What's Up Al ? 遊記隨筆 生活點滴

Yeh ! Indeed Time slipped through one's fingers and never to return ! Our impressions of the Cambodian capital 12 years ago when we stepped off from our bus from Siem Reap (packed with open cages of agitated chickens, armfuls of crying babies and crates of over-spilling farming produce) were far from what we saw this time around. Modern high-rises and construction cranes dotted the skyline, the feel of affluence was in the air, not least in the ultra-slick mega-malls completed with cinema complex, brand name shops and oodles of fancy eateries, the whole she-bang. Of course, we also witnessed pockets of shanty towns, low-down markets selling low-down fakes, but the overall image was one city playing catch-up quick with a growing well-to-do population. Quite unlike 12 years ago, we stayed well out side town in a tree-lined and low-rise suburb, Toul Kok, on the north west side of Phnom Penh. We visited Wat Phnom, Independence Monument, The Royal Palace, The Knotted-Gun Statue, The Central, Russian and Orussey Markets - One special mention, we worked out the bus systems this time and we took great use of the air-con, clean and frequent buses all across town - the traffic was heavy at times and we took the opportunity to relax and enjoy the cityscape in cool comfort. One personal note, our previous favourite Chinese restaurant (Sorya), which we found to be "almost" the best restaurant during the entire Indo-China journey in 2007, was amazingly, still there and doing good business. We could still recall with fondness the satisfying feel of a full stomach with the restaurant's yummy tofu and vegetable dishes, all for a legendary US 5 Dollars !