Phnom Penh

Asleep on the job
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The bus here was packed to overflowing , many folks going home for the Khmer New Year. Still , the roads were good and apart from the near head on collision and some obviously suicidal cows , it was ok.

We had a welcoming party . A thick crowd of tuk-tuk and  mo'bike drivers were jostling for trade .They were so eager it wasn't easy getting off the bus. I latched onto the only other two Westerners - safety in numbers! They'd been through here before so went with their choice of guesthouse.

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Phnom Penh is a busy old place , the roads are full of bikes , tuktuks and cars weaving around each other like some manic dance. At night time headlights are an optional extra .It's muggy and noisy too , very much like Bangkok. No  backpacker ghettos here tho',but tourism is taking off in a big way. I've been told today that 8 years ago there was very little traffic and hardly any foreigners. It can only  be a good thing for the local economy .

The next day was one I won't forget .I visited two places used by the Khmer Rouge for 'cultural cleansing'. One , a former school was turned into a prison named S-21. Here men , women and children  were kept in barbaric conditions and tortured for months. Much of the physical evidence is still in situ. Beds , the tiny cells and the instruments of torture are on display . Some of the photos and accounts are  graphic , pulling no punches and it is truly harrowing.

Skulls housed in Memorial
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After prisoners had been interrogated and tortured  a few months they were taken a few kilometres to the Choeng Ek Genocidal Centre, better known as the Killing Fields.

I had a guide that showed me around the site . His accounts of what took place where we stood stunned me. One of the most chilling sites was the tree into which young children were swung by their feet ,smashing their skulls on the trunk.  Many of the mass graves have been excavated , but every where you walk you can see clothing and bones coming through the surface.

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I found it deeply upsetting ; would not want to do it again but think it should be a compulsory for all adults.

All the above may make the next activity seem a little incongruous. Let me explain.This is one of the only places that I know of where you can fire guns and artillery usually reserved for the armed forces. I don't like guns , or more precisely the reason why they exist. But this is a firing range and the only casualties paper targets. I think life is a collection of experiences and why not add to them with this?

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On arrival we were given a laminated  menu  which I would love to have photo'd but they don't allow. The choice ranged from hand grenades and rocket launchers  to colt 45s to cans of cola! I chose one of the few in my price range the AK47 . Once kitted out with jacket and ear protectors its off we go. Even with the headgear it was loud but there wasn't the recoil I was expecting. Spent cartridges were flying about , it was smokey  and all over too soon. I still don't like guns but a target range is the place for them.

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I was chatting to a nice girl over breakfast and we decided to spend a few hours round the markets. We got a tuktuk and it was only when we got there we found they were closed due to the New Year , so it ended up as a lazy day .Will have an early night too as of to Siem Rea in the morning.