Mar 26, 2005 - Parental Discretion is Advised

We were in Phnom Penh before we went to Siem Reap, and are back here again now. When we were here last time we didn't know if we wanted to visit some of the tourist atractions here. There are some nice things to see as well as some not so nice. The ones in question were the Killing Fields and the S-21 Prison. I'm no expert on Cambodian history and before we came here I knew less than I do now. On April 17, 1975 a communist faction called the Khmer Rouge overthrew the Cambodian government and took over the country. They had some crazy views...

Mar 23, 2005 - Phnom Penh - Cambodia

We were guide-book-free at this stage, which made us feel quite naked. Fortunatly the girls told us they had a recommendation to stay on the River. Good thing. Because the second we arrived at the drop-off point, we had about 50 people surround us to get us to check into their hotel or take their taxi. We managed to sift thru the hoardes and get into a tuk tuk, which took us to the lake area. Found what was to become our favorite place to stay thus far -- the Happy Guest House -- and it was indeed Happy! $6 per night for both of us,...

Mar 23, 2005 - The sights of Phnom Penh

Today was an interesting and moving day. It started off with a walk to the Royal Palace riddled with passing tuk-tuk and moto drivers looking for business. Unfortunately we arrived to find the palace was shut until the afternoon so our plans changed and we decided to return here later. We proceeded to the Genocide Museum, the location of Teong Sleng Secondary School which later became a torture centre for opposers of the Khmer Rouge regime. It was a hard place to look around without imagining the torture and pain thousands of people endured...

Mar 22, 2005 - Back to Phnom Penh

Danny again: Little to report as the majority of the day was taken up travelling back up to PP. We spent a few hours on the beach this morning and had breakfast at 'Unkle Bob's' a beachside guesthouse. Then after a much needed cold shower around lunch we headed downtown and to the bus ready to depart back to PP. Four hours later and we were back at our previous GH as it was better than others we had a look at. Spent the evening reading some books and chilling while drinking beer. It's a hard life. Day 23 complete

Mar 21, 2005 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia - The Killing Fields

Kevin: We were downstairs by 9am to meet with our tuk-tuk driver "Jackson" for our tour of the Killing Fields and other Phnom Penh sites. Jackson promptly presented us to his older brother (name forgotten) who can't speak English as well but who would be taking us around today anyway. Being the positive souls that we are, we accepted this change with good grace & equanimity, which we maintained throughout the day. The first stop of the day was one of the notorious "Killing Fields." There are actually many of these around the city, which Pol...

Mar 21, 2005 - Phnom Penh - the exploration continues

For our second day in Phnom Penh, we headed down a couple blocks to the National Museum. We wandered around the exhibit hall, viewing statutes, pottery, and other archeological finds from Cambodia's history. What was also interesting about this museum is that it is a host to a large bat colony. Apparently the museum was having a problem with the bat guano destroying the items in the museum (gross, huh) but the Cambodian government was able to get help from Australia who offered to reinforce the ceiling in exchange for borrowing a few items...

Mar 21, 2005 - cambodia-phon phen ( nuevo..)

Hello Again!!! Ya estamos en Camboya!!!! Ya teniamos ganas de salir de Vietnam. Hemos visto sitios muy guapos, pero entre los malos rollos q hemos tenido con algunos vietnamitas y la saturacion,nos hemos petado.... Asi q llegamos a la capi. Nos cogemos una GH a orillas de lago. Alquilamos unas bicis y nos vamos de ruta por Phon Pen a recorrer la city... Al principio andamos un poco de pardillos en los cruces, xq creo q en toda la ciudad solo hay dos semaforos... Pero luego descubrimos q el truco para cruzar es tirarte a la carretera......

Mar 19, 2005 - Welcome to Cambodia

It's 7 pm, and we are sitting in an internet cafe in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This is Cambodia's capital city. The population is about a 1 million people. The flight here was about an hour and a half from Bangkok. There was no safety talk from the flight attendants, we were never told to put our seatbacks and tray tables in their upright positions, and the captain never told us when it was safe to use electronic devices. Nonetheless, we did get sandwiches, peanuts, and drinks. The plane was a 1970's double prop plane with about 40 people on...

Mar 18, 2005 - Exploring the Cambodian Capital

Anna reporting: Spent today getting more of a feel for Phnom Penh. I have really enjoyed this city, if you can call it that the place really does not have any ATMs and no big stores either. It does however have a wicked market, called Central Market in which Danny, John and I wiled away several hours bartering with store holders. Sadly no photos as we believed all the hype about this place being full of bandits and left the camera at home. Danny really got into the bartering, I give in too quick, and thanks to him we got some bargains....

Mar 18, 2005 - CAMBODIA - Phnom Penh

We arrived refreshed in PP after a week lazing on the beach at Phu Quoc. We were excited to be coming to Cambodia and meet the people here. It continues to be sweltering in this part of the world - 40 degrees celcius is tough even after two months of it! PP, we were told, is the prettiest of the former French Colonial towns in this part of the world. It is a very lovely city with much of the colonial charm still intact - its main street hugs the river side and it makes for a lovely stroll in the evening. We decided to visit the side of...

Mar 17, 2005 - Phnom Penh

I went through a whiplash speed acceleration traveling from Vientiane to Phnom Penh. The city is open 24 hours a day, and is bustling. I wandered around on foot for a few hours when I first arrived, trying to get a feel for the place, before meeting a moto driver who became my tour and contact point for the rest of my stay. I went and saw a few Wats, and by the Imperial Palace, but was most moved by the Tuol Sleng Museum, formerly the Khmer Rouge's Security Prison 21 (S-21). At first glance, the building looks exactly like it should for...

Mar 17, 2005 - Siem Reap to Phnom Penh

Today we travelled across Cambodia to the capital Phnomh Penh. Again another day of fun bus travel with overloading, unexpected stops etc. but the road was good so the ride only took about 5 hours. Arrived in PP just after 2 then went out for some food. A cheeseburger for D. and tuna sandwich for A. We wanted a change from noodles for lunch. After that had a stroll around one of the markets but we will come looking for bargains tomorrow. Finished the day off with a relaxing rest on a lounger overlooking the lake and playing a few games of...