Regular readers will know all about my constant struggle to feed my kids’ enthusiasm for animals without supporting cruel or unethical organizations. Last year I wrote about a rather dowdy zoo in Laos that was being transformed into a wildlife rescue center. In Cambodia we came across another such place, in a promising sign that a significant shift is taking place in views on animal welfare in the region.

The Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center is sometimes known as Phnom Penh Zoo, even though it’s not in Phnom Penh and it’s not a zoo. We hired a car through our hotel to take us there, which cost us USD 60; more expensive than most, but we believed that booking through the hotel would give us some recourse if there was a problem (wrongly, as a future post will recount.)

Nothing to see here. Just a monkey riding on a deer.

As with the Lao WRC, the smaller and less charismatic animals are clustered round the entrance. Deer wander freely around, as do wild macaques. We were pursued by a woman trying to sell us fruit to feed the monkeys, to whom I couldn’t explain that I think feeding wild monkeys is a terrible idea, particularly after our encounters with the aggressive macaques of Malaysia, one of which attacked my son. In the end she started calling the monkeys over to us, and I had to say “No!” quite forcefully to get her to leave us alone.

The otters were cute, but clearly associated humans with food

There’s a wide variety of animals, from monkeys and lorises to lizards and crocodiles. Only a few showed signs of distress, but many obviously associated humans with food, such as the smooth-coated otters which came running and tumbling towards us when they saw us pass. This is why these animals cannot be released into the wild; they may be unable to feed themselves, and would be easy prey for poachers.

Lunch, Khmer style, was a joy

We happily spent a couple of hours wandering around this section, then went for lunch Khmer style: on a carpet on a raised platform. We lounged in hammocks drinking cooling coconut milk while our food was prepared, then feasted on fresh grilled fish and what may well have been the best chicken I have ever eaten.

After lunch we got back in the car, and I thought our driver was taking us to the next part of the sprawling site. We were nearly at the exit before we realized, and had to tell him we hadn’t seen the tiger or the elephants yet. He was a little reluctant to turn back, perhaps because we’d given him the leftover chicken and it was a warm day.

However, had we left then, we would have missed two unforgettable experiences. One was hearing the tiger’s roar ringing round the trees, an utterly awe-inspiring sound which touched on primal terrors. It is a beautiful beast, though clearly unhappy as it paced the perimeter of its enclosure.

The other came after we had found the elephants, fed them sugar cane, and wandered off in search of our driver. By chance we came across a keeper leading one of the elephants, a female called Lucky, on her daily walk around the center. We stroked her, fed her, and blew up her trunk, which we were assured is the elephant equivalent of a kiss. It’s always risky to ascribe human emotions to animals, but I was certain that she was loving all the attention.

Meeting Lucky the elephant was an unexpected but unforgettable experience

If you’re visiting Phnom Penh with kids, then Phnom Tamao should unquestionably be on your itinerary. Children can have close encounters with extraordinary wildlife, and you can be confident that your money is going to support the ongoing battle against the poachers and smugglers who threaten these animals’ very existence.

Photos: Andrew Killeen

When I was a child Cambodia was a word associated with horror, with barely-understood atrocities depicted in grainy monochrome photos. As a teen I pogoed to the Dead Kennedys’ punk classic “Holiday in Cambodia”, never imagining that one day I would really be holidaying there.

Though Cambodia is now peaceful and friendly, its tragic past forms a major element of the tourist attractions of Phnom Penh. However we decided not to visit the Killing Fields, or the Genocide Museum, with our 13-year-old and 10-year-old sons. In part this was because we’d found the War Museum in Ho Chi Minh City quite distressing enough; and because a cynical, hard-bitten friend of mine had told me that he’d had to step outside during his visit to the Genocide Museum, to go and cry for a while, and nearly hadn’t gone back in.

We talked to our boys about the country’s history, and felt that we all understood what had taken place well enough without needing to see the grim details. It was not a decision taken out of any disrespect for the victims and the survivors, nor intended as any criticism of any family which made a different choice. But it felt right for us.

So leaving the shadows of the recent past behind, we focused on the city’s older glories. The National Museum is a relatively new building, though still nearly a hundred years old. But the majority of the carvings, statues, bronzes, and friezes inside date from the 600 years when the Khmer Empire sprawled across the region, powerful and prosperous.

The museum is packed with spectacular statues

Fans of Doctor Who might suspect the designer of the Ood had seen Khmer statues of Ganesha

The museum is well laid-out, with information in English, and its courtyards make it a cool and shady place amid the Phnom Penh heat (although we were surprised to see a rat scuttling around near the pool.)

The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh

The Royal Palace is another relatively recent building, having been constructed when the capital moved to the city in 1865. It’s still the ceremonial heart of the monarchy, so not all of it is accessible. However it’s worth finding the mural which tells the story of Reamker, Cambodia’s national poem, a version of the Hindu Ramayana. Though the mural is damaged in places by neglect, it’s still spectacular, filled with detail and skilfully blending different artistic styles, while remaining quintessentially Khmer.

The mural of the Reamker

Our boys had had enough sightseeing by this point, and opted to find a shady spot to discuss professional wrestling. However I was able to inveigle them into the Silver Pagoda, with the promise of treasure.

“Real treasure?” Noah perked up. He loves fantasy adventure.

“Gold, silver, and gems…” I told him. “The jewelled goblets of kings, priceless statues of ancient gods…”

Sadly, photography is forbidden within the Silver Pagoda, so I can’t show you the treasure; you’ll have to see it for yourself. All I can tell you is, the boys did not leave disappointed.

But beyond the ancient treasures, Phnom Penh is a clean and safe city, and in the cool of the evening is a pleasant place to stroll around, listening to the gamelan-like bands performing to the crowds milling around shrines, the air rich with the scent of incense and offerings of flowers and food.

A percussion band plays by a dais for offerings at a riverside shrine

Photos: Andrew Killeen

After a five-hour trip, my bus inbound from Siem Reap halted at the central bus station at Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s bustling capital nestled on the banks of the mighty Mekong River.

Without a skyline dominated by modern high-rise blocks, the streets of Phnom Penh are instead characterized by big trees, Cambodian-style architecture, and temples, ideal for strolling around and exploring by bike.

I cycled to Central Market, a large, historic market with countless stalls selling goods ranging from flowers, jewelry, antiques (or fake antiques to be more accurate), handicrafts, clothes, and souvenirs. The dome-shaped, European-looking building which houses the market is very photogenic.

Phnom Penh’s Central Market

The top of my must-do list was to visit Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, a place that is probably not for those easily distressed, nor suitable for children. Emotionally grueling as the exhibition is, it’s an essential part of understanding the history of the country. I spent over three hours there and left with a lump in my throat and much respect for how Cambodia faces up this horrific period of history, offering detailed information with no excuses or evasion. And I’m so in awe of how upbeat people there are, despite this dark history.

The National Museum

I didn’t go to the Royal Palace, one of Phnom Penh’s most popular attractions, but went to the less tourist-packed National Museum instead which is only a walking distance away. The museum houses more than 14,000 items including sculptures, ceramics, and bronzes, and the red-brick building, which was constructed nearly a century ago, is one of the country’s architectural gems.

Food in Phnom Penh is similar to that in Siem Reap, only with more options thanks to those mushrooming restaurants catering to tourists from all around the world. At a traditional restaurant called Romdeng, I tried fish amok, a classic Khmer dish which is steamed and served in a banana leaf with a little coconut cream on top. Another two specialties of this restaurant are deep-fried tarantula and red tree ants with beef and holy basil. As with the unhatched chicks, both of these were a step too far for me.

Fish amok

I was a little nervous about what I might encounter in Phnom Penh, since I had been advised to hold tight to my valuables because stealing is very common there, but all the people I met were so kind that I almost forgot I was alone in a foreign country. Having only stayed for two days, I didn’t get the chance to try all the things on my must-do list, but that didn’t affect how much I enjoyed my stay in this wonderful city, and I left regretting only that I couldn’t stay longer.

Photos: Pixabay; Jpatokal via Wikimedia Commons; the City Kitchen