After a short ride (on a bus) across town, I boarded a large air-conditioned bus (USD$4) to Phnom Penh. Apart from knowing a Japanese lady (Ku has been on the road for 3 months) and trying not to be too concerned by the driver's reckless driving, there was nothing remarkable during the ride. The infrastructure between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh is pretty well developed (not as bumpy as I thought) and there were 2 "pee-break" stops at Kampong Thom and Skuon respectively.

As the bus gets nearer to the Cambodian capital, there are more and more built-up areas, buildings and vehicles. When we got down from the bus, there was a swamp of guesthouse/transport touts surrounding (literally!) the entrance, each announcing that their services are the best. After getting her stuff (she has a large luggage!), I shared a tuk-tuk with Ku and got to the Psar O Russei area. I checked-in for a Single (USD$4/night) at Capitol Guesthouse (the first entry on Lonely Planet). It was bare (but sufficient).

After a quick rest, I had dinner (at some pizza joint) and a Beer Lao (Teukei Bar) with Ku. It was especially nice to have company for awhile when one is traveling alone.

My first impression of Phnom Penh reminds me like any district town centre (i.e. Malacca?) in Malaysia. I would have been easily fooled into thinking this is Malaysia if not for the street signs denoting Khmer characters. Piles of rubbish are all collected in a pile to ease the job of the cleaners who will be clearing them in the middle of the night. Music blasted from a male-orientated restaurant/disco on an opposite street. The Premiership (it was the opening day) was on the screens, but I wonder if the rich Khmer businessmen were more interested in the beautiful ladies who were busily ensuring that the supply of Tiger Beer remains undisrupted.