I’ve been here for about two weeks now, and since I’m only required to be at placement from 8am till 12 everyday, I’ve had a lot of free time to go sight seeing around the city.
My first full day after arriving involved a city orientation, where I had my first tuk tuk ride, and I got told about the safest way to ensure your things don’t get stolen- keep them close to you and bags between your legs!
We had lunch at one of the best Thai restaurants in the city, the Khmer Surin, and ofcourse my #TaieatsThai series had to make a cameo. I had the chicken amok, which wasn’t as spicy as they said it was, but I asked for a bowl of chillies with it and that did the trick.
After lunch, I was taken to the medical supplies shop to buy essentials like scrubs, theatre gloves and masks, as well as a white coat. We then visited the Central Market where I was able to change money and buy some #freshgarms, a.k.a. lighter, looser clothes.
Last Saturday was our first full touristy day- we went to the Russian Market first to buy a bum bag, an essential, very useful must buy,
And then Samirah and I headed into the city and our sight seeing began.
The Wat Langka Temple:
The Independence Monument:
The Cambodia Vietnam Friendship Monument:
Statue of King Father Norodum:
We visited the Eclipse rooftop bar in the evening, and I tackled my fear of heights to make it all the way to the 23rd floor, which was super worth it for amaaaaazing views of the city.
On Sunday we found a church! We visited the International Christian Fellowship in Phnom Penh, which is an English speaking, VERY English church, with a mixed congregation of British and Cambodian people. It was a really lovely service, so I think we’re definitely going back.
What else have I been up to? Had a traditional full body Khmer massage on Monday, and I came out feeling like a brand new person. It was so so relaxing- took out knots I didn’t even know I had, and it was the most relaxing hour I’ve had in a while.
Also visited the Royal Palace this week, and it definitely gives Buckingham Palace a run for its money because it really is quite something! It was $10 extra for a tour guide, but I didn’t feel like paying that, so I decided to be our group’s tour guide. I whipped out my phone and read out facts from Wikipedia and the palace’s official website, because I am a cheapskate.
This week brought an end to my time in the maternity department at the Khmer Soviet Friendship hospital, but I’ll go into more detail about that in another post. We still have a lot of things to tick off our ‘To Visit in Phnom Penh’ list, so we should be getting round to those over the next week!
Life As A Junior Doctor 