Silver Lining

Day 69: Phnom Penh (K). Shielding ourselves from the burning sun, Karen and I jumped on-board the nearest Tuk Tuk to take us down Sisowath Quay through the chaotic city traffic on our discovery of Phnom Penh, a capital whose very the name conjured up images of the exotic: The glimmering spires of the Royal Palace, the fluttering saffron of the monk's robes and the luscious location on the banks of the Mekong. This was one of Asia's gems.

Being the official residence of King Sihamoni, part of the Palace complex is closed to visitors, but those areas that remains open simply numb the senses by their sheer majesty. The 200 foot tower of the Throne Hall dominates the Phnom Penh skyline, but it is the opulence of the Silver Pagoda that really captured our imagination: Named in honour of the floor, which is covered in 5,000 silver tiles each weighing one kilogram, adding up to a whopping 5 tonnes of gleaming silver!

Leading up to the pagoda, a staircase of solid Italian marble. Inside, an emerald Buddha made from Baccarat crystal stood behind a gold Buddha encrusted with almost ten thousand diamonds, the largest of which weighed in at a massive 25 carats! To the left and right of the gold Buddha stood two further Buddha's, one cast from solid bronze and the other from solid silver. The list went on and on – a truly amazing sight.

At Wat Phnom, we took time out to catch our breath and watch the world go by with the street circus unfolding before our eyes: Beggars, women selling drinks & lotus peas, old men offering elephant rides, children selling post-cards and the local troop of baboons stealing what ever they could get their hands on! Most entrepreneurial of all though were the old women with caged birds charging $1 to free one of the little creatures. We observed as a few tourists took pity and shelled out their hard earned cash. The birds (obviously trained) took to the air and circled around the tree covered knoll for ten minutes only to return to the comfort and safety of their comfortable cages. Fantastic – a completely sustainable business!