Last, But Not Least

Our last day in Phnom Penh started out with an early morning trip to the royal palace. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to tour the private gardens and we weren't invited in for tea. But we were approached by a small group of Vietnamese people (who can be seen in front of the Throne Hall in the picture below) to have their photo taken with us. This was the second time in two days that this has happened. Either we are really pretty or really ugly! Actually, they were fascinated with our skin, stroking our arms and even trying to smell them, so we think it has to do with how white we all are. (Asia sells a LOT of whitening cream.)

While most of the palace has a decidedly Asian feel, (doesn't it remind you of the palace in Bangkok?), the building in the next picture seems a little out of place. That's because it's French. It was donated by Napolean the Third. (Jennifer, that's THird.)

The main attraction at the palace is the Silver Pagoda, whose floor is tiled with 5000 silver tiles (about one square foot in size), which each weigh one kilogram. The pagoda is now filled with silver and gold treasures, but the most famous item is (yet another) Emerald Buddha. But, frankly, this one looks like it is made of glass instead of some precious material.

You aren't allowed to take pictures inside the pagoda, so instead, I give you these pictures of things in the surrounding courtyard.

The inside of the courtyard walls are covered in paintings...

... there is a little mound with a tiny wat and some Buddha statues...

... and there are these cool garuda statues holding up the roofs of some of the buildings.

After this, we had breakfast at a place whose walls were covered in British music, TV, and movie stills and posters. Then we began a day of errands, caring for all of the things that needed to be done before we left. My most important errand was a birthday gift for my nephew, Fritz. I found a really cool, traditional, snakeskin covered drum for him. I hope he likes it.

We chose the right day for errands, since it was raining most of the afternoon. It actually made the tuk-tuk ride more fun because the driver unfurled the plastic raincovers that hung from the roof to cover the sides of the cart. So, it was like being in our own little, private, covered carriage. (That's Jennifer, wearing a traditional Cambodian krama, and Marije in the picture.)

Since it was our last night, we had a nice Khmer dinner and then walked the few blocks back to the palace to see the lights.

While everyone else packed, traded pictures, and listened to music, Marije made a new journal for me. I couldn't find one with unlined pages, so she bought plain paper and a folio and sewed and glued them together to make a really awesome journal. Isn't she so sweet?
Thanks, Marije!!! You're the best!

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