I spent four fabulous days in this intriguing city.  The history here is depressing but also fascinating at the same time.  There is not much to see only on the surface, but once you begin exploring you will find so many hidden nooks, art, history, and lovely people.  Even the expat hang outs are full of interesting people. For those traveling in South East Asia, I fully recommend stopping by.

Phnom Penh is not for the weak of heart. It's really, really poor. I was not a big fan the first 24 hours that I was there... everything was so dusty, and poor, and depressing.

But after I gave it a chance, i really liked it. The city actually has a lot going for it - big wide avenues, lots of trees, a nice river, some interesting historical attractions like the national museum and palace. And the people were great - smiling and happy, with some of the most beautiful little kids I have ever seen. Interestingly, there were far fewer beggars in this destitute place than there are where I live - San Francisco.

I left Phnom Penh really rooting for it. The place has had so much bad luck, and seems to be just a couple breaks away from turning it around.

Like with most really poor places, you need to take cautions not to make yourself too much of a target. That being said, I didn't find Phnom Penh to be any more dangerous than other third world cities.

A crazy city - one of the last vestiges of old Asia. Fairly safe, but don't go out at night by yourself.