Cambodia….
Yes. We finally found some time to post a first message out of Cambodia on the blog. We are now five official residents in Phnom Penh and even if we are still looking to move into our final dwelling, we already feel as if we have settled. The change in country happened smoothly even if the Indian movers are still hanging on to our furniture.
Wat Phnom Temple with the 5 Buddhas
Life is different from India, actually much different and all in a positive way …….until now. We love to be in the busy streets when cars do not honk like in New Delhi. We occupy a service apartment until a suitable house is found. This is also the right time to discover the capital . Phnom Penh takes its name from the present Wat Phnom (“Hill Temple”). Legend has it that in 1372, an old nun named Lady Penh went to fetch water in the Mekong and found a dead Kukui tree floating down the stream. Inside a hole of the Koki tree were four bronze and one stone Buddha statues. Daun (Grandma) Penh brought the statues ashore and ordered people to pile up earth northeast of her house; she then used the Koki trunks to build a temple on the hill to house the five Buddha statues, and then named the temple after herself as Wat Phnom Daun Penh, which is now known as Wat Phnom, a small hill of 27 meters in height just around the corner from our apartment.
Weekly fish in the market
One place we discovered is the Central Market of Phnom Penh. It is a large market constructed in 1937 in the shape of a dome with four arms branching out into vast hallways with countless stalls of goods. When it first opened, it was said to be the biggest market in Asia. From 2009 to 2011, it underwent a renovation funded by the French and it realy made a difference. This unique Art Deco building is a Phnom Penh landmark and the place where I bought my 4 kg mussels for a Belgian dish.
Wat Phnom temple, near our place
It looks like the whole family has achieved a very soft landing in Phnom Penh. That is great. We dearly miss you all, here in Anand Lok. Your house is still looking for new tenants. On my opinion, the landlord is too greedy for the rent. What else is new
You guys take care !
Love from the Muller’s