2019 Q8 4ND: 06 Kampot - Phnom Penh

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones...” - Confucius

(The Water Treatment Plant in Phnom Penh)

Day 06: 06 Dec 2019 (Friday)
Route: Kampot - Phnom Penh
Distance: 152 km
Hotel: Pilatus Hotel, Phnom Penh

07:00 - Breakfast of half-boiled eggs and bread in the hotel room. Hot nescafe and fruit drinks to go along.

(Nyny Hotel in Kampot)

(Bread and eggs for breakfast)

08:00 - Picked up our clean laundry only for USD1/kg. This will last us for another week before the next laundry.

(A small convenient store cum laundry shop)

08:30 - Checked out and drove to Masjid al-Kamar for Solat Dhuha. This is our favorite mosque to visit whenever we are in Kampot. Al Kamar Mosque has been a center of propagation of heresy by the Zahidi clan for hundreds of years.There are a few halal restaurants around the area.

(Masjid al-Kamar, Kampot)

(A mosque with a bad history)

(One of the two minarets)

(Nature calls, bring your pail of water)

08:45 - Packed Chicken Rice from a halal restaurant in front of the mosque, for lunch later.

(Only chicken rice is available in the morning)

09:00 - Drove out of Kampot towards Phnom Penh. Had to endure a bumpy and dusty drive all the way to the capital city.

(Vehicle paper close at hand)

(Driving out of Kampot town)

(A typical trunk road in Cambodia)

(Damaged road through small towns)

(Major road works on some stretches of the road)

(The worst condition yet to come)

11:30 - Stopped for coffee break at a PTT at Khong Pisei.

(We had our own flask of steaming hot coffee)

12:45 - Massive roadworks and heavy traffic enroute Phnom Penh city

(The start of the traffic jam)

(Slow moving traffic into town centre)

14:15 - Checked in Phnom Penh Pilatus Hotel for USD15/night. This is an old hotel situated in Chroy Changvar district on the peninsula formed by the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. Had our packed nasi goreng for lunch and rested well.

(A hotel near the waterfront)

(This old hotel is for currently sale)

(Springy old bed, very uncomfortable to the back)

16:00 - In the afternoon, visited three mosques on the peninsular.

1. Eak Reangsay Mosque (Masjid Daresalam)

(Masjid Darul-Salam)

(Very spacious mosque with a hostel for the tahfiz)

(Kids playing in the sand in the mosque compound)

2. Mat Sontipheap Mosque (Masjid Ar-Rahman)

(Masjid Al-Rahman)

(A Muslim Development Foundation)

3. Muc Dac Mosque

(Muc Dac Mosque at dusk)

(Spacious parking area in front of the mosque)

17:00 - Visited the Water Treatment Plant on Tonle Sap River

(A nice place to watch the river activities)

17:50 - Visited the Chong Koh Ethnic Cham fishing village during dusk. The Muslim fishing community have lived on the riverbank for years, fished the waters of the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers, and have never owned any land. Recently the government ordered members of the Cham fishing community to move from there to give way for city development.

(The Muslim settlement area has been cleared)

(A small jetty for boats to ferry commuters)

(A busy traffic of tourist and fishing boats)

(Food trucks along the waterfront)

18:00 - Watched the sunset from the Chrouy Changva Park. The view of the confluence of Mekong and the Tonle Sap is geographically unique and spectacular during sunset. There is a small jetty for boats ferrying commuters and tourist to and from the other side of the river bank.

(The city of Phnom Penh on the other river bank)

(A beautiful silhouette of the city skyline)

(Serene and quiet scene during sunset)

19:00 - Chroy Changvar Bridge or Cambodia-Japan Friendship Bridge was built in 1966 and left incomplete until 1979.

(A view of the friendship bridge)

(A busy road along the waterfront)

(Night view of Phnom Penh city)

(A leisure stroll along the waterfront)

19:30 – Dinner of local delicacies at the Riverside Food Court by the Mekong River.

(The halal section of the food-court)

(Tasty chicken porridge for dinner)

2019 4ND: 07 Phnom Penh - Siem Reap👉

👈2019 4ND: 05 Koh Kong - Kampot