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Published: December 8th 2020
We awoke this morning excited for a full day of sightseeing in Phnom Penh. Breakfast this morning was buffet style on the rooftop terrace where we enjoyed the typical western style breakfast items coupled with a wide variety of tropical fruits. It was a great way to start the day as we enjoyed a relaxing breakfast, enjoyed the fresh morning air, and soaked in the views overlooking the Tonle Sap River. After breakfast we set out for our full day around the city beginning with the nearby Royal Palace. Spread out over a large well manicured area, the grounds of the Royal Palace seemed a world away from the urban chaos of the streets of Phnom Penh. We walked around and admired the breathtaking Khmer architectural style and I was amazed by the elegant opulence of it all. Our first stop was the Throne Hall which is used for coronations and other ceremonies. This is the most impressive structure at the Royal Palace complex with it's amazing architecture topped by a 59 meter spire and a 4 faced head that was inspired by the Bayon at Angkor. We walked around the Throne Hall admiring it's intricate carvings and detail while listening
to Sreymon provide us some background on the structure. Not too long afterwards, the heat and humidity of South-East Asia quickly started to hit me. I had already started to sweat through my shirt and was already starting to feel the energy drain from me. It's hard to believe that it wasn't even 10:00am yet. From the Throne Hall, we made a brief visit to the Bronze House where some of the King's artifacts were housed. Inside we saw some clothing and jewelry however it was just so crowded inside that I couldn't get a decent look around. It was also unbearably hot inside with everyone crowded inside that I just had to leave. From the Bronze House, we ventured over to the Silver Pagoda Complex. Enclosing the Silver Pagoda Complex was a wall with a famous mural plastered on it. This extensive mural featured The Reamker which was a Cambodian version of the Hindu epic called the Ramayana. I didn't really understand exactly what I was looking at but I was amazed by the intricate detail of it all. There were unfortunately many parts of the mural that were definitely showing it's age. Sreymon stopped here so we could
rest in the shade while she proceeded to give us some history of the area before we were free to wander around. Once we were left to wander, I went over to go check out the Silver Pagoda known for the 5,000 silver tiles that line the floor inside. No photographs were allowed inside but I was able to see a life sized golden Buddha as well as an Emerald Buddha. The pagoda's walls were decorated with intricate Khmer masks as well as many gold Buddhas. Again like the Bronze House earlier, I didn't last long inside as it was so unbearably hot despite the electric fans that had been placed around the inside. After checking out the Silver Pagoda, I walked around the remainder of the Silver Pagoda Complex where I checked out the 2 stupas containing the remains of a Cambodian king and a princess. I also had a brief look at an equestrian statue of King Norodom before meeting back up with the rest of the group.
After the Royal Palace, we got into our van and headed outside of Phnom Penh to visit an important site in Cambodia's dark past, the Killing Fields.
The Throne Hall at The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh
Close up of one of the towers inspired by the Bayon at AngkorHere we would be reminded of man's inhumanity towards fellow man. The Killing Fields of Cheoung Ek are the most famous of the killing fields found throughout Cambodia where approximately 2 million people (25% percent of the population) were killed back in the late 1970s by the state sponsored genocide of the Khmer Rouge. Mass graves of approximately 9,000 people were found here at Cheoung Ek just after the fall of the Khmer Rouge with many of those killed being political prisoners. Upon arrival, we immediately knew that this would be a very sad and depressing visit but something that is important for every visitor to Cambodia to visit. My first impressions of the site were that it was quite calm and very peaceful. A far cry from the horrors that were taking place here more than 40 years ago. As we started the tour around the site, the fields contained large depressions in them. It became clear that these were the sites of mass graves that had been excavated. The various exhibits were well marked and signposted in English and as we walked from exhibit to exhibit, we would occasionally come across some fragments of clothing that commonly come
to the surface on the trail after a rainstorm, a chilling reminder of the countless number of people whose remains still lie underneath. Of all the mass graves here at Cheoung Ek, the most difficult one to see was the Killing Tree. This tree was used to kill young children by beating them against the tree before throwing their bodies into the mass grave alongside their parents. It was so extremely difficult to comprehend how anyone can justify the killing of anybody let alone young children. As our guide Sreymon explained, the thinking of the Khmer Rouge was that if one person was killed, everyone in that family had to also be killed so as to prevent anybody from extracting revenge for the killing of their family. It was here that Sreymon, also provided us with her family's personal tragic experiences. With a trembling voice and a few tears shed, she told us of many members of her extended family who were killed at places like this as well as many others that are missing and presumed to have been killed. I think all of us were unable to hold back the shedding of a few tears as she told
all of this to us. Today, the Killing Tree is adorned with many bracelets and other offerings left here by visitors to remember the young children murdered here. We ended our walk around the site with a quick visit to the memorial stupa that was built to remember the victims killed here. Inside this glass walled memorial stupa were the skulls of approximately 5,000 people whose remains were recovered here. Each skull had a color coded dot which indicated their method of execution. I didn't go inside as it was a bit claustrophobic but I did donate a few Cambodian Riels in order to light a candle to honor these victims. I have visited other memorial sites like this but with Sreymon sharing her personal experience of her family's loss, this was by far the most saddening and emotional memorial site that I have ever visited. It's hard to believe that this tragedy happened only a little more than 40 years ago. Travelling isn't always about having fun and seeing amazing things but also learning about dark moments in history with the hopes that such events are never repeated.
We all all re-boarded our van in a
sad and somber mood after what we had seen at the Killing Fields as we headed back into Phnom Penh for lunch at Banana Tree Restaurant. Located inside the La Rose Boutique Hotel, this was more upscale compared to other local restaurants and served typical Cambodian dishes but I think we were all most thankful for the air conditioning. I tried the fish amok which is known as the Cambodian national dish all downed with 2 Tiger beers. After this delicious and relaxing lunch, we were off to continue learning more about the Cambodian genocide with a visit to the nearby Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. This museum was a former high school which was converted into the infamous S-21 prison once the Khmer Rouge took power. This prison became the largest detention and torture center in all of Cambodia with the overwhelming majority of prisoners here eventually taken to the Cheoung Ek Killing Fields. The most memorable and saddening part of the whole museum were all the individual photographs of the prisoners with their haunting eyes starring back at me knowing that all of these people were eventually tortured and killed. I was surprised to learn that this prison even
held some non-Cambodians including an Australian, New Zealander, and an American. All of these foreign prisoners met the same fate as the Cambodian prisoners. We continued to walk around through the various rooms where we saw the tiny quarters in which the individual prisoners were confined. Seeing all the disturbing portraits, the rusted beds, and all the instruments of torture eventually became too much and I had to leave and just explore the outdoor exhibits. In all, only 7 people survived their imprisonment here at the S-21 prison. At the end of our tour of the prison, we had the opportunity to meet 2 of them. These 2 men were lucky enough to have a skill that was deemed useful which prevented them from being killed. Today these 2 men have written books on their experiences here at the prison and are selling them in order to make a living.
After the Tuol Sleng Museum, we were brought back to the hotel but for those of us who opted to go on a cyclo tour around the city, we had just a few minutes before we were back on the streets again. Half the group joined the
Detail of the Throne Hall
The Royal Palace Complex in Phnom Penh cyclo tour and we walked nearby to Preah Sisowath Quay to meet our cyclo drivers. A cyclo is basically a three wheel bicycle taxi and all 6 of us had our own individual cyclo as we headed out on the streets of Phnom Penh. It was a little nerve-wracking at first as our cyclo drivers weaved in and out of traffic and we would occasionally be passed by a family of four all crammed onto a single motorbike. However it eventually became quite relaxing once you got used to the noise and honking. After today's busy sightseeing, it was nice to just sit back and enjoy the scenery. When we eventually left the busy main thoroughfare and started riding through less congested parts of the city, the former French influence here in Cambodia started to become quite clear as we passed many buildings with French influenced architecture similar to Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Unfortunately many of these buildings were in a state of deterioration and disrepair. After a brief stop at the Cambodia Post Office where Sreymon provided us some information on the area's French influence, we made our way to the nearby Wat Phnom. Set atop the only
hill in Phnom Penh, Wat Phnom is where many locals come to pray for good luck and success. We just stopped for a few minutes so there wasn't any time to visit the Wat except to just have a quick look around. Back on the cyclos, it had begun to lightly rain and my cyclo driver stopped to place a protective tarp over me. We continued our relaxing ride around Phnom Penh where we rode past other landmarks such as the Central Market and the Independence Monument before returning back to where we started. After the cyclo ride, we walked along the riverside boardwalk where it seemed like all of Phnom Penh was hanging out this evening. The boardwalk was filled with vendors selling all sorts of food, drink, and treats and every square inch of available space seemed filled with families enjoying their evening. We were meeting the rest of our group for an evening cruise along the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers. Our evening cruise lasted about an hour and our group had the boat all to ourselves. We started off on the top deck where we enjoyed the evening breeze and the views of Phnom Penh. From
the river you could easily see all the high rise construction going on in the city. Sreymon explained to us that this was largely funded by Chinese investors and that the Chinese act as if they own the city. This was the first of a few comments she would make during the trip expressing some disdain of the Chinese. It was a good evening to get to know our fellow tour mates better while enjoying a few beers, some mixed drinks, and some local fruits. After the evening cruise, we had a late dinner and it was obvious that everyone was tired after what was a long day of seeing the highlights of Phnom Penh.
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