Phnom Penh 10th - 12th October

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Having burnt my face spending the entire boat journey from Siem Reap on the deck I certainly had a great start in Phnom Penh, not! The capital city does not have that much to offer. S21 and the killing fields are a must to get to know Cambodia’s history, but otherwise I found Phnom Penh very quiet, boring and characterless. The King resides in his Royal Palace, hence why visiting can become quite a challenge – you never know if it is open or not although the daily opening hours are 8.30am – 5pm - it is only open when the Monarch is away on duty. Seeing what Khmer Rouge have caused in Cambodia is very saddening. In fact, it is terrifying to imagine that the children who were trained at the age of 6 years are now only in their mid thirties. It most definitely has had a bad effect on present Cambodia. The poverty is immense – parents rent their children to beggars, so that they have a better chance to make money. Parents also send their children out to sell books and other items – children as young as 6 – 10 years. PEOPLE PLEASE STOP BUYING THINGS FROM THESE CHIDLREN AS YOU ARE ONLY SUPPORTING THEIR POVERTY.

Sex tourism in Cambodia is also very obvious. It’s very sickening to see all mid-age men who are there for only that and nothing else. I’m not entirely convinced that the Cambodian government is doing its utmost to combat sex-tourism. At the end of the day it’s tourism that contributes towards the economy – this thought is horrifying.

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Photos

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Had to wait in the cafe for 3 hours till the rain stopped

Mass grave
of more than 100 victims