Have added another country to my list recently by coming to visit Cambodia.

First impressions it looks like the city of Phnom Penh is on the up, and is being invested in. There is construction work and new modern buildings are popping up. The photo below shows new modern towers lit up with the Cambodian flag, with the Independence Monument up front.

In the city centre the main attraction is the Royal Palace complex, which also contains the Silver Pagoda. The palace dates back to 1866, the current throne hall that you can see is from 1917. The Silver Pagoda is named Wat Phreah Keo. It gets its silver name from over 5000 silver tiles that make up the floor. Today most of the silver tiles are covered over to protect them, but some are still visible near the entrance.

One of the oldest temples in the city is Wat Phnom, this dates back to 1372. It sits 27m high on the only small hill in the city. Many locals still come to prey for luck at the temple. Inside it is full of artwork depicting stories of Buddha.

As a treat from the usual cheaper guesthouses and hostels, we stayed at Penh House hotel. It was newly opened last year and has a great rooftop pool looking out over the city