Phnom Penh - a vibrant city with a tragic past

Asia » Cambodia » South » Phnom Penh
May 13th 2006

Published: September 10th 2006

12th May (Fri) - We took a "deluxe" double decker bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia. (The bus is actually 2nd handed... The original signs and labels, written in Chinese, were still in the bus, which was probably made in Taiwan.) In Phnom Penh, after putting our luggage in the hotel, we went to explore the O Russei Market and the Central Market. We also went to a Buddhist s... Read Full Entry

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Lau Chau Sang

autumncs

Born in Hong Kong and currently living in Singapore, I am a guy who loves travelling. Like many "travelholics" at TravelBlog, I'm so addicted to travelling that once I stopped travelling I will have withdrawal symptoms. Hence, to cure my addiction, I have to go somewhere at least once every 2 months. (I must admit that it is an expensive addiction. Haha. But at least addiction to travel is healthier than addiction to drugs/smoking/drinking...) I started using TravelBlog when I was doing my internship in Canada in 2005. (For older photos before my Canadian internship... full info

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Royal Palace 2

Royal Palace 3

A statue of a Cambodian king (It's rumoured that the statue used to be Napolean. After Napolean's defeat, the head is replaced by the Cambodian king's head.)

Royal Palace 4

National Museum

The distinctive red building houses over 5000 artifacts from various parts of Cambodia, with an emphasis on Angkorian era.

Wat Phnom

Situated on a small hill, Wat Phnom is one of the most important temples in Phnom Penh

Toul Sleng Genocide Museum

Prior to 1975, Toul Sleng was a high school. When the Khmer Rouge came to power it was converted into the S-21 prison and interrogation facility. The building now serves as a museum and a testament to the madness of the Khmer Rouge regime.

Toul Sleng Genocide Museum 2

The building was covered with barbed wires so that victims cannot escape or jump down to commit suicide.

Toul Sleng Genocide Museum 3

Every prisoner was photographed and documented before he/she got locked up in the prison cells. It's shocking to see rows and rows and rows of photographs.

Toul Sleng Genocide Museum 4

Even small children were not spared...

Toul Sleng Genocide Museum 5

A bed where victims were tortured...

Toul Sleng Genocide Museum 6

Prison cells were constructed with wood inside the classrooms. Each cell's area is less than 2 square metres.

Toul Sleng Genocide Museum 7

Torture equipments, and paintings showing how the equipments were used

Choeung Ek Memorial

This memorial stands on one of Cambodia's infamous killing fields during the Khmer Rouge regime. More than 17000 people were executed at this killing field.

Choeung Ek Memorial 2

Skeletal remains and clothes of the victims recovered from the mass graves are placed inside the memorial tower. It's eerie to see the height of the pile of skeletons...

Choeung Ek Memorial 3

The mass graves where all the poor victims were buried. The large killing field with numerous holes in the ground is a scary sight...

My mum and our tut-tut driver

Dinner-time outside O Russei Market

Every evening, all the stalls outside the market are replaced by hawkers and dining tables

Leaving Phnom Penh

We were expecting a luxurious coach, but what we saw was an old crowded mini-bus...

My mum & the Cambodian checkpoint

The Vietnamese checkpoint

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Phnom Penh - a vibrant city with a tragic past

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