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Cambodia

~ * ~ DAY 1 ~ * ~

A crowd of taxi drivers descending on us as we exited the Phnom Penh International Airport, but it was too late to run back in to the safety of the baggage claim.

Central Market

Our city exploration began with a trip to the Central Market. I guess we couldn't wait to start shopping! The Central Market, aka Psar Thmei, was housed in a yellow art-deco building that was built over a former lake. We walked past the entrance of tourist souvenirs and t-shirts, and in the dark center ranged a variety of goods, everything from silver jewelry and watches, to pots and pans, flowers, fresh vegetables and slabs of red meat.

Wat Phnom

Wat Phnom, the legendary site of the founding of Phnom Penh. The surrounding gardens were busy with people, and the elephant was given a bath.

Tiny Toones

One of the unique opportunities of the trip was visiting Tiny Toones. Tiny Toones is a Cambodian NGO I came to know because of their participation at the CGI Asia meeting in December 2008.

The group dropped us off at "Talkin' to a Stranger" - a restaurant cafe near the Independence Monument. The Independence Monument is an impressive memorial constructed in the Angkor style, lit up brightly at night and serving as a memorial to those who died in the war.

~ * ~ DAY 2 ~ * ~

Getting an early start, we headed to the Royal Palace. Since it was not open yet, we walked through the pigeons in the plaza to Wat Ounalom, the headquarters of Cambodian Buddhism. The Wat contained over 40 buildings, many of them residential quarters for the monks. We wandered around the quiet compound, and a monk who spoke to Christi in Vietnamese invited us in to one of the temples. Chanting softly, he blessed us with water and I had good feelings for our trip in Cambodia.

Royal Palace

We weren't allowed to go near to the main building, as King Norodom Sihamoni still occupied the quarters.

Enjoying ice cream and fresh mango on our way back to Tat's, we watched as our tuk tuk driver pulled to the side of the road and ordered up one Johnny Walker Black Label - for his motorcycle! The stall owner selected a liter of yellow liquid, poured through a makeshift funnel, for a US$1.

Off to Siem Reap

$5 bought us a 5 hour+ journey on a local bus. We stopped about 100km outside of Siem Reap for a bathroom break and refreshments. I was shocked to see that among the bags of mango, pineapple, and sugar cane were fried cockroaches, fried tarantulas, and some kind of strange cooked orange bird. As I looked in horror at the fried assortment, a little girl held her hand out to me. Stepping back, I realized she was holding out a live tarantula - and there were dozens more in her red bucket.

Dead Fish Inn

We stayed in the "Sheraton" room at the Dead Fish Inn, which didn't promise as much as the guidebook had promised.(ie. a massive mold growth that was taking over two corners of the tiny room). The restaurant, however, was quite a sight. There were about 10 different levels of seating, combining platforms, bamboo ladders and pulley tray systems. The live music was delicious icing to one of the coolest restaurant layouts I've seen.

~ * ~ DAY 3 ~ * ~

Siem Reap

The sky was still dark when we set out for

We had breakfast at stall "23" - San's friend's stall. Trying to stay away from instant noodles, I ordered a banana pancake. As we waited, little kids came up to pitch us their postcards and magnets. "Hey lady! What country you from? I tell you capital of your country, and you buy something from me, ok?" Wow, tough sell. These kids amazed me with their knowledge, rattling off historic events in Australia in the 1920s and demanding, "I know the capital of Madagascar! Now you buy something!"

Bayon


Night Market
Fish massage for $3/15 minutes.

Word of advice - do not eat at the street stalls in Siem Reap!

~ * ~ DAY 4 ~ * ~

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

(details to come)

~ * ~ DAY 5 ~ * ~

(details to come)

(details to come)

~ * ~ DAY 6 ~ * ~

Back to Phnom Penh

Sadly, the boat ride on Lake Tonle Sap back to Phnom was priced at $35, so we opted for the bus again. This meant revisiting the tarantulas, but this time we were introduced to another delicacy: stuffed turtles. (With the legs sticking out of the shells and everything!)

After communication issues with our tuk tuk driver, we finally settled on Okay Guesthouse, a massive backpacker haven. Our room was simple and clean, with red hearted sheets. The trek up to the 4th floor reminded us of our Angkor ascents.

S-21: Toul Seng Genocide Museum

We paid a solemn visit to the Toul Seng Genocide Museum, a former high school and the site of the S-21 prison and interrogation center during rule of the Khmer Rouge. It was shocking to see how they transformed the school into a secure prison, constructing tiny brick cells in the classrooms, and even using the exercise bars as torturing devices. Over 17,000 people passed through S-21 and most ended up at the killing fields of Choeung Ek.

Boddhi Tree for smoothies

That night we took a stroll along the river front, although construction blocked a significant portion. Starting at Street 104, near to Wat Phnom, we walked the entire length of Sisowath Quay, back to Okay Guesthouse. We stopped midway for a pizza and lasagne at Happy Pizza, having sworn off Cambodian food for the rest of our trip.

Massage - saw a rat!

~ * ~ DAY 7 ~ * ~

Choeung Ek Killing Fields

The 17km ride outside of Phnom Penh offered a look into the rural Cambodia. It was surprising how fast the city gave way to fields, among which were scattered mass graves.

The most striking monument at the killing fields site was a tall Buddha stupa that held hundreds of human skulls. It was open to the air so that the spirits of the victims could come and go as they pleased. (It is important in Cambodian culture that bodies be cremated so that the spirits can be released; however, cremating the remains of these victims would simply be destroying the most compelling evidence of genocide.) As we walked around the site, we waved through the wire fences to kids playing in the fields. It was serene, yet there was an uneasiness about the silence. To me, this just stressed the importance of bringing Khmer Rouge leaders to justice and easing the minds of the country and people.

Russian Market

We made a final shopping trip to the Russian Market, aka Psar Tuol Tom Pong, in the southern section of the city. The large market offered a huge selection of souvenirs and cheap clothes, most of which bore a brand name label due to the number of factories that have been established in Cambodia recently. I even saw the exact same shirt I had bought at H&M. The colors of the cloth section was amazing, and appropriately situated near a row of tailors. I bargained for some cloth bags and ended up buying six.

We ate lunch at ...

We headed to the National Museum - the last major attraction that we hadn't visited in Phnom Penh. Stone statues and other artifacts from around the country were on display, including the Leper King, who seemed to be enjoying his shady spot in the middle of an open garden courtyard. An interesting room contained a collection of Buddha statues, each with a unique face and distinct features. It was incredible to see so many different types of Buddhas, some that even resembled skinny wooden African statues.

Heading to the airport, we passed trucks packed to the brim with factory workers who had just finished their shifts.

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