Blogs from Phnom Penh, South, Cambodia, Asia - page 205

On April 17th, the year before I was born a guerilla army named the Khmer Rouge entered Phnom Penh. The country had been through years of civil war leading up to this point so its people took the arrival of Pol Pot's army as a new beginning and the start of peace. Like in our last stop in Saigon, the Americans had involved themselves so when the Khmer Rouge soldiers told the innocent people of Phnom Penh to evacuate the city for the countryside they did so fearing US B52 bombings. The truth was that the Americans had left Cambodia as they had Vietnam and that most of these people would never return. It is hard to belive that the Phnom Penh we arrive in, after a 6 hr journey and effortless border crossing from Vietnam, ... read more

We began south-east Asia with 2 nights on Bangkok's notorious Khao San rd. Guest houses, street stalls, bars, vendors and travellers of every size and shape created its tacky, noisy, throbbing atmosphere. Knowing we would later return to Thailand, we wasted little time in booking a flight to Cambodia's capital. The mellow vibe in Phnom Penh chilled us out immediately and completely. Unable to leave our comfortable guesthouse for days we passed our time in hammocks on the lakeside, eating banana pancakes. Before all our plans went up in smoke we wrenched ourselves from this passive existence to see some of Phnom Penh's sights. Getting around in Phnom Penh first involved slipping past the resident guesthouse drivers (where are you going?) to find a cheaper deal on the street. Then there were two choices - moto ... read more

Cambodia is a blast. More on that in a sec. First, a few updates. Health I am happy to report that after a second trip to the hospital (complete with an IV and injection of some sort), Kate is in good health once again. The itchy hand rash remains, but we'll take care of that eventually. I'm feeling decent too, having conquered some object that decided to lodge itself in my eye for a day. The Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha While Kate was puking in the room and having the nervous breakdown that led to her finally seeking medical help, I was cruising the Grand Palace in Bangkok. It was exquisite. The complex is HUGE and features multiple museums. You could spend 2 days in there and still miss stuff. The buildings are so intricate, ... read more

Killing fields. As soon as I woke up I frantically began to finish the book 'First They Killed My Father' - this was the day we'd been reading this book for. I fortunately managed to get to the end just as our tour guide Vasner began talking to us about the Pol Pot regime and the genocide that happened in Cambodia. Vasner began talking about what happened to his family during this time. He ended by telling us that he never used to be able to talk about these things with-out crying, it being only recently that he could keep composed and we all nodded in understanding with wet eyes and in shocked disbelief. The horrors that I had been reading about in my book, the systematic starvation of families, the brutal murders that happened to ... read more

Arrived in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, after struggling to get on and off 2 flights with my still very-much-in-pain legs! Phnom Penh is a crazy hectic place, motorbikes, cars and tuk tuks everywhere, no road markings, everyone just driving wherever and whichever side of the road they feel like - mad! Is a big sprawling and dusty city, and the signs of the war are obvious everywhere as much of the city is still being built or in poverty. Yet as you pass people sitting on the roadside in the dirt, a few metres along will be the most beautiful ornate pagoda, covered in gold - so surreal. Phnom Penh (and Cambodia in general) has had a rough past - they suffered under the maoist regime of the Khmer Rouge, who from 1975-79 committed ... read more