Phnom Penh

Ok, so we will pick up my journey from my hotel in Ho Chi Minh. I woke up and was transported by taxi (courtesy of the hotel) to the bus I would be taking to Phnom Penh. The bus left at 7:30 am. The route was actually more scenic than I thought (though, I really had no idea what to expect).

Roughly 2 hours later we arrived at the border. We had to take all our belongings off the bus and go through security and passport control. The bus driver had taken our passports when we got on the bus and handed them to the officials at the border who processed them then called our names. After returning our passports we could get back on the bus and drive to the Cambodian side of the border where we had to go through passport control again and show our visa.

The process was really simple and didn't take very long at all. We got back on the same bus and continued on. The scenery was pretty much the same the whole way, except when we got to the ferry port. At one point the bus was parked on a ferry and transported across a river, this took only a few minutes then we were back on the road and arrived in Phnom Penh around 1pm. (Don't remember the time, but it was somewhere around there).

My phone, which had worked in Vietnam, decided it wanted a vacation too. So, I wasn't able to contact my hostel which provided free pick up service. Instead, I took my first tuk-tuk! hehe, I must say I kinda enjoy travelling by tuk-tuk.

After attempting to convince me the hostel I had booked was no good, he finally agreed to take me to my hostel for $3. I stayed at the #11 Happy Guesthouse. Actually, to be quite honest, I'm not sure if that is where I slept. I'll explain. When I arrived I walked under this sign to see a bunch of Cambodian people just sitting around, but nothing that looked hostel-like. A guy came up and asked me if I wanted a room here and took me to an area next door. They had a sign with both the #11 Happy Guesthouse and another name. Maybe they have 2 names? I was slightly confused but still took the $5 room.

I must say, I was not impressed with this $5 room. I took it because I was tired and it was only 2 nights. The other places in the area were about the same. I didn't enjoy this place because the room was really dirty. I'm pretty sure the sheets were not clean, I KNOW the bathroom wasn't cleaned, and the second night I woke up to a cockroach running around the room. This little bug kept me up for a few hours, being paranoid about it getting onto the bed or into my bag, or even worse having some friends.

Oh well, it was $5 and only 2 nights. Oh, and the shower was freezing!!
So my first night in Phnom Penh I just ate dinner at the hostel and went to sleep early (I'm on vacation too after all!)
Wednesday morning I woke up and decided to see the Choeung Ek Killing Fields first.  A guy who worked at the hostel took me to the fields by moto bike for $15.
Also, I highly suggest getting a tour guide for this site. A guide will be able to tell you the history and more details that you would get by going yourself. I tried walking around myself, and quickly realized I was missing out on a lot, so I got a guide for myself, and was really glad I did. The guides can be hired "by donation", they suggest $5, and I thought it was worth it.

Choeung Ek
Choeung Ek had been a Chinese graveyard until 1975 when the Khmer Rouge began to use it as an execution site. Between 1975 and 1979, about 18000 people were tortured and killed there. This was not the only killing field used by the Pol Pot regime, there were thousands more like it, but Choeung Ek was the largest site, killing the most amount of people.

The first thing you see and Choeung Ek is the memorial stupa where bones of the victims are kept. The bottom layer is filled with clothes that have been found, the next few layers with around 8,000 skulls, and the higher levels have the remaining bones.

Let's move onto the killing process. Prisoners were brought from the S-21 prison (more on this site later) in trucks. Two or three trucks were sent monthly with 20-30 prisoners. This was always done at night to hide the operation from the surrounding farmers. People who were killed at Choeung Ek tended to be people of higher status (doctors, teachers, politicians). They would be separated into 2 groups, one of men and the other of women and Children. Prisoners were led to a ditch and ordered to kneel down. They were then clubbed on the neck or stabbed and thrown into the ditch. After all prisoners were in the ditch, the executioners would scatter chemical substances over the body to both kill any prisoners still alive and cover the stench of the decaying bodies. They were then buried whether all the prisoners were dead or alive.

Sometimes, kids and their mothers would be taken to the "killing tree". Here, executioners would hold children by their ankles and beat them against the tree while their mothers would watch and then the mothers would be raped then killed.

Going there now is a really moving experience. Again, I really suggest getting a tour guide as it will be more meaningful and you will get more out of the experience. Walking around you will see bits of bones, clothing, and hair sticking up from the ground. 

They also have plastic cases where they put bones as they are discovered or uncovered after it rains.

The last thing you really see is the last grave they made. When the operation was about to be shut down, due to Vietnam finding out about the killing field and moving in on the Pol Pot regime, they did a mass killing of 450 victims.

I was really moved by the killing fields and the terrible history of Cambodia, but it by no means ends here. 

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Next the motobike driver took me to S-21, also known as the Tuol Sleng Genocide museum.S-21 was formerly a High School until the Khmer regime turned it into a prison and interrogation center. About 17,000 people were kept here from 1975-79, with 1,000-1,500 at any given time.

Prisoners were interrogated then arrested, often under false charges, and forced to sign a confession. They were kept in cells; some in small cells, and some in larger communal cells.

They were beaten harshly if they disobeyed any of the rules, which were displayed on a big sign..

Prisoners were kept here for 2-3 months until the were killed and buried near the prison or taken to Choeung Ek. 

To get prisoners to confess to the bogus charges made up by their captors, they were tortured by various means, including pulling out their fingernails while pouring alcohol on their wounds, electric shock, and waterboarding.

Of the estimated 17,000 prisoners at S-21, there are only 7 known survivors and 4 are still alive today.

There are many books, websites, and documentaries out there for anybody interested in more information.

Now onto more cheerful aspects of my trip. After leaving the Tuol Sleng museum I took a tuk-tuk to the area of the Royal Palace. The palace was closed between 11 and 2:30, so I took this opportunity to walk over to the Friends restaurant. Friends Restaurant is run by an NGO that helps train Cambodia's street children in hospitality service. I ordered Khmer chicken curry and a raspberry shake. 

It was delicious and the students and teachers there provided great service and spoke English well enough that I had no problem communicating. I highly recommend this restaurant for both the food and service as well as to support its work.    http://www.friends-international.org/

After lunch, I walked along the Mekong River. I stopped in one of the massage parlors and got a 60 minute massage for $12. ^_^

Royal Palace

My last stop of the day was the Royal Palace. It was built in 1866 and has been occupied by the Kings of Cambodia since. It costs $6 to get into the Palace, and if your legs or shoulders are not properly covered you can rent appropriate clothing for a small deposit. I was wearing shorts so I had to rent a sarong to cover my legs.

The Khmer architecture was beautiful and everything was elaborately decorated. I will just show you through pictures about the palace. 

^ The Silver pagoda, aka Wat Preah Keo. If you go to my pictures on Picasa and look closely, you can see Buddha's head near the top of the tallest spire. 

http://picasaweb.google.com/aeihrig/PhnomPenh#5557497819219979010

 ^ wall painting

 ^ resident of the King

 ^Kantha Bopha Stupa

After ambling around the Palace grounds, I walked back to my hostel, stopping by one of the markets, and got to sleep early for my bus to Siem Riep. That is where we will pick up next time! Would love some feedback from any readers out there!

pictures can be found here

http://picasaweb.google.com/aeihrig/PhnomPenh#