Christmas in Phnom Penh

In the lead up to our visit to Cambodia, Sophie read a book called “First they killed my father”, which was written by a lady who lived through the terrors of the Khmer Rouge. Having known little about it before, the content was truly shocking. We visited one of the many killing fields, just outside Phnom Penh, where thousands of innocent Cambodians were murdered. The fields are now a sombre, but beautiful and peaceful place. Whilst educating about the past, they also show how different the country is now, just 35 years since the atrocities were committed.

The city itself was relatively quiet, and felt very safe (we had been gone a while before the recent demonstrations occurred). There were lots of shops, restaurants, cafés and bookstores etc. as well as the main tourist spot- the Grand Palace. The main hall in the Palace has a floor made from a thousand silver tiles!

Phnom Penh was also where we spent our first Christmas away from home. It was surreal to be somewhere hot, it didn’t even feel like December in the first place! We stayed at a lovely hotel and made full use of the huge breakfasts of tropical fruits and french pastries, and we made time to enjoy the sun loungers and pool too. On the big day, we went to a tiny cinema to watch Elf, then treated ourselves to a delicious Cambodian dinner at a fantastic restaurant. It wasn’t the same, and we missed our families, but it was still a great day.

Dusty roads lead to the city

Amazing breakfasts at Samsara

Statues at the Palace

The Royal Palace

Ornate gate with the Palace gardens

We found a Christmas tree!

Christmas lunch

Phnom Penh rooftops at sunset

Memorial monument at the killing fields