We visited the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh which was built around 1860 and where the present king resides (sometimes).
The Silver Pagoda is the main attraction in the palace - it has Italian marble staircases, silver floor tiles (which are mostly covered, the uncovered ones are all tarnished black - except where tourists have surreptitiosly rubbed the tiles with their bare feet) and a huge collection of Buddhas. There were wooden Buddhas, stone Buddhas, copper Buddhas, silver Buddhas, gold Buddhas, even a jade Buddha (which may actually be Bakelite).
The palace grounds were well maintained and it was very peaceful there. However, it was slightly surreal walking around there in such an opulent setting, after having visited the killing fields and encountered beggers and children selling water and photocopied books in the streets. Admission to the palace was also relatively expensive, which makes me wonder if ordinary Cambodian people are able to visit there. Though I'm sure that, like most things in SEA, there is a tourist price and a local price.
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| A mural on the palace wall. |
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| One of the palace gates. |
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| A work in progress. |
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One of the stupas in the palace grounds.
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| A Buddha statue and an absolutely bizarre flower in the palace grounds. |
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