This city of extremes carries memories of the past and hopes for the future.
Cambodia's capital retains an undeniable charm, despite its tumultuous, often violent past. The crumbling colonial architecture makes an attractive backdrop to bustling streetside cafes and the redeveloped riverfront precinct - a particularly lively part of town on Friday and Saturday nights.
The city has several impressive wats (temple-monasteries), including Wat Ounalom, Wat Phnom and Wat Moha Montrei. Pride of place goes to the spectacular Silver Pagoda, one of the few places in Cambodia where artefacts embodying the richness of Khmer culture were preserved by the Khmer Rouge.
1,313,851
Name: Riel
Code: KHR
Symbol: CR
230V 50Hz
Official: Khmer
GMT/UTC +7
+855
Metric
article by Jane Rawson, March 2006
Dodging traffic and 30,000 different kinds of dysentery in Phnom Penh. Lovely. Read the full article ›
Tags: Cities • Phnom Penh
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