Two Days in Cambodia

We have a had a flying visit of Cambodia, spending only three nights and two full days here, but it has been a jam packed two days! The first was spent in the capital Phnom Penh and the second in Siem Reap with a night bus inbetween to facilitate packing in as much as possible.

For our day in Phnom Penh we spent the morning at the genocide museum. It is based in a former Khmer Rouge prison, known as S-21 that was once a high school. It was an eerie place, with a beautiful court yard, yet surrounded by razor wire and classroom blocks covered in more wire and iron bars. 3 million people were killed by the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979, about 60% were executed in places like the killing fields. The main form of execution was by bludgeoning or pick axe to save on bullets. This prison held nearly 20,000 people, of whom there are only 7 known survivors. They were held in S-21 to be tortured until they confessed to their so called crimes, it was a brutal time.

- Rules for prisoners.

In the afternoon we headed to the royal palace, where the Cambodian king was actually in residence. Our guide Rith gave us a good overview of what life in the royal court was like. From what we have heard the current king is not very popular, seemingly spending all his time praying and mediating, unlike his father, who was very popular, but died in 2013. The palace itself was stunning and it was a nice place to wonder through for a couple of hours.

- A building in the Royal Palace, Phnom Penh.

After a trip on the night bus (which was actually not too bad, especially when compared with our sleeper train experience) we were met by our driver for the day, Bunthy. We knew we would only have a day to explore the temple complexes surrounding Siem Reap so had treated ourselves to a driver for the day. Most people seem to get around on Tuk Tuk for the day, so the extra money spent on a knowledgeable English speaking driver, A/C and talented photographer was well worth it! It was also interesting to chat to a local about life in Cambodia and the history of the local area.

- A temple!

- View from a temple roof!

- The elephant terrace.

It was a great day out and I have never seen anything like the sheer concentration of ancient ruins in my life. It is hard to describe, but fortunately we have 50+ photos taken by our driver/personal photographer Bunthy (none of which was a good photo of Angkor Wat), which I may share at some point!

- A gate!

Finally after visiting 7 temples, being dropped to our hostel and watching the super bowl highlights (what a game!) on YouTube, we went out for dinner and then a walk down Pub Street (actual name), via the market where we picked up some stereotypical backpacker t-shirts. We then succumbed to our first spa, where I got a foot massage and Sophie got a pedicure, all for only $9!

- Pub Street

Cambodia has been great, if slightly expensive (relatively speaking), but we’ve had a great time and had loads of new experiences. Time for some peace and quiet... So off to Bangkok!