Today we woke to a gentle sunrise, swiftlets diving on our bow, and the approach to the “City of Four Faces,” marked by the convergence of the Tonle Sap, Bassac, and Mekong River channels. It is at this hydrologic intersection that we arrive at the national capital, a striking contrast between the banana and rice fields of yesterday’s Cambodia.
As first-time visitors to Phnom Penh, we could not resist a panoramic cyclo tour through the packed streets. This we followed with a peek into the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, fine dining at the Topaz Restaurant, and a tour of the historic killing fields, guided by our friend Rithay, a Khmer Rouge survivor. Free time in the afternoon allowed for some exploration of the local markets, and dodging tuk-tuks to capture the bustle of city life on camera. Later in the evening the crew of Jahan treated us to a cruise up the Tonle Sap River, a traditional Khmer barbecue and Apsara dancing on the deck.
