Phnom Penh

---

We took a five hour bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh along a pretty road. The air conditioning wasn't quite up to holding off the 40 degree heat, so we roasted in the bus once the morning started to heat up (which happens by 9:00)

Phnom Penh is a bit sleepy, but not as decrepit as I might have imagined given the turmoil in the country, but Cambodia does seem poorer overall, and there are some sections that remind me of India. This city is perhaps the most dangerous place we'd been on the trip so far, plagued by gunplay as hinted by the anti-gun statue at one roundabout and the #2 rule at the hotel - leave any weapons at reception (it was a nice hotel!). Thankfully we didn't see any of that and it really seemed quite lively and vibrant, hopefully they're overcoming all that.

The palace was lovely, though not as stunning as the similar Thai attraction. There was an two-story prefab French-style building with clock from Napoleon era France, but clashing violently in style with the surrounding Khmer buildings. The silver pagoda with real silver floor tiles was a bit of a disappointment; I have the impression that they make poor flooring because some of the small section not protected by rugs had been held down by strips of packing tape. Lots of interesting relics to entertain though, plus the gold and diamond buddha statue centerpiece. The city museum had many artifacts from Angkor and elsewhere in Cambodia.

The episode of genocide is still quite recent and even now they are just beginning the trials for certain Khmer Rouge members. Instead of the killing fields we opted instead for the Tuol Sleng prison, a former high-school converted to 'prison' or more accurately torture and execution centre. One room had a series of skulls, some with gender, approximate age and descriptions of the cause of death based on the forensic evidence. Some of the floors had photos of Khmer Rouge members facing mug shots of the numbered victims, or photos of bodies, or mass graves and heaps of bones in the killing fields around Cambodia. Other rooms had some of the crude interrogation and torture equipment including shackles, electrical cord whips, clubs, plus various other implements and even a box for drowning. One block had been segmented into smaller cells and other left as is with blunt photos of the room from when in use - generally mangled corpse on bedframe with a pool of blood beneath.

It's really stunning for a number of reasons, but to me for the apparent randomness of the victim selection (and their almost certain complete innocence) combined with the most extreme violence. It may have grown out of persecution of those that opposed the revolution, and also that the super-radical reforms would have required a heavy hand to enforce, but it's simply beyond insane. One minute you're minding your own business, the next you're caught, tortured until half dead, and then feel the muzzle of the gun press against the back of your head... Hard to imagine what that period would have been like to live in.

Good luck to the Cambodians; I was glad that things seemed to be better than I might have imagined, but wow, what a terrible thing to recover from.

---

Photos

Silver pagoda
The main attraction was the floor made of real silver metal tiles, but was in poor repair unfortunately.

Cambodian version
We take eighteen ounces of sizzling ground beef, and soak it in rich,
creamery butter, then we top it off with bacon, ham, and a fried egg.
We call it the Good Morning Burger.

Tuol Sleng prison
We decided not to see the killing fields, but this place had gore enough - it was a high school converted to prison during the Pol pot regime

Now
Apparently random violence against innocents, its nonsensical. This place is quite a reminder for the Cambodians.

Rooms of photos
Grim. Many numbered victims, khmer rouge members, piles of bones in the various killing fields around the country.

Photo of photo
Some actual skulls here as well with academic medical description of the cause of death - bullet holes, cuts or fractures