To get to Phnom Penh we took a ferry from Chau Doc up the Mekong, giving a further opportunity to see the countryside from the river.
House boats
Petrol station
Boat
Pig in boat
Houses
Bank
Fishing nets
Village
Bank
Bank
Dredger
Village
Woman
Stop at the border to get our passports stamped and visas checked, while the locals carried on with their business
Girls
Workers
Continued on up the river, watching Cambodian life go by.
Boat repair
Washing the cow
Pagoda
Town
Workers planting
Inside boat
On hour before arriving at Phnom Penh a cloud of blue smoke erupted from the boat engine. After grifting for a few minutes, another ferry gave us a tow to shore where, watched by the villagers the boatman looked at and played about with the engine looking for inspiration. Trevour our leader made a couple of phone calls and arranged for a bus to come and collect us.
Shore spectators
Fisherman casting net
Container boat
Motorbike trailer
Setting up stalls
Yet another water festival!
Learned that with the festival being on that the Royal Palace would be closed the next day and so with an hour before closing we hurried on down for a visit.
Our morning was spend seeing the grimmer side of Cambodia. First we visited Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum where thousands of people were torchered and killed the Khmer Rouge. Then it was on to the 'Killing Fields'. Instructive as the morning was, it was a relief to move on to more pleasant scenes
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum Guide
Killing Fields Pagoda
Dragon boat racing
From our bedroom window we had a grandstand view of the Mekong and the Dragon Boat racing.
Four on a motorbike
In the afternoon we took a short tour of the city and then headed out of town to avoid the festival. Ended up watching the sunset from a hammock at a bar.
Donna, Sue, Sue and Anne in Tuk-tuk
Outside Central Market
Loaded trucks
Ferry
Relaxing
Sunset
Float
In the evening, large illuminated boats floated up and down the river whilst the crowds celebrated.
Festival at night
Bangkok Air plane
While waiting for our flight to Siem Reap we were impressed by the livery on the Bangkok Airways plane
