Phnom Penh

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First time

So the bus stopped at some hotel or other and we took a tuk-tuk down to the "backpackers" end of town called lakeside(where the rooms are cheap and the showers are cold)after Emma had looked in about four differant hostels we settled on "number 11 Happy Guest House" we took a room with a/c and no hot water for $7 a night.

First thing next morning after putting in our laundry,having a harty breakfast and generaly sorting ourselves out we took a tuk-tuk over to the LaosPDR embbassy to arrange to get our visas (mistake number one, you need 3 passport photos as you have to fill the form in 3 times) so we grab the forms and head back to the hostel via the central market, where we look for a couple of lonely planets that we will be needing in the future, then after an early lunch back to the embassy to hand in our 3 filled in forms with 3 passport photos "do you want them express"the man behind the counter asks, no rush we say "ok they will be ready tomorrow at 3pm come back then" (I think he sticks the visa straight in while you wait if you need express).

The next day we arranged to go to the national museum where they have a scrict no photography policy (the first I have come across in asia) so I am afraid no piccies it is quiet a small museum but very nice to while a way an hour or so among the Cham sculptures and the many Buddas, after the museum we went to pick up our passports from the embassy with there shiney new visas stuck inside

We had arranged to go to S21 (Security Office 21) a place that could raise a tear from the most hardened of people, it was a high school until Pol pot came to power and turned it in to a prison and interrogation unit. Out of the 20 thousand of people who went in there only seven lived to tell the tale of the atrocitys that went on there, the rooms are filled with the photographs of people who where held and died there from young babe in arms to grand parents. We could write a lot more about the horrors that went on there but it is enough to say that we where truly moved and humbled by the feelings we where left with. The following day we left on the bus to go to Kampot (refer to Kampot blog entry)

Second time

same ,same but same.

We where met at the bus stand up by no 11 guest house (free pick up service).
We hung around did some laundry and chilled out,watched a couple of lovely sunsets and booked our bus tickets to Siem Reap (Ankor Wat) and headed off once again(refer to Siem Reap blog entry).

third & final time

picked up at 4pm and departed at 7am next morning for Strom Treng and the boarder crossing to LaosPDR

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