Cambodia continued

---

Day 8:

So after some decent sleep, 12 hours to be precise, we get up and head out for breakfast. Over the road from us is an over priced coffee shop, Browns typical American affair $3.50 for coffee but after a week of fried rice for breakfast we are getting desperate so we have a nice civilised brunch before we get in our tuk tuk over to the killing fields (our driver was johnny) Now we where aware of what the killing field was and a rough idea of the Khmer Rouge, but nothing you could read would prepare you for this place, you get a set of head phones and a device with a audio tour which is told by a survivor from the s21 prison and Khmer Rouge regime. It is a silent and somber place, nearly 10,000 innocent people where executed here, many tortured into signing confessions for crimes they did not commit, meaning the whole family would be executed to snuff out any chance of resistance. It was a truly haunting place with mass graves everywhere and remains still surfacing on a weekly bases as the rain washes away the earth. Now as terrible a place as it was it was, we were very thankful for the opportunity to be able to visit this place as it ignorance that allowed it too happen (the Khmer Rouge were in power from 1975 -1978, and were ousted with the assistance from Vietnam, but where still recognised as the official government through to the mid 80's by the Uk, USA and even had a seat in the UN.



In the afternoon we had booked onto a quad bike tour through the rural out skirts of Phnom Penh, a thunderstorm began as soon as we set off but it didn't dampen our spirits, we rode past endless rice paddies, local children waving and seeing a much more picturesque side of Cambodia and just how far it had come since it's recent brutal history.



Day 9. Our plan of action for today is too cram is as much sight seeing as we can, so we hire a tuk tuk for the day for $20 and that we do. We head to the kings palace, as it is only open certain times of the day and is home to the current king of Cambodia. The palace is pristine and is a monument to the previous kings, and home to a large emerald Buddha. I was more interested in the fact that every time someone with money visited the king they took him a elephant made of gold (if very rich) and silver (if I guess you were what they call middle class) these also varied in size. From here we went on to wot phnom. This was basically a temple on a hill, in the middle of a city in a very Parisienne park. However boring this sounds it very pretty and the views from the top were good. We then went on to the s21 prison. By this time I (Kayley) was sooo hungry I was pretty much passing out. I said to johnny that however interesting this was it was what I would call a very DAD thing to do lol (my dad loves a bit of history). The prison, previous to being used as a prison was a school and it is hard to imagine in its present state. The pictures that were presented in the cells where prisoners were held were awful, showing just how bad some of the brutal torture was. Some of the cells still had the chain shackles on the floor and blood stains could still be seen on the floors. The prison was divided into sections and these sections determined how far along in the torture process the prisoners were. When walking around the prison I over heard a tour guide saying that there were only two on the seven survivors still alive. On the way out I was shocked to see both of these men, in person, selling there stories in books. My first thought is how they ever walked through the doors of that prison, to sit in the blistering heat, remembering the torture that they faced and the loved ones they lost. Yet both still had smiles on their faces. Sooo after this, me still moaning that I'm sooooo hungry lol, we go on to face the Russian market. The tuk tuk guy took us almost to the entrance where we bought him a fizzy drink, I think he thought it was Christmas. We went into the market which was filled with the usual stuff, women's wear, sun glasses, bags etc, then we found what was supposed to be the FRESH MEAT section. Trust me no meat in fresh when it's sitting in 40 degree heat. I have a pretty strong stomach I would say, being a nurse and all, but the smell was awful. Sweating meat, fish and veg....needless to say my hunger subsided. We continued are walk around enjoying watching local foods being cooked, my only though was where did they get the meat from. Anyways we ate it anyways, being hard core travellers and we didn't get sick. This bought us to the end of of day and we headed back to the hostel for some beer and air con.



Day 10: Today brings another bus trip. Heading from Phnom Penh to sihanoukville.

The trip was long but comfortable and we were both excited to see the sun, sea and sand. We arrived just in time for sun set which was amazing (photos on Facebook). The wooden built huts were just a few meters from the beach and we were welcomed by a few crazy dogs and the English speaking workers/ owner. A few beers later and after filling our tummies, we head to our bunks for bed. Both being on top bunks (last option) we got under our mosquito nets, and waved to each other good night.



Day 11: so today we were woken by....... You guessed it RAIN. So after a crazy night of thunder and lightening (pretty scary in a wooden hut) we get up and hope that it passes. Guess what?......it didn't. So we sat watching rubbish films all day as this rain was not just drizzle it was the kind of rain that stings when it hits your skin, clearly not allowing me to sunbathe however determined I was. Me and johnny did feel that this trip was a waste of two days but hey you can not predict the weather and it is rainy season after all. So it come to about 5ish the rain passed although the skies were still cloudy, so me and johnny quickly decided to head out for dinner and see the local town. We jump in a tuk tuk and luckily I have my lonely planet Cambodia book with me as it appears the when travelling at high speed beetles hitting you in the face is not good. After laughing quite hard and flicking beetles from my lap we reach the beach front, which kinda reminded me of the beach front somewhere in Europe. Busy, lively, alcohol and food. Was a nice difference to how secluded we had been where we were staying. We decided to eat at the busiest restaurant (always a wise idea) where we shared a platter of fresh fish. Around us there were fire crackers that were bought from the local street sellers and the experience was very pleasant. We had a small child approach us, he asked our names and he told us his name was Joe. He tried selling us the bracelets but after realising we would not be buying he looked with enthusiasm through the Cambodia book. He took the ticket that we had got from the palace and we discussed what it was like there and he was excited to tell me about his king. We then played the guessing game of where he was from. After listing silly amounts of countries he tells me his from his "mother and father" he was a comical little fella. The food arrived and joe went on to talk to other tourists. After dinner we were approached by a guy called sun set. This guy was so inspirational. To start with we thought that he was attempting to get money from us like most others but turns out that he was a genuine Cambodian citizen helping the poorest children who lived in the "rubbish". Please see my Facebook for the link to his youtube video as this gives much more detail on his work. He invited us to visit the children the following day but due to us leaving we were no tablet to commit. We did however give him money to buy supplies with and we are awaiting an email with pictures and an explanation on what he had bought. He does this for everyone who donates. If we could have given him more we would have, seeing the children in the photos was enough to pull at the heart strings to say the least. A wonderful man. We left the beach with a full tummy thinking of all those who were in the complete opposite situation. On a brighter note it was time to head back to the hostel behind the Cambodia book to avoid the crazy beetles ready for our 12 hour journey to our first stop in Vietnam.

---