PHNOM PENH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT A GLANCE

Phnom Penh International Airport was a small but busy airport of Cambodia. I was here on the 13th and 16th August 2019 during my short trip to the capital city. The last facility was the shuttle train that ferried people from the airport to the city centre, and vice versa.

There was a prayer room, a building of its own, outside the main airport building, near to the shuttle train station. One reason could be there are a lot of local Muslims among Cambodians actually.

The food court was also located outside the terminal building.

There were many Malaysians flocking the airport when I was there to catch my flight home. Mostly came to Cambodia because they were carrying out the Qurban [slaughtering of animals to be given to the less fortunate] ritual during the Eid ul-Adha season.

chatting with a fellow Malaysian while waiting for the flight

In a few more years, I could see the airport could be expanding by looking at the development project going on in the city and Phnom Penh might also attract more visitors.

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RACHANA HOSTEL IN PHNOM PENH

I stayed at Rachana Hostel from 13th-16th August 2019, and it was a pleasant stay I must say.

the lobby

My first impression was this would be an old hotel by looking at the front facade of the building. Surprisingly it turned out to be cozy and everything was just fine.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS HOSTEL?

• The room is spacious and clean, worth the reasonable fare.
• People at the front desk are really friendly and helpful. (One girl lent me her money for me to pay the tuk tuk driver upon arriving as I did not have small change)
• The hostel is strategically located. The museum, palace and Sisowath Quay are all withing walking distance.
• The room is equipped with a kettle and a wide flat screen television.

OTHER THINGS YOU MAY CONSIDER:

• There is no lift. The stairs are steep and this could cause difficulties if you have a huge bag or you have problems with your feet climbing up.
• It is an old building so I think in any case of emergency, there is only one way out.

view from the window

the wide corridor outside

wardrobe with an open concept

I climbed up to the rooftop to get the view of the city the morning before going back.

If I were to come back to Phnom Penh, I would love to stay at this hostel again. Pray that I will still be healthy to walk up all those stairs again.

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THE CAMBODIA ROYAL RAILWAY STATION

The Cambodia Railway Station is one of the historical buildings erected in the centre of Phnom Penh and this could be seen just by looking at the architecture. It was built in 1932 but was abandoned from 2005-2016. The present site now operates offering train services to Sihanoukville and Poipot, as well as the terminal for the airport shuttle train.

I was here when I first arrived on 13th August and when I was leaving on 16th August 2019. It was so far the calmest train station that I had even been to.

There was a cafe connected to the station. I wanted to try its coffee on promotion - with salted eggs but it was not available at that time unfortunately.

Similar to Vietnam coffee I had had in Ho Chi Minh, it was way to sweet for me.

You should use the shuttle train service to and from the airport which is very convenient - cheap and minus all the bad traffic jam of Phnom Penh. Read HERE about the shuttle train service which I took when I was there.

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MEKONG RIVER CRUISE - WHEN THE SKY WAS BURNING RED

[CONTINUATION OF THE PART WHEN THE SKY WAS NOT RED YET]

15th AUGUST 2019 ~ Suddenly it all happened. When the ferry was making its way back to the jetty, I saw this fiery rolling cloud started to form in the sky. People on board started to look at the sky and get excited. Then they started to record this beautiful natural phenomenon instantly and were trying to get the best spot to capture the moment on cameras. 

Slowly, the sky transformed its colour as if it was on fire and was burning red.

I must say this was the most beautiful sunset I had ever witnessed in my life. I wonder if this happens every day here on the river in Phnom Penh.

Soon the bright sky faded into darkness. And there was a full moon over Phnom Penh the night before I bade farewell to Cambodia. That should conclude my short visit to Phnom Penh. It was a great trip and I was glad I chose to go there even though it was not a popular destination among Malaysians for a holiday.

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