highs and lows in the capital

After 3 hours sleep our 4am wake up call was harsh!  Especially harsh as we were convinced that we could get away with leaving for the airport a half hour later than the guy at reception had booked for us.  Still, we went with his advice and after pulling to the curb at the massive new airport (a crazy 12 hours after we had arrived) we quickly realized the desk man had been right.  For 5.30am the airport was really buzzing and we proceeded to take our place at the back of the check in queue.

Day 1

The S21 Prison was definitely the most harrowing place I have ever been in my life

A few hours later, and with cool new visas secure in our passports, we set foot outside, for the first time, in the Kingdom of Cambodia.  We selected a guesthouse that sounded alright in lonely planet, and which I had also read a review of on here, and grabbed a $7 taxi into town.

The twenty minute ride into town quickly showed us that we were in a country like none we had ever visited before.  The roads were chaotic, and road rules seem like something you can't read or learn, but, rather they are something passed on genetically from parent to child.  There is definitely NO WAY we would be attempting to rent scooters in this country.

We drove past cows towing carts, children playing in the road, vendors selling petrol out of old sprite bottles and all the while our taxi was surrounded by scooters moving in all directions, beeping as they approached from behind.  It was carnage, but a good sort of carnage.  The roads were dirty and littered with rubbish, a 'Keep Cambodia Green' campaign has definitely not been run here.

Our guesthouse was perfectly adequate for our requirements, cheap enough, and well located in the heart of the city, close enough to the 'highlights'.  After dumping our bags, grabbing some breakfast, and getting back off the wagon with a banana shake, we arranged for a tuk-tuk to take us on a day tour.  A girl staying at the hostel asked if she could join us to cut the costs down for everyone, so we agreed, did some bartering with the driver and set off on our way.

Our first destination was The Killing Fields, which are located about 15kms out of town.  The ride there gave us a real chance to experience the carnage of the roads at first hand, outside the safety of a car.  It was definitely the best way to travel, as the breeze alone made it worthwhile, even if the smells it brought weren't always the most pleasant!  We drove through all sorts of districts, ranging from the high end mansions in the middle of the city, to shacks on bamboo, a little further out.  We passed, what seemed to be, starving cows, children riding on bikes five sizes too big for them, young kids driving home on scooters, and plenty of people along the way napping in hammocks to avoid the blazing sun.

We spent about an hour at The Killing Fields walking around the mass grave sites, trying to comprehend how such disgusting acts could have happened on the very same spot just 30 years ago, and how we weren't taught about it at school!  We walked over sandy paths, of which we could see human bones breaking the surface, under our feet.  In some areas bones were pilled up along with clothes of the victims.  The 'central' point of The Killing Fields is a commemorative 'stupa' filled with 9000 victim's skulls.

Many of the executions were carried out with no ammunition (bullets were thought to be too important, and the victims not worthy), instead victims were killed by spades, hammers, bamboo sticks, axe handles and other means.  In all it's estimated that just under 3 million people died during the genocide, making it the worst mass killing per population in history.

After The Killing Fields we headed back into town and went to the Russian Market for a little looksy at our first Cambodian market.  It turned out to be a waste of time, and definitely not something I recommend to anyone visiting Phnom Penh.  The clothes area was especially poor, with most of the "gap", "quicksilver" and other 'name' brands, being no more than 1980's hand me down clothes with a label stuck in them.  So, with the market being such a let down, and all feeling dehydrated from the heat, and the previous nights drinking session, the three of us haggled our way to a few bottles of water, and then found a cafe to kill some time until we were due to meet our driver.

The next stop was Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, aka, S21 Prison.  The reason for the detour to the Russian Market, was that we wanted to get there in the afternoon and time it right so we could watch the documentary that only screens twice a day.

The S21 Prison was definitely the most harrowing place I have ever been in my life.  Walking around the old school and stepping into almost empty classrooms and seeing dried blood on the floors, ceilings and walls was very disturbing.  The prison was used for torture to get, mostly, false confessions out of men, women and children.

After we had explored the torture rooms, and holding cells, we made our way to a room to watch the movie.  Unfortunately, the heat, hunger, lack of sleep, and emotional draining we had thus far endured on our trip took hold of us and send Karen and Lisa straight to sleep, and forced me to struggle to stay awake throughout.  The documentary looked like it could have been interesting, but I found it very hard to hear the English narrator's voice, and was only really able to follow along when there were subtitles for the Cambodia interviewees.

It blows my mind to think that everyone Cambodian over the age of 40 must have strong memories of what happened 30 years ago, having lived through such tragedy.

That evening, we made our way on foot down to the waterfront, which turned out to be a very bustling place.  We walked along, with the palace to our left, and the Mekong river to our right, and made our way to the central hub of restaurants and bars for some dinner.  We eventually settled on a place and set up for some outdoor eating.  However, it wasn't long before we moved inside as the winds picked up, the clouds darkened and lightening began to strike off in the distance (I just love tropical storms!).  After the long day, and all that we had seen and thought about, a big night of drinking just didn't seem right.  So we respectfully ate some food, and made our way back to the guesthouse for some shut eye.

Day 2

We didn't have much planned for day two in Phnom Penh, we figured we would just 'wing it' for the day.  After an early morning breakfast we hit the road and started walking in the direction of the Royal Palace and National Museum.  After finding out that both of them cost a few dollars to visit we decided it was one or the other, and, since it was such a nice day, we decided to spend the morning walking around the gardens of the Royal Palace.

After Karen and I had rented the suitable attire, you need sleeve's on, we made our way meandering around the beautiful grounds and admiring the vivid yellow on the buildings.  The highly talked up 'Silver Pagoda' was a let down to say the least.  Most of the famous silver tiles that line the floor are covered in carpets with only a handful of tiles actually on display.  Not too sure what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't a room full or relics, carpets and people, I guess I just didn't see much "silver"!

After recharging the batteries with some amazing icecream at a nice little cafe (Phnom Penh has plenty to choose from), we made our way on foot to the Central Market.  The walk there was actually really cool as we found ourselves walking along back streets, and past a "local market" where we were the only foreigners.  Cambodian people really live their life on the streets.  The streets are the social meeting points, the place to do ones work, eat, sleep, and play.  A huge contrast to life as I had known it, where often people crave privacy and race from home to shop to home.

Central Market was just as you imagine a market to be.  Bustling, hot, smelly, and containing a huge array of items to buy.  Still, I came away with nothing, content instead with just wandering the stalls and taking photos.  It was definitely a better Market for tourist to visit than the Russian Market though.  The meat section was interesting/disturbing and smelt like an unclean butcher's shop, which I guess it pretty much was...!

After the Central Market we had a mini blow out thanks to our lonely planet.  It stated there was an "outlet" mall selling many big name brands for a fraction of the cost back home.  This was too good to pass up so we hailed a tuk-tuk, negotiated a price and set off.  Ten minutes later we rounded a bend and came across a road that was all too familiar, we were at the Russian Market, again!  Thinking the driver was trying to con us and didn't know where the outlet mall actually was, I quickly studied my map, but sure enough, the lonely planet had failed to state that the "outlet mall" is more commonly known as the Russian Market!  Oh, and their "brand clothing at discount prices..." well I've already talked about that, haven't I?!  Needless to say we were a little let down by our trusty paperback companion.

That evening we went to the famous 'FCC' (Foreign Correspondents Club) Restaurant/bar for 'happy hour'.  We grabbed a spot on the balcony, overlooking the road below, and the Mekong River.  We spent the next two hours enjoying tasty $2 cocktails, and loving the live band, who just happened to kick ass and played a huge selection of kiwi music (Crowded House, Bic Runga etc).  It was a very enjoyable couple of hours.  Although, after all we had seen thus far, the three of us had never felt more "snobby", looking down to the streets below, with cocktail in hand, while a young girl sat on the ground below, with a baby in her arms looking up at us, pleading for money.  It's definitely a very hard part of Cambodia to see.  There are children and adults begging everywhere, as well as many children walking the streets trying to push their counterfeit books on you.  Some of them are nice, one girl in particular who Karen befriended, but some of the boys are just annoying and rude.  Still, it's sad to know they will be out on the streets pushing for sales until after ten at night, all for some adult who is making them.  THen there are the land mine victims pleading for any change  you can spare.  I know that it's often stated that you have to ignore them and not give money because it teaches them that they can get money that way, but what else can they really do?  There is no way Cambodia has the same kind of welfare support as most western countries.  How do these people survive without help from those with money to spare?

Once 'happy hour' had run its course, and all of us feeling the effects of a two hour drinking session, we made our way down the road about 50 meters to Happy Herb Pizza for some dinner.  We then made the mistake of the trip, we ordered one, "happy", pizza EACH.  Oops!  The rest of the night is best told through photos as Karen and Lisa proceeded to laugh like I have never heard them before, and that is some serious laughter I'm talking about!  All I can say is that I feel for the other guests in the guesthouse when we got back!!

Upon waking with my alarm, at 6am for us to get ready and on our 7am bus to Siem Riep, I quickly realized that it wasn't going to happen for any of us!  Lisa was sent downstairs to change the bus time to the later 11am one, I would have gone but just going down for water was hard enough, any full on communicating was just out of the question!

A couple of hours later, I woke feeling much better, just a little jaded.  So, I went for a run around the streets of Phnom Penh.  It was hot, I was super low on sugar, and I got some pretty strange looks, but it was fun nonetheless.  It's always nice to run somewhere totally different to what I'm used to.

Somehow we made the bus, well I should more accurately say, somehow, Karen, made the bus, as Lisa and I were not too bad, but Kaz... well she had definitely seen better days.  "An embarrassment" was how we over heard one girl describing us!!

All good though as soon we were on our way north to Siem Reap, cutting through the middle of the country in the process, and taking in some awesome scenery.  Cambodia is a super flat country, with pretty average roads (though, I was soon to learn we were on a good road!), and a "big vehicle first" road system.  Somehow we made it to Siem Reap alive, and in one piece, despite a number of close calls with oncoming trucks, buses and cows crossing the road!!