http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , Cambodia , South , Phnom Penh en-us Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:52:11 UTC Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:52:11 UTC I'm sidestepping chronology in this post and revisiting some places I've been to places of a quite dark nature. The flashbackposts will consist of pictures and info I haven't had time to post earlier.After Angkor Wat the Khmer Rouge related tourism is the largest in Cambodia. For me it was the main reason to come to Cambodia to get a first hand look at these places of utter insanity. Howev http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-351180.html Hey everyoneLast I left you I was in Sihanoukville relaxing on the beach Since then I made a stop in Phnom Penh the capital of Cambodia and have made my way to Saigon a.k.a. Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.Sihanoukville was fun but it was definitely time to move on. It's the party capital of Cambodia so after a few days I felt enough was enough. I got a bit of a weird vibe being there as http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-351135.html All in all after having my wallet stolen and no access to money for 3 days I was done with Cambodia and couldn't wait to leave. I felt like I was looking over my shoulder the whole time in case someone else caused some more disaster for me little did I know what the PAD were cooking up for me in Bangkok........But I had to go to Phnom Pehn to organise my visa for vietnam do not go to the e http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-350613.html Welcome backI left you last in Saigon putting my stomach to the test...its been shy of 2 weeks and you'll be glad to know the old intestines are still in one piece.I left from saigon heading to Sihanoukville on the far southwest coast of Cambodia. There is no organized direct route from saigon to sihaoukville so me and a norweigen fellow carved our own. Starting with a simple 4hr minivan ride http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-350568.html Really lazy day today. Caught up on some sleep then went to the riverside area for lunch. This seems to be the centre of town where hotels souvenir shops and restaurants line the streets. Phnom Penh has a very different feel to it. At lunch I sat in a cafe looking over a main street towards the river. The traffic includes many more cars here creating gridlock at peak times but the streets sti http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-350478.html Bangkok Phnom Penh May 2004I spent the last month in Bangkok and had a good time there. I went to a few tourist spots that I hadn't seen before and I was there for the Thai New Year Water Festival in April. Itrsquos so much fun many people go around with buckets of water or giant squirt guns trying to soak everyone they see. They even soak policemen My kid had a wonderful time. And it http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-350236.html Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia. It's loud filled with traffic and polluted. PP is where the Khmer Rouge started their seige of Cambodia emptying the city by force in April and telling people that they would be able to return in three days. Three million Cambodians more or less were living in PP at the time so imagine a mass exodus. This was the KR's way of getting every Cambodian http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-349569.html Hi everyoneJust a real quickie to let you know we left india on the 25th and from Delhi so we were well out of range for the attacks which we only just heard aboutIt was so upsetting for us to read about as we arrived in Mumbai a month ago today we sat in the big train station without even waiting for a train just because its where everyone goes for a little sit down surrounded by big fami http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-349354.html We left Siem Reap feeling like all the reports about aggressive touts and street kids were totally overexaggerated we were barely bothered by any touts just the usual ignorable shoutouts by tuk tuk drivers. But when we got to Phnom Penh we realized the true scope of the problem. Beggars and vendors alike of all ages and disabilities hang out in the tourist areas and make their rounds http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-348995.html Phnom PenhAfter being assured several times that the bus would be leaving at 1230pm I then went to the guesthouse bar for a spot of breakfast and a relax before the bus left... after ordering I was then summoned for the bus at 12... and my breakfast hadn't arrived so I told the nice chap behind the bar to pass it onto someone who needed it but he insisted on refunding me my money. Which was nice http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-348177.html It's been an extremely hectic few days since our last entry We've spent what seems like weeks on several different busses and hours bartering with natives to save a few quid here and thereWe're just in Phnom Penh the capital of Cambodia at the moment it's extremely hectic here the roads are manic and you're constantly being pestered by people selling drinksmotorbike ridestakis etc but on http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-348158.html Today we had a guided tour around S21 and the killing fields. During the period of 1975 and 1979 the country was overthrown by the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot who is prime minister. The main aim by government during this time was to make the country communist in record time. All urban dwellers were evacuated to the countryside to become agricultural workers. Money became worthless basic freedoms http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-348008.html But it wasn't all so sad in Phnom Penh. The following day was Independence Day so we went down the riverfront in the evening to celebrate freedom from those Frenchies The place was crowded with festive types. It was a bit of a bonfire night atmosphere only without the cold and the rain. We sat on the sea wall waiting for the Fireworks chatting to a local teenage girl. She was very sweet and was http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-347773.html On Nov.1 we met Sandra and Lee O'niel at the Foreign Correspondents Club on the river front of Phnom Penh.We had booked a 2 room apartment there with balcony overlooking the Tonle Sap River and a road to watch the world pass by.The population of 1.5 million is definately underestimated I'm sure they would have no idea how many people live and ride motor bikes there.Nothing to see a family of 5 on http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-347693.html We took a bus to Phnom Penh the capital of Cambodia on the Friday. The Sunday was Independence Day and then began 3 days of Water Festival so we only had the Saturday when anything would be open. We took full advantage and did the thing every tuktuk driver asks you to do constantly and maybe the biggest 'attraction' in the city the museum and Killing Fields.I'd learned a little about the Kh http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-347458.html Well this is our first blog entry for our SE Asia trip and because we have left it so long we have alot to talk about. We left Darwin on 7 November for Bangkok after driving 1500km from Alice Springs. It was sad but exciting to leave Alice and the start of another journey for Em and Goughie. ThailandBangkok ThailandWe arrived in Bangkok on 7 November after a mammoth 24 hours of travel and http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-347429.html Phnom Penh...The bus journey from Siem Reap was fairly easy. I as usual slept all the way. We arrived at the bus station outside of the city where we were pounced on by a million tuk tuk drivers. AAAARRRGGGHHH We fought our way to a quiet spot beating off the drivers while we looked at the Lonely Planet to find accommodation. We gave in to a driver waving a poster in our faces with the details http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-346848.html Ok well Kell and I have been busy and there hasnt been the best internet access around hence the blog hasnt moved for a while.Still to come isPragueMunichLucernMunich yes againBangkokChiang MaiHanoiSapaHa Long BayHanoi FloodHue Where we met up with Ben not Leslie from SydneyHoi An Where we met Ben Leslie and SuzyHo Chi Minh with Mekong Trip and Chu Chi Tunnels TripSiem ReapA Stupid Bus http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-346074.html We woke early 6.15 am to get a free breakfast before getting a public bus to Phnom Penh. Most of us dosed during the journey. The bus stopped at random places and on one occassions several locals boarded the bus filling the aisle of the bus. At one of the stops several cambodian men swammed around the bus door offering transportation and accommodation. It would have been so daunting to have had http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-345480.html So aplogies for the last blog being so short. Rach discovered that the Cambodian sat next to her was looking at well Ping Pong so to speak and shuffling suspiciously. So we up and left with some haste.On the internet again as we have just booked our accommodation in Saigon which we are heading to tomorrow. Then we have a tour booked out on the Mekong Delta which should be good.So the Limo http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-345458.html At the time of this entry I have been back in Vietnam for just over a week where Irsquove found myself immensely occupied with meeting many new people going about logistics such as acquiring cellphones setting up interviews so forth and of course teaching English every day to a wonderful group of young adults. But I will hold off on all that for a later entry because I feel that I need to http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-345353.html Today was another early start. At 6.45 am we took a short walk to the bus stop while our rucksacks travelled by tuk tuk. You would never have guessed it was a bus stop no obvious indication....without our tour leader we would never have found it. It was a 3 hour journey to Phnom Penh. After an hour on the bus we stopped for a toilet break. Another squat which i am getting quite used to. On steppi http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-345264.html So just a quick update. We have made it Phnom Penh in time for the climax of their biggest festival. Which involved a lot of men and women taking to the river in long boats and racing looked better than it sounds. All a bit mad and very very busy. Good hostel both in good spirit even after visiting the killing fields today.Thanks for all your messages good to hear you are all wellCheers http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-345028.html Hopping across the border from Vietnam to Cambodia by boat was truly a luxury experience. Boarding one boat in the Mekong we disembarked at the border to drink a beer while our boatman arranged our visas a few passport stamps later and we were boarding a new boat which took us onto Phnom Penh. We had planned stay for just the weekend as we would be back in Phnom Phen for Christmas to meet Eric's http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-345020.html ....... continued ....I cant describe what happened to me in Phnom Penh I fell in love with the place with its people its strange beauty and its dark side I eventually and unfortunatley began to run out of money and with rumours back home I had become a Col. Kurtz sort of figure I reluctantly made my way home.I left my heart in Phnom Penh.when I got home I dabbled in a little bit more tra http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-344794.html A few years ago I was backpacking my way around South East Asia I had originally just gone on a 2 week holiday but after getting caught up in the whole vibe of the area and with enough cash in the bank to last me a fair few weeks I made a phone call to work to tell them I would not be in tomorrow or ever again this phone call would later turn out to be the most significant phone call I have ev http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-344773.html Days 64 65Our bus left at 8am so had to be at the ticket office at 730am bit too early for my liking think the earliest one yet.. Also not a sleeper bus tht 've gotten used to so no slipping back to sleep easily.. As we sat and waited a minibus pulled up with our trip written on the side of it we all looked at each other and laughed thinking this was our bus for the whole journey and as we bu http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-344681.html HoiIn m'n vorige berichtje zei ik dat ik naar Kompong Cham zou gaan. Toen we daar aankwamen hoorden we dat we ook gelijk al met de bus naar Kratie een dorpje wat noordelijker in Cambodja konden vertrekken. Eigenlijk wilden we daar de volgende dag pas heen maar aangezien het nogal hard regende in Kompong Cham dachten we dat we er maar beter een lange reisdag van konden maken en dus hebben we g http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-344085.html As I boarded the luxury coach the ticket cost 10 USD and it came with a free bottle of water from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh I was hoping that the 6 hour journey would be long enough to finish the book I had started. The book was called 'First they killed my father' by Loung Eng and tells a story of life and death under the Khmer Rouge's genocidal regime from 197579. Khmer Rouge For those not http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-343924.html In an effort to promote a cohesiveness of cultures and allow teacher trainees to formulate a regional network but really to save time and money LanguageCorps takes members signed up to teach in Asia and throws them all together into a stuffed little classroom in Phnom Penh Cambodia for two weeks ofhellipthunder clap Teacher TrainingClasses were held at a university just a few blocks from http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-343598.html