Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Crossed the border by bus into Cambodia, and instantly saw a difference. The script and buildings resemble the florid styles of Thailand, as opposed to the Greek based letters and narrow utilitarian block buildings of Vietnam.
Phnom Penh feels like a very chilled capital city. People seem friendlier and more relaxed (that implies that Vietnamese weren't, which isn't true, just that the Cambodians seem even more relaxed!).
Poverty is more visible - people living in the streets, disabled beggars, and shoe-shine boys offering to clean my flip-flops for $1. Maybe that's why there are so many charities and NGO's here? But there's obviously some money too - the main transport is still the motorbike, but there are more cars on the road and they're nearly all huge luxury 4x4's: Lexus, Land Rover and even a Hummer pick-up. Cambodian status symbols or playthings of the ex-pat workers?
After two abortive attempts we finally made it to the Royal Palace, which even the boys said was beautiful. It was well worth the effort: ornate gilded 'King & I' style palace buildings, a silver floored pagoda, saffron robed Buddhist monks, a shrine, temple and a museum to the King and to traditional Khmer lifestyle. A huge portrait of the King faces out from the front of the Palace, which we've decided makes him look like a Cambodian version of Ted Heath or Alfred Hitchcock.