Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, is a bustling city that’s prettily perched alongside the banks of the mighty Mekong River. The Pearl of Asia, the name the city is also often referred to, has an impressive wining and dining scene and packs plenty of cultural attractions; from the magnificent Royal Palace where the Cambodian King still resides, to the splendid stupas of the Silver Pagoda, ancient Khmer artifacts at the National Museum and harrowing accounts of the horrors of recent past at Toul Sleng Genocide Museum.
The city is divided into three sections, the north, an attractive residential area; the south or the French part of the city with its ministries, banks and colonial houses; and the centre or the heart with its museums, temples, narrow lanes, markets, food-stalls, cafes, world-class restaurants and shops.
A short trip from Phnom Penh is the Killing Fields, a tragic but important insight into the utter atrocities that occurred during the terrifying Pol Pot reign and act of remembrance for those who lost their lives.
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