Blogs from Phnom Penh, South, Cambodia, Asia - page 7

The kindness of the Cambodian people was apparent when Jenny and I first arrived at Phnom Pen airport ... our pick up had not arrived and as we stood there a guide from another company noticed us maybe looking a bit “ lost ” and he then phoned and arranged a driver to pick us up .... problem solved !! Having lost a night sleep on the journey we had a couple of hours kip then we were off. The hotel was in a great location , the Mighty Mekong river at the end of the road, the old market at the other end and Palaces and temples 5 mins walk. Hot and humid, we were also very happy to think that after our walkabouts we could have a cooling dip in the pool or sit ... read more

A difficult morning! We went to visit the S21 (Tuol Sleng Museum) and Killing Fields (Choeung Ek) of Phnom Penh. Before 1975 the S21 was a school, but the Khmer Rouge converted it into a prison during what the Cambodians call the 'dark period'. When the Khmer Rouge originally came to Phnom Penh the people of the city welcomed them and came out in the streets to celebrate their arrival, it wasn't until later that their true colours shone through. The Khmer Rouge saw highly educated people as a threat so they convinced them all to go to Phnom Penh to 'use their talents'. They were then imprisoned and tortured for anything up to 4 months. The cells that they stayed in were so small, barely enough to lie down in and they were often stripped ... read more

Once we jumped off the train, at the quietest train station ever, we walked to find a place to stay. Our immediate impression was a good one. It had a good vibe and was surprisingly modern with actual skyscrapers and buildings that didn't look like they were going to fall down. We found a place called "11 happy backpacker" dumped our stuff and quickly headed off to the Russian Market. This place was crazy cramped, hot and noisy but my God did we get some bargains! Much to Chars relief Jack bought 4 new items of clothes as his current collection made him smell (apparently). Once our shopping was complete we returned to the hostel for a fashion show. The next day we hired bicycles so that we could go to S-21 and The Killing Fields ... read more

Kampot is a sleepy little riverside town its pretty and peaceful. I stayed in a fairly new hostel called Jetzt and a girl who lives not far from me at home so we hung out together for a few days. The place we were staying was owned by three fun Swedish guys who really did everything to make sure their guests were happy I was very impressed. Walking along the river was really nice all lit up on both sides with brightly coloured bridges going over. We went and found a desert shop and pigged out on ice cream and cake. The first night a guest in the dorm decided to drink to much and throw up all over the place (gross) and while they cleaned the room they sent us back to the bar for ... read more

Geo: 11.5588, 104.917No-one else heard it - but I did. At 4.17 am I was woken by monks chanting. I put on my robe and scurried out to the sundeck to see what was going on. It was pitch black and not another person was n sight. And despite everyone I have met today if they heard it - not one other soul has confessed to hearing the chanting.And continuing the theme of being on deck in PJs, got a call from Richard saying that the view from the front of the ship was worth the trip down the hallway. So once again, wrapped in the white AMA Lotus gown I was on deck. Despite assuring me that no-one was there, think that everyone from the third floor was out and had a comment about my ... read more