Blogs from Phnom Penh, South, Cambodia, Asia - page 199

Astumme sisaan vanhaan lukioon, kun ulkona auringonsateet kuumentavat jokaisen solun. Kaytaville on helppo kuvitella poikia juoksemaan kirjat kainalossaan matkalla tunnille ja tyttoja vaihtamaan salaisuuksia, nyt jo nuhruisiin nurkkiin. Pian aanet ja kuvat mielessa kuitenkin vaihtuvat huudoiksi, itkuksi ja armonaneluiksi kun ensimmaisen sellin ovi aukeaa edessa. Sitten saapuu hiljaisuus, jonka tuntee jokaisella askeleella. Tuol Slengin seinien sisalla ei vuosina 1976 - 1979 kuulunut naurua tai lasten leikkien aania, vain absoluuttinen, kuolemaa odottava hiljaisuus, jonka rikkoi ajoittain vain kidutettujen naisten, lasten ja miesten, huudot. Jokaisesta aanesta rangaistiin. Kuinka hiljaisesti ihminen voi havita tasta maailmasta pelatessaan henkensa, ja perheensa hengen, puolesta? Vaikuttavin hiljaisuus ymparillamme syntyy kun museota kiertavat nykyaikalaiset saapuvat entisiin luokka... read more

Battambang I've spent the last week visiting the magnificent temples at Angkor Wat, with a short detour beforehand to Battambang in the west. Battambang (pronounced Battambong) is a 5 hour bus ride away, is a rather nice little town and there are various temples and sites to see in the surrounding region. It's also a convenient stopover on the way to Angkor, travelling onwards by bus or boat in my case. In Battambang a took a moto for the day with guide ($15) and went to see a couple of wats (temples) and some old ruins (I can't remember the name without the guidebook to hand). The highlight of the day however was a ride back to the town on the bamboo train - basically just a single track railway line which the locals use to ... read more

Phnom Penh really was an assault on the senses and emotions. Yesterday we did the serious stuff - Choeng Ek Killing Fields followed by the Tuol Sleng (S21) Prison. Although not as graphically 'in your face' as the War Remnants museum in Saigon it used it's vagueness to make you imagine the trauma that went on in these places. I knew very little about the Khmer Rouge and the suffering Cambodia went through before coming here and I still don't fully understand the whys and the hows, but its opened my eyes and I want to find out more. There is actually very little to the Killing Fields. It is simply a 2 hectare site with what look like several bomb craters and signs reading this is where something was. However, the bomb craters were mass ... read more

pStunden werden nicht mehr gezaehlt, es ist Tag 22 und de facto hat ein Tag auf Reisen mehr als 24 Stunden - soviel Input...! Seit drei Tagen sind wir nun in Phnom Penh, Kambodscha und wissen nun, dass alles, wirklich alles gut organisiert und bedacht werden muss. Einfach nur raus und los geht nicht. Wo befindet man sich ? Wo will man hin? /ppSpazieren bzw. Essen gehen laeuft so:/pp Alles wichtige (Geld, Stadtplan, Adresse v. Hostel, Sonnencreme...) mitnehem (wichtige Dokumente und Notfall-Geld im Zimmer verstecken), Tuk Tuk rufen, Preis aushandeln (...schwierig), dann gehts los. Sobald man das Haus verlaesst, wirds nicht nur heiss und schwuel, sondern man wird die ganze Zeit bequatscht (arme Kinder, Bettler, Haendler...) da hilft leider nur, Augen zu und durch./pp Wie ging es eigentlich nach Thailand weiter? Von der ruhigen Insel ins ... read more

Aaaah - I just spent 30 minutes writing and somehow managed to lose it, so this will be a very condensed update now as I can't be bothered to do it all over again!!! Since last time I went down to Sihanoukville on the coast, which is a rather nice beach-side town with several great beaches spread around the town. I rented a scooter and explored around, and also went to the nearby Ream national park (forests, mangroves and little islands) where we managed to spot some freshwater dophins. I spent Christmas there and there was a great party at the Eden bar with cheap drinks and great curries all night! rather strange to spend Christmas in a hot country though...After 5 days there I went by share taxi (6 people inside - rather uncomfortable for ... read more