Bird’s Nest Bevarage – 25% bird’s nest

Sightseeing with a group of people can be stressful. Thankfully we were all in agreement – we would take it easy, give the national museum a miss and concentrate our day on the Cambodian Grand Palace and Silver Pagoda; the spiritual heart of the city.

Cambodia’s Grand Palace, built in the mid-nineteenth century indirectly harked back to past ‘golden ages’ for its architectural influences. The design was supposedly inspired by Bangkok’s counterpart, however, ironically the Thai Grand Palace was partially influenced by the ornamentation of ancient Cambodian temples.

Enclosed within mustard-coloured walls we strolled past reliquary stupas, well tended gardens and tall buildings with sweeping varnished roofs of yellow, green and red tiles. Sat amongst the typically south east asian architecture is an incongruous small French mansion – the pavillion of Napoleon III; a gift from France and a reminder of the (formal) imperial links that once existed between the two countries.

I found it a tranquil space, only yards away from busy roads and squares, but miles away from the hustle and bustle of Phnom Penh.

The largest and most impressive building of the palace is the Throne Hall, the only part of the interior we were allowed to view. This suitably plush room has been used for the coronation of Cambodian Kings, most recently the ballet dancing King Norodom Sihamoni – I half expected to see him pirouette out the door as i ascended the steps and entered the long, pillared, symmetrical room. The room was light, with auspicious chandeliers hanging from a muralled ceiling. But my eye was instantly drawn to the far end of the room and the ornate throne. The whole space around it radiates gold, even the air is tinged with the colour.

In the same compound as the palace is the Silver Pagoda; an extravagant temple which derives its name from the thousands of solid silver tiles that cover the floor of its interior. What’s wrong with Top’s Tiles? Though why bother with ceramics when you have five tons of precious metal spare?!

On display inside the main sanctuary are treasures of the Cambodian monarchy such as the tansluscent baccarat crystal buddha, the colour of jade, which topped a multi-tiered gilded pedestal in the middle of the room.

But for real bling, for the Puff Daddy’s out there, look no further than the 90kg solid gold buddha adorned with 2086-10,000 diamonds (sources do not agree), some a purse-busting 25 carat.

What would the historical Buddha have made of all this exceptionally wealthy and lavish earthly treasure in his name? I think….

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Tags: Asia, Cambodia, Grand Palace, Phnom Penh, Travel, Travel

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