21.01.2017 - We arrived in Phnom Penh at 5.30am after a 6-hour bus ride from Siem Reap. Upon our arrival, we saw many tourists and tuk-tuk drivers at the bus station. A tuk-tuk driver wanted to charge us USD6 to go to Mad Monkey Hostel. Yes, I booked a room in Mad Monkey Hostel. Haha! This time, it is a room just for the 3 of us. I bargained for the tuk-tuk price to drop to USD4 as it was just a 3km ride.
We arrived at the hostel about 6.15am and the guard let us sleep by the pool. He took out the mattress and let us lie on it. It was a warm morning. We lay till the sun rose. This time, I got some clear photos taken. Mad Monkey Hostel Phnom Penh has 2 buildings which is across the road from each other. The restaurant, some rooms and bar are located in another building. The reception, swimming pool and some rooms are in the main building.
Just like the hostel in Siem Reap, there is also an external toilet with a shower head to bathe. The toilet is very clean. We cleaned up in these toilets.
After we put our luggage in the luggage room, we walked out to find breakfast. We could not check in yet because the room was not ready. Check in time was 1pm.
During our walk, I noticed we are staying in a sort-of expensive place because I saw German Embassy (next door to the Hostel), a Raffles Montessori school, and Harrods International Academy which is located in a 50m road stretch. I saw lots of Western cafes. Then, I remembered we are in the capital of Cambodia and hence it makes sense to have lots of up-to-date eateries and international schools. We walked for about 10 minutes, making random turns to look for a local stall.
Even saw a restaurant from Geylang, Singapore. Haha!
Then, we saw it, a local stall. It was located opposite a serviced apartment - as from the above photo. A girl was seen grilling pork and the smell was just intoxicating. In a good way. We saw a few men sitting there. We ordered each - a plate of grilled pork, and fried egg. It comes with pickles and pork soup. The breakfast was absolutely delicious! I ordered a glass of Cambodian coffee. Altogether came to USD2.60 / RM11.70. It was definitely a rip-off because this price was quoted by one of the customers as the owner could not speak English. We saw so many locals stopping at the stall to take away the same meal we had and I am pretty sure they are not paying USD2.60. But I reminded myself - It's okay. We are paying to a local supporting her family.
After that splendid meal, we walked back to our Hostel and proceed to the must-visit of Phnom Penh - Cheong Ek Killing Field and S21 Genocide Museum.
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