Advertisement
Published: March 23rd 2011
Edit Blog Post
On arrival in Phnom Penh I got in touch with Mr Be*, the moto driver recommended to me by the friend of my uncle I mentioned in the Siem Reap post, and let him know I had arrived at the 'bus station' - more a dusty open patch behind the stadium, and off we went to Okay Guesthouse (review
here). Fortunately it didn't take him long to get to where I was because there must have been at least ten moto and tuk-tuk drivers all after my custom. I arranged with Mr Be to visit the Genocide Museum and Killing Fields, as well as to organise a visa for Vietnam.
The recent history of Cambodia is tragic, and tours of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek could certainly not be described as pleasant but are essential for an understanding of the country and what its people have been through. The cruelty and inhumanity of the Khmer Rouge defies comprehension - over two million people were killed during the four years they ruled the country, a quarter of the population. Tuol Sleng was formerly a high school (there was another high school a short walk
away whose buildings looked much the same) and is surrounded by ordinary residences and shops - but the Khmer Rouge turned it into a prison, codenamed S-21. Of around 16,000 people who were taken there, just seven survived. Thousands more, including young children, were taken by truck to Choeung Ek, killed, and thrown into mass graves.
To say the least, visiting Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek is a sobering experience. At Tuol Sleng, in some of the rooms that in the past were cells and torture chambers (blood stains are still visible on the floor tiles) hundreds of photographs taken when victims entered the prison are displayed. Paintings by
Vann Nath, who survived S-21 by painting portraits of Pol Pot, depicting some of the horrors of life in the prison are on the walls. Elsewhere, exhibitions of Cambodian art, and some informative descriptions for visitors of the Khmer Rouge ideology and party structure, and the UN tribunal trials of KR leaders. In the open courtyard that the buildings overlook, trees and grassed play areas - and gym equipment that was used as a gallows by interrogators.
Choeung Ek is an eerie place. At the centre is a tall memorial
stupa (Buddhist monument). Inside there are thousands of skulls that were discovered at the site, held in a tiered glass display that visitors are encouraged to view and even photograph. The tour guide explained that the site was formerly a Chinese cemetery so as not to arouse suspicion. For the same reason, executions were carried out at night, and music blared from a speaker hung on a tree to drown out the sound. Another tree was indicated as the "killing tree" against which the executioners beat the young children. When it rains, bones continue to come to the surface. The guide pointed out fragments as we walked between the graves. Is it wrong for this place to be a macabre tourist 'attraction'? The Cambodian government actively encourages people to visit the site, and tours are advertised everywhere as well as being offered by the moto and tuk-tuk drivers on the streets ("Friend, where you go? Killing field?"). But at times I felt that I should not be here.
Thankfully not everything in Phnom Penh is so grim. I visited the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda which are close together and within short walking distance from the guesthouse I stayed
at. While the city was cleared of its inhabitants by the Khmer Rouge, the King was held effectively under house arrest at the palace. Perhaps surprisingly given their 'year zero' ideology, the pagodas and stupas in the Royal Palace complex were preserved although many of the objects inside were lost. While the buildings were not as spectacular as Bangkok's Grand Palace, particularly from the outside, there was some real grandeur here. The Silver Pagoda, for instance, is not actually silver but gets its name from its solid silver floor tiles. Unfortunately taking photographs inside here or the Palace was not permitted - I didn't realise at first until I saw an attendant telling another visitor to put his camera away! Inside as well as the silver tiles is a man-sized solid gold Buddha encrusted with diamonds (is it me or is there a certain irony there?). In the early evening, I went with Mr Be to pick up my passport from the visa agency. The agency was probably not one I would have chosen to use if it weren't for him - it was in the back of a motorbike shop called 'Lucky Lucky' - but he was friends with
the people who run it and I got the visa with no problems.
The Sorya Mall is Phnom Penh's most modern shopping centre, and though I did not really need to buy anything I took some time to have a look around here and see how it compares to those I have visited in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. On the ground floor it felt a bit like a sanitised, air-conditioned market full of stalls selling clothing and accessories and small shops, on the upper floors are larger stores selling electronics, toys and mobile phones. As in the city centre there were few recognisable names, even of the fast food restaurants. On the top floor there's a big balcony with a good view of the city below, as well as a cinema, arcade and indoor skateboard arena.
While there weren't many Western names in the shopping mall, there were plenty of familiar designer labels at the Russian Market (Psar Toul Tom Poung). I'd read that some of the clothes sold here and in the 'export' shops in the vicinity are seconds from factories in the country that manufacture for sale in the West, however there are also an enormous
amount of fakes on the market here (some more accurate copies than others!). As well as clothes, an amazing array of different kinds of items are for sale in the Market. In one area there was a cluster of stalls all selling bicycle tires and what looked like motorbike parts. There were all different kinds of handicrafts, art and (again probably fake in many cases) antiques. Of course the one thing I would have actually liked to buy, i.e. some more long sports socks, I couldn't find anywhere!
The Sisowath Quay ('riverside') area is where most visitors to Phnom Penh head to in the evenings for its bars and restaurants. Because of this the streets are full of hawkers selling photocopied books and trinkets, there are lots of beggars, and oh the constant calls from moto and tuk-tuk drivers, who are often offering dubious substances and services as well as a lift. There are very few taxis in Phnom Penh and there's no bus or metro network so they provide a necessary means of transport, but they are unregulated (in Bangkok the moto drivers wear numbered orange jackets - nothing like that here). After eating in the Sisowath area
I preferred to get back to the guesthouse fairly early in the evening by tuk-tuk rather than stay out late and/or walk back as away from the few streets with popular restaurants the lighting was poor and there weren't many people walking around.
Phnom Penh is developing at a rate of knots. Considering that less than 40 years ago the place was turned into a ghost town and most of the educated people killed by the Khmer Rouge, the revival of the city really is impressive. Of course, if Bangkok is anything to go by progress from here will probably mean more taxis on the streets, yes, but also the arrival of Starbucks etc, not to mention the 7 Elevens that are so ubiquitous in Thailand's capital. Now is a good time to visit this city while its centre retains a lot of its local character. Though I wouldn't say it was the most enjoyable place I've been to, I am definitely glad I stayed a few days here.
* If you're planning to visit Phnom Penh and looking for a reliable driver who understands English, you can call Mr Be (011 281 520 from within Cambodia).
Advertisement
Tot: 0.071s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 8; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0251s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Anne & Vic
non-member comment
Hi Ian Good to hear you had the reliable and trustworthy Mr Be to look after you. A harrowing experience indeed but surely a valuable one, perhaps you should feel less of a 'voyeur' (an understandable reaction) and more of a witness to mans inhumanity to man - a valuable lesson. Take care