Seow, to meet at the year-end party.. =)
Thanks Edwin, for the ride home! =P

Erm, more acknowledgements:

- Edwin, for some of his photos (happy now? haha =))
- my 3 travel companions, for reproducibility of tales & stories..


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Now sitting in front of my computer, in my cosy home, and looking back at those 6 days - those were 6 crazy fun-filled days! =) Totally had a great time.. Great companions too! Though we all had our individual moments, I think we came out all the better and stronger.. =) Nope, no regrets.. THANK YOU for the great time!! =)

P.S. Don't mind going back there, but don't foresee myself going back there in the near future for a vacation (there are other places to be explored for a vacation! =P) However, Comm service / mission trips -- yes.. =)