And welcome to the 'real' world

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Phnom Penh has definitely been the biggest eye-opening, shocking place I have been to so far on this tour, and I doubt anywhere else will be like it. The city itself is ok, a lot more developed than I expected, with lots of bars, restaurants, book shops etc etc, the city's exterior doesn't really reveal the shocking secrets it hides within.

Our full day in Cambodias capital started normal enough, a visit to the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, both of which were very nice and grand buildings, that was followed by a visit to The National Museum which i'm sure was very good but as soon as I set foot into any museum my brain just turns into mush! I just don't do museums! Then on to Wat Phnom which again was very nice, had a little band inside playing some very pretty obscure instruments, and lots of different Buddha statues.

It was from there that the day changed. Starting with a visit to The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. For those who don't know 30 years ago the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia and amongst other things they brutually murdered around 2 million innocent people. In the Killing Fields we visited, thousands of Cambodians were killed and put into mass graves. These shallow graves of about 10ft square were holding hundreds of people. Within these fields a memorial stupa has been erected for the memory of the dead and this stupa contains a cupboard of sorts, 20ft high with a glass front, with shelves filled with skulls taken from the graves. After this place we went to Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocidal Crime. A former school taken over by the Khmer Rouge to use as a prison for torturing people. The former school buildings contained cells capable of holding thousands of people, in the courtyard of the school, torture instruments stood next to play swings which children would have played on before the Khmer Rouge started their regime. The Khmer Rouge kept very detailed accounts of the people they tortured and killed, including mug shots, and group cells within the museum displayed these mug shots allowing you to look at the faces of these innocent people. Faces of not only men and women, but children, very young children, all of whom had innocent faces but the unmistakeable look of fear in their eyes. Our guide in the museum took time to tell us that when she was a child the Khmer Rouge invaded her village, and took her away to be killed but she only survived because the boat which was meant to take her away left early. She managed to escape and live in the jungle with other children for 10 months.

At first it's very hard to absorb everything - the 'real' world in England of getting jobs and a house etc pales in significance to the 'real' world that exists here.

And it's hard to put the two different sides of Cambodia next to each other. On one hand - Ancient Cambodia - one of the great ancient civilisations, one that ruled most of south-east Asia, with temple building that rivals anything made by the Egyptians and Inca's. On the other side, a tragic side, one of mindless killing and fear for the people that lived here. With killing that still continues today because of the millions of landmines left behind.

Given how recent that history is, it's amazing that the Cambodian people we've met are so friendly and polite and have such a great sense of humour.

Anyway enough of the sombre talk - we're by the beach now at Sihanoukville - tomorrow we head to Bokor Hill Station for some commanding sea and jungle views. Best wishes to all!

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Photos

The National Museum
Sure it looks good on the outside but it's the contents of the building I have problems with!

Skulls at the Killing Fields
Not a pleasant picture.