Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville

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We arrived into traffic jams and closed roads in Phnom Penh, the streets were lined with people and police officers, all in preparation of the Kings funeral. He actually died in November, but his body has been preserved whilst the country prepare for his funeral. We walked passed the crematorium, which they have spent millions on; it was surrounded by crowds of people and was lit up and decorated like a palace (I actually thought it was the palace at first!). Because it is the week of the funeral many restaurants are closed, as Cambodians are not working in mourning and none of the bars will play music for the week out of respect for the King. Some travelers’ created silent discos with their ipods.



Whilst in Phnom Penh we also went to see the Tuol Sleng genocide Museum, followed by the Killing Fields. The former security office 21, now the museum was created in 1975 (and was previously a school, but the regime banned all education). This just made me realise how recently the genocide took place - in my parents’ lifetime. I knew this would be a humbling experience but I don think I'd prepared myself for how overwhelming I would find it. The fact that our tour guide had lost his own family during the genocide also brought home all the shocking images and stories that we saw and read too. It was hard to comprehend that the tower of skulls as the Killing Fields memoriam were those of children, parents, brothers, sisters. The photo I've attached is of bracelets tied next to one of the mass graves in the killing fields, in memory of the victims.



Not all of our stay in Phnom Penh was so heavy...we had some time to chill out by the hotel pool which was a luxury and found a bar with Pool and Foosball tables which provided lots of entertainment (and friendly competition).

We spent a couple of days in Sihanoukville, a beach town. We chilled out on the beach and had a few cocktails. On the second morning, with a few hangovers, we got a boat to a nearby island. We went snorkeling and had a BBQ on the beach; it was bliss and a great way to spend our last couple of nights in Cambodia.

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