The Cambodian Capital, lots of history, firing an AK47, a very large rat, storms on the coast, meeting the brummies and crab in kep!

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The cambodian capital Phnom Penh was a crazy great place! we were lodged at not the greatest of accommodation, in our room, the bathroom was just a corner of the room with some walls sealing it off and was so small, you could sit on the toilet, be under the shower and using the sink all at the same time!! but the place backed on to a lake area which was pretty nice! we had a really nice tuk tuk driver who had picked us up from the bus and he spoke really good english so we went on a day trip with him to the sights around phnom penh! it started at my favourite the shooting range, which was at an army base quite far out of the city. i decided to buy 30 rounds to fire on the ak47 which was a real experience!!! neither of is realised just how loud actual gunfire is, so we both jumped at shots being fired even as i was still deciding on which gun to pick, so the ear muffs were quickly found and worn!!! it was really powerful to fire and it really kicked back into your shoulder, and i dont think i hit the target as we both just kept seeing puffs of the surrounding gravel! we then went onto the history as we went to the killing fields which was quite enlightening for us and really depressing at the same time, neither of us knew much about the genocide before we both came here! but to see all the skulls and bones piled up was just surreal and really sad! but it got worse as next we went to the S-21 Prison back in the city which was formally a school but it had been turned into a torture and holding centre for people before they were then sent to the killing fields. the rooms (which had been classrooms) were not just empty apart from the steel bed frame and shackles. other larger rooms had been split into lots of cells and we both went in one and just got an eerie horrible feeling and had to leave. i think the place affected us more than the actual killing fields. all the prisoners had been photographed when they arrived so they had rooms just full of endless photographs of people which was haunting. some looked just terrifed, others oddly smiling and small children who just looked lost. we felt pretty drained when we left but it was really interesting to learn more about what happened. for some lighter relief we finished the day at the russian market which was pretty vast and we got lost in the small passageways and the place just had everything you could think to buy! on our other days in phnom penh we saw the royal palace complex which was beautiful and really well kept but alot of it was actually closed to visitors which was quite annoying, we also enjoyed englands only victory of the world cup against slovenia in a busy sports bar in the centre, both the england and usa games were shown at the same place so rival 'USA' and 'ENGLAND' chants began in earnest! we enjoyed one day just sat watching films and being very lazy at our hostel to relax, but as we were a HUGE rat ran along behind the tv and we felt justified in our decision so far to not eat at our own hostel! we left the capital for the coast and the town of sihanoukville! the beach area was nice but not massive, there wasnt much sand at all and you got hassled quite a bit by girls wanting to sell bracelets, books, etc! we were also pretty unlucky with the weather as it was mostly stormy while we were there! but we met three nice lads from birmingham so we spent most of our time with them, out boat trip was cancelled so we all went to a nicer bigger beach up the coast and had an afternoon there! it began to rain though and it soon became a scene similar to the british seaside with me and cat wrapped in out towels in a cafe with some hot chocolate waiting out the storm! our final stop before the vietnam border was kep which is where out guide recommended to have crab! the journey there was eventful with us all crammed into a tiny minibus, the back wouldnt shut due to all the bags so they had got some rope and just tried to tie it shut! but two quite posh english girls later complained that their bags were getting wet!! we met a lovely couple on the bus called anna and ed and we stayed at a great place right on the seafront, the owners dog who we named 'pouchy' faithfully followed us all the way to the beach when we went and when we got a tuk tuk back he chased after us to keep up! we all went out for the famous crab in the evenings, i stuck to just seafood but cat thought it was really tasty though you didnt get much meat from it! and everytime an order was made, a young lad started wading out into the sea in the darkness as we think they were keeping the crabs fresh in a cage just offshore! were off to the vietnam border next and phu quoc island. cambodia has been simply amazing, one of the highlights of our whole trip, we only wish we had longer here!!!!! :D

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