Blogs from Phnom Penh, South, Cambodia, Asia - page 202

Okay, I am having a much better day today. Mostly because I have studiously avoided the masses and kept to myself as much as possible. My sanity depended on it. After my blog yesterday I ran into a French couple that I had met in Siem Reap, and felt better when they expressed the same feelings I had about the poverty and beggers here. I am not the only one suffering from travellers guilt. Although it was a good day, it was far from happy this morning, as I visited the S-21 museum and the Killing Feilds today. The barbarity and cruelness of what happened there are inhuman, and I cannot imagine going through the pain, suffering, fear and torture that these people did. Tuol Sleng Museum Tuol Sleng Museum was formerly a Cambodian high school. ... read more

So we caught the boat from Siem Reap and travelled down the Tonle Sap lake and river to arrive at Cambodia's capital, Phnom Pehn some five and a half hours later. The boat journey itself was excellent, especially as sitting out on the roof of the boat we managed to pick a spot far enough forward to get the only dry seats in the house. The first bit of the journey involves crossing the lake part of the Tonle Sap which is massive. For several hours there is nothing but water on the horizon and consequently reasonably large waves. The spray from said waves seemed to soak all other roof dwelling passangers to the bone except us and the couple next to us. Result. Once the lake turned into the river part of the Tonle Sap ... read more

So it was another early start, up at 7 o'clock so we could get some breakfast at the market and make it back to the hotel in time for the 8:30 speedboat. We had a 7 hour journey ahead of us but it was pleasant. Going anywhere by boat avoids crazy drivers, bumpy roads and dust. The border crossing between Vietnam and Cambodia was like none we've ever seen before, with lots of boats and coconut trees. It was quite quiet, apart from the hawkers selling snacks, kids wanting to carry our bags for a tip and black marketeers exchanging currency. There was a guide on the boat who sorted out our Cambodia visas for us for a $2 fee, so they cost $22 altogether. Our first encounter with a Cambodian official was a pleasant one, ... read more

The visit to Phnom Penh was certainly one of the places I was most looking forward to on this trip, and I wasn't disappointed. Unlike so many of Asia's capital cities, Phnom Penh has a distinct character to it without all the buildup. There isn't a building over seven or eight stories in the city. That is certainly starting to change as Cambodia is one of Asia's fastest growing economies. As it is uniquely positioned between Vietnam and Thailand, Cambodia should grow by default. I certainly see this with the amount of tourists now including Cambodia along with Vietnam and Thailand on their travels. It was interesting, though, that there was very little truck traffic at the Vietnam/Cambodia border crossing. This is so unusual. I'm not sure why, but one of the reasons could be the ... read more

I've been reading a book lately called, "Off The Rails in Phnom Penh: Into the Dark Heart of Guns, Girls, and Ganja." I picked this one up on the street from a kid selling all sorts of bootlegged, photocopied titles about Cambodia. It's by an Israeli-born American called Amit Gilboa, and it looked to be a lot more fun to read than any of the other offerings (mostly about Pol Pot). Then and Now Although the book is an older one--covering a period exactly ten years before now--I was surprised to see how little of Cambodia's capitol city has changed. The place is still brimming over with poverty. You can still find two dollar hookers and copious firearms and illegal drugs in the marketplace. The government is still corrupt and ruthless and unaccountable to anyone. The ... read more