Those who last visited Phnom Penh a decade ago might be surprised to see the development of the Cambodia capital today. Many large buildings are under construction, on their way to becoming condominiums, hotels, shopping malls and entertainment complexes, while a skyscraper project, still under development in Koh Pich (Diamond Island), is promoting itself as the Manhattan of Phnom Penh.
The Throne Hall, or Preah Tineang Tevea Vinichhay, at the Royal Palace, used for the king's coronation, official receptions and traditional ceremonies.
One of the large shopping malls sitting on the bank of Bassac River is Aeon Mall, opened in mid-2014. Walking inside the mall is like wandering in CentralWorld, with its outlets by popular clothing brands, bags and shoes, as well as international food chains from the West, Korea, Japan and Thailand. Even Charoen Pokphand (CP) has opened a small restaurant, selling hot meals off a menu of CP products.
In the mall's supermarket, you can find -- compared to Thailand -- cheap prices of wine and other alcohol products. But you might not even want to go to the malls while visiting Phnom Penh, except to use the restroom or cool down from the hot weather outside.
One thing you'll want to try is the local food. I asked a Thai friend who knows the Khmer language and has visited Cambodia many times for her suggestions on Khmer food, and she brought us to one decent restaurant. Out of 30 dishes, those recommended were loc lac (stir-fried marinated beef or pork with one fried egg on top and served with lime dipping sauce), tong yam soup with fish (some restaurants spell it out as tom yam and the look is like our own tom yum, except that it's sweet instead of spicy) and fried fish with sweet-and-sour source.
Surprisingly, all the dishes were too sweet for my tongue, while a local dessert (boiled black-eyed peas and sticky rice with sweet coconut milk) that the restaurant offered us without charge was less sweet than the main course.
If you have a heart for brewed coffee, there are many modern coffee shops in the city, ranging from American brand names to Korean and Thai brands like Cafe Amazon as well as a signboard saying that a Doi Chang coffee shop will be open in Phnom Penh soon.
One place you may enjoy having a latte is the coffee shops along the bank of Tonlé Sap River, next to the Royal Palace Park. Along the river bank, there is a long, wide walkway where you can stroll around.
Several attractions are within walking distance of the park. Some highlights are the Royal Palace and the National Museum.
Another must-visit is the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum. The museum used to be Tuol Svay Prey High School, before the Khmer Rouge took over the country in 1975. The regime turned the school into a prison and called it S-21.
According to a guide at the museum, Di Vammdaleth, whose mother was one of the survivors of the Khmer Rouge, the "S" stands for "security" and 21 was the code of the prison's leader.
It was estimated that around 2 million people lost their lives -- more than one-fifth of the country's population -- during the Khmer Rouge genocide, which finally ended on Jan 7, 1979.
At the museum, you may be able to meet with two survivors, who open small stalls to raise funds for other living victims of the Khmer Rouge. One is Chum Mey, a mechanic who became a founder of the Ksaem Ksan Association, which has more than 3,000 victims as members -- see related story on page 9.
Another survivor is Bou Meng, an artist who painted all the pictures exhibited in the museum. The pictures reflect how prisoners were tortured and executed by soldiers of the Khmer Rouge.
Although Phnom Penh and other parts of the country were destroyed by the civil war, the capital city has never lost its charm, primarily because of its people, who are so polite and friendly.
Like other capital cities in Asean, Phnom Penh is in the midst of rapid change. Foreign investment keeps flowing into the city. Probably within the next decade, things will never be the same.
Known as the heart and soul of the capital, Wat Phnom (Hill Temple) was built more than 600 years ago by an elderly wealthy woman named Penh. Legend has it that Daun Penh (Grandma Penh) found a tree floating down a river. When the tree trunk was pulled ashore by the help of her neighbours, Penh found four bronze statues of Buddha inside the trunk. She and the villagers built a small temple upon a hill in 1372 to house the Buddha statues. The temple was called Wat Phnom Daun Penh. Later the name became shorter and today is known as Wat Phnom. In the 15th century, King Ponhea Yat moved the capital from Angkor to the present area, naming the city Krong Chaktomuk Moha Nokor Phnom Daun Penh. The capital was later known as Phnom Penh. At present, Wat Phnom is always crowded, as locals believe that good luck and success will come if they pay respect to the Buddha statues in Wat Phnom.
The hilltop Phnom Chisor was built in the 11th century by King Suryavarman I (AD 1002- 1050). To get to the top, visitors need to negotiate about 200 stairs. Although the site was bombed out during the Vietnam War, some artefacts, such as lintels and old inscriptions, have been preserved. East of the ruins where the entrance gate is located, visitors will be rewarded with a panoramic view of rice paddies. Phnom Chisor is located in Sia village in the Samrong district, about 62km south of Phnom Penh.
Like Sanam Luang in Bangkok, the Royal Palace Park is located next to the Royal Palace. Locals like to picnic in the park. Vendors sell balloons, snacks and bird food for visitors to feed pigeons.
Staff of the National Museum are repairing parts of a 7th-century Hindu statue. Called Harihara, the deity is the combined elements of Shiva and Vishnu, the two major gods of Hinduism. The head, with a weight about 47kg, was separated from the body for 130 years after colonial administrator Etienne Aymonier took it from Cambodia. The head was displayed inside the Guimet Museum in Paris, France’s national museum of Asian art, in 1989, and returned to Cambodia two months ago. The museum houses more than 14,000 artefacts in its four connected buildings in the compound. It displays not only the large collections of the Khmer Empire, but those of pre-Angkor such as pottery and bronze images. But the highlights are the Khmer statues and arts, including lintels, the eight-armed statue of Vishnu from the 6th century and several Apsara statues.
Although it is depressing to visit the old Khmer Rouge prison in the capital, the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum is a place visitors should go to. It is preserved as a testament to the crimes of the Khmer Rouge, according to museum guide Di Vammdaleth. There are four buildings inside the compound. Building A was used for high-ranking and important prisoners such as politicians. One classroom was divided into two cells and each prisoner was tortured in the room, while Buildings B, C and D were reserved for common people, including intellectuals and family members of important prisoners. They were put into a smaller cell, wide enough to lie down in, with one classroom divided into 10 cells. Each building is covered with barbed wire from the top to the ground, to prevent prisoners from committing suicide by jumping. Each prisoner was detained for a maximum of six months. During that time, they were tortured until confessing they worked for secret agencies like the CIA or KGB. Some died during torture, while those who survived were brought to a killing field, about 15km from the prison, for execution. Also exhibited in the museum are pictures of prisoners, torture tools, clothes and even skulls of prisoners. Over the three years that Khmer Rouge was in power, S-21 detained over 20,000 people and is known as the largest torture centre in Cambodia.