Cambodia – Day Five – Phnom Penh Palaces

Our last day in Phnom Penh we decided to make it over to the Royal Palace. Built in the 1860s, it has served as the seat of the King of Cambodia since. It is a complex of buildings and below are a few of the photos I took while wandering the grounds. No photos are allowed inside of any of the buildings, and several buildings are kept at bay from tourists and can only be seen from afar. The insides I did see were quite something. The Silver Pagoda, for instance, has real silver metal tiles as flooring. Throne Palace was decked out in frescoes of a Cambodian Epic and is very impressive. You’ll notice four faces on the spire of Throne Hall. They are of Brahma, the Hindu god of creation.

Hor Samran Phirun and Phochani Pavilion

Hor Samran Phirun

A beautiful metal gate, I read somewhere France had given some metal gates as a gift. I wonder if this is it.

We also found some monkeys playing around. We gathered to watch them first, others soon followed. Then the monkeys realized they had an audience…

[![PalacePano2](http://i0.wp.com/res.cloudinary.com/dspag2tck/image/upload/h_151,w_670/v1438465458/PalacePano2_z3wp5k.jpg?resize=670%2C151)](http://i0.wp.com/res.cloudinary.com/dspag2tck/image/upload/v1438465458/PalacePano2_z3wp5k.jpg)

[![PalacePano1](http://i2.wp.com/res.cloudinary.com/dspag2tck/image/upload/h_153,w_670/v1438465460/PalacePano1_itqdmx.jpg?resize=670%2C153)](http://i1.wp.com/res.cloudinary.com/dspag2tck/image/upload/v1438465460/PalacePano1_itqdmx.jpg)

Later that day we would catch our flight to Saigon, or as you might find it on maps today, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). I had a lovely view of the city at night from my window seat.

By Daniel Hatke

The author was born and raised in Indiana. After graduating from Purdue University he worked in the asset management industry in New York City. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School with concentrations in finance and entrepreneurship. Currently, he is fueling his curiosities through taking time off for extended travel and experiences in Europe and Asia, as chronicled here.