Around Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville

My tour in the the country famous for its temples started getting to know them around Phnom Penh.


Phnom Chisor with a view to the rice fields




I happened to be around when monks had their lunch. The thing what I cannot figure out is that all their food should come from begging. Usually they get plain rice.
But these monks there were having a very luxurious lunch.





First proposal! At Tonle Baty




Small bungalows for rent. Tonle Baty





Sunset dinner
Sihanoukville is the only sea resort in Cambodia. Crowded with western tourists, hard to find a moment when nobody is trying to sell you something.





Private beach. After a 15 minute walk from the busy main beach I finished up in this lovely spot where I managed to be half a day almost alone. Only the security guy from local guesthouse, one boy fishing and me. Perfect spot.






So far I have always valued to get the experience by having a food where also local people have it. So during the lunch time I headed to Sihanoukville main market. Have to admit there is still space for some development, didn't dare to eat there.






Still holding together

Welcome to Cambodia

Well here Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, got me. Definitely it didn't leave me untouched.

For example traffic is really happening everywhere, I think number plates are not really needed in Cambodia. I haven't seen that many Lexus cars anywhere else, often these ones didn't have number plates, but almost always they had "Lexus" written with big shiny letters on both sides of the vehicle.
As the traffic was happening everywhere and in all directions at the same time, I noticed only on the second day that in Cambodia the traffic is back on the "correct" side of the road and the driver is sitting in the "correct" side of the car. Last time I saw traffic in this side was 2007 during the Christmas.


Litter bin made of old tyres, very environmental friendly approach






But not that much litter finishes up in the bin. Just another street in the center of the town.




Petrol station




My tuk-tuk

Kuala Lumpur

The reason I finished up in the capital of Malaysia was that there was no direct way from Borneo island to Cambodia, even if on the map they are not that far from each other.
One of the so called must do things in Kuala Lumpur is to go on top of the famous Petronas Twin Towers. Actually not even the top of it but somewhere in the middle there is the sky walk bridge. Well, this is what I didn't do.

Actually I even didn't plan to go hanging around there. But finally I am clad that I still went to walk around there in the evening. They looked rather impressive from underneath, though as they are conic they don't look very high (even if they are almost half a kilometer tall)

After almost a month in Borneo island - poorest region of Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur with its toll highways, skyscrapers etc felt a bit too busy... well then I still hadn't any idea about Phonm Penh, capital of Cambodia :)



Memorial sites, skyscrapers, fountains. Not many of them on Borneo island





White in white





Silhouette of Kuala Lumpur





Petronas Twin Towers

Diving town Semporna

Every day is not a diving day, especially as I got the licence to go diving in Sipadan for the next day.
So I was wondering around in Semporna




On the boat ramp





Family in front of their house.






It was kind of tricky to walk on these streets built on water as at one moment I got all these children following me. We played the came "What is your name?", simple game, they asked my name and then I asked their name. At one moment the noise we were making in the village was getting a bit too loud and anyway I was thinking how to get further on, preferably not taking the children with me. So then I started the game "Good Bye", that included shaking the hand of each child and then saying God Bye in Malaysian. They got so carried on by the game that the next step of the game of going back to their homes came naturally and one by one all of them headed that way :)




Village. All the waste goes directly to the sea. And then all the foreign tourists are paying thousands to go diving in these waters :)






One of the mates around the hostel