Phnom Penh

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A four hour bus ride took me to the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. I made friends with the fellow sitting next to me, a German named Daniel. He travels a lot in a sales/service/training capacity for his firm and had an extra week so he was exploring Cambodia. Well travelled, it sounded like a pretty sweet job to me! ((Technically speaking, his company manufactures laser-engraving equipment for process work in the automotive industry))

So I booked into a posh hotel. There was a mad scrum of tuk-tuk drivers at the bus terminal, and the guy I hired tried to drop me off at his friend's hotel but I bs'ed said I had a reservation elsewhere. The River star hotel was adjacent the river, very spacious and with excellent service. It cost a whopping $30 per night but I felt extravagent 😊 Great food, numerous bars/restau within an easy 2 block walk. Sat river-side eating my breakfast there were numerous peddlers coming by. Fellows with a box full of sunglasses, little kids with a bunch of english-language books (one got quite pissed off at me when I looked through his selection and opted not to by. He tried to tell me off in what little english he had at his command lol)...There are a lot of landmines in Cambodia, and hence many amputees. Occasionally, somebody would come up with there limbless brother in a wheelbarrow seeking a donation. I felt pity, and since 1000 riel = 25 cents, why not right? Coming over here was a good move..my compassion is growing back after too long on the downtown eastside.

I visited the national museum which has a lot of great sculptures, both buddhist and hindu characters. Cambodia over the years had switched back and forth in national religions depending on the mood of the kind. Oddly, photography was forbidden there, which I dont' quite understand since I don't belive the flash can harm carved stone. hmm

I visited S-21, the school which was turned into an interogation (torture -> confession) centre under the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s. There were photos of every person who had been an inmate, like the Nazis, the KR kept meticulous records. Later took a ride out of town to the "killing fields", the site of a bunch of mass graves. When the KR came to power, they deported everyone from the capital city and slaughtered them. The excuses were they were "bourgeoisie", business owners, anybody with any kind of education... part of the reason Cambodia is so backward even now is because all the educated people were killed. for no particular reason at all, sheer stupidity.

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Photos

river view
Phnom Penh, from my hotel balcony. The local Khmer people like to come out and watch the sunset

national museam courtyard
phtotos ok here! the fish pond was beautiful

Comments

[toddwick]

++ photos
more photos to come....my wifi is giving me attitude today