Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Behind the vihara is a small shrine to
Daun Penh
, the woman credited with founding
the sanctuary here (see p.55); the shrine contains her genial image, much revered. The
large white chedi contains the ashes of King Ponhea Yat.
Preah Chao shrine
On the north side of the hill just below the summit is a busy shrine to
Preah Chao
, a
Tao goddess whom people come to ask for good luck, health or success with their
business; her helpers, Thien Ly Than (who can see for 1000 miles) and Thuan Phong
Nhi (who can hear sounds 1000 miles away), stand close by. Judging by the elaborate
offerings
on the altar, it seems that many requests are granted - it's not unusual to see
whole cooked chickens, surrounded by their cooked innards and unlaid eggs offered
on plates. Resident
monkeys
frequently steal the offerings; feeding them is said to
be a good way of acquiring merit for the next life, as is releasing the tiny birds that
hawkers sell from cages all around the hill - you may spot a Cambodian buying
up an entire cage - although it is rumoured that the birds are trained to fly back to
their cages once released.
The post o
ce
Street 13, cnr Street 102, one block east of Wat Phnom • Mon-Fri 7.30am-5pm, Sat 7.30-11am
Phnom Penh's main
post o
ce
is housed in a fine colonial building east of Wat
Phnom. Dating from the early twentieth century, it occupies one side of a colonial
square just off the river which in pre-Khmer Rouge years bustled with cafés and
restaurants; an attempt is being made to resurrect the area, but there's a way to go yet.
he post o
ce itself was restored in 2001; an old photograph of the interior hangs on
the wall inside, the counters shown still recognizable today.
The National Library (Bibliothèque Nationale)
Street 92, between Wat Phnom and Ra
es Le Royal • Mon-Fri 8-11am & 2-5pm
Set well back from the road, the
National Library
is a fine colonial building dating from
1924. During Pol Pot's regime, the topics were either destroyed or tossed out onto the
pavement, and the building was turned into a stable. In the 1980s, the Vietnamese
filled up the shelves with their own books, though barely a decade later these were
bound with string and sold by the kilo. It's now the French who are helping to
gradually restock the library's eclectic collection (with Francophone titles). A room off
the ground-floor reading room contains a collection of rare, century-old palm-leaf
manuscripts, the colour of parchment.
Ra
es Hotel Le Royal
Western end of Street 92
he
Ra
es Hotel Le Royal
, established in 1929 and set in lush tropical gardens, is a
fabulous blend of colonial, Khmer and Art Deco styles. Even if you're not staying
(see p.81), you should take a look at the grand teak staircase and the vintage photos in
the
Writers' Bar
, head to the
Elephant Bar
for cocktails (see p.87) or simply drop into
the conservatory, a delightful spot to take morning coffee or afternoon tea.
The train station
Western end of Street 106
he
train station
occupies a commanding position facing the grassy avenue that runs
between streets 106 and 108 to the river. Built in the early 1930s, it has an
impressive Art Deco facade, but there's little activity here other than the freight
