Phnom Penh....tuk tuk anyone?

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So, I said that Siem Reap had the incessant noise of tuk tuk offers....double that, and you're in Phnom Penh!

We arrived late afternoon and decided to walk in search of accommodation, with the offer of a tuk tuk at least every 30 seconds! We found a nice guesthouse by the lake (which sadly they are draining) and enjoyed a nice evening, with a fantastic sunset.

Wandering round Phnom Penh, I noticed it has a lot of character. In comparison to the capital city of Laos, it is so much more vibrant, and the people really give it life - there are people everywhere, going about their business, which makes it much more interesting and a busy bustling city. As I walked around I decided I liked Phnom Penh! We had a good night out to celebrate a fellow travelers birthday, and found a club called Pontoon on a boat which was good fun!


A visit to the S-21 Tuol Sleng Genocide museum is a depressing, but educating and worthwhile visit. It reveals a lot about what happened there not too long ago, with lots of pictures and information, and a movie to watch. It's quiet and heavy going, but I think it serves as a good reminder of Cambodia's past and as a strong deterrent to letting something like that happen again. Similarly a visit to the killing fields gives a lot of reality to the history that I had read about, with the memorial containing thousands of human bones.


On a lighter note, Pnohm Penh gives a good rounded view of Cambodia and it's people, as well as a vision of it's turbulent past. It's strange to imagine such recent history in the very same city that was once deserted when the Khmer Rouge arrived. The same streets that now bustle with motorbikes, tuk tuks, markets and street side cafes. I've really enjoyed my stay, and now it's time to move on, heading for Vietnam....

J x x

**One thing to note, which was annoying - the national palace does not allow shoulders to be covered with a scarf, only a t-shirt, and conveniently there is a t-shirt shop opposite the ticket booth - a cheeky way for them to make more money in my opinion - so ladies, wear a t-shirt that day!

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