I took a lovely little plane from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh, less than half full, so a whole row to myself again ? I transferred from the airport to my new accommodation in district 1. Like a few of the other places I have stayed, it was a relatively new hotel and I think cheap, because they were trying to get the ratings up. It had a lovely roof top swimming pool, bar/restaurant. The rooms had a French feel to it….like Vietnam, Cambodia had been colonised by the French. The exterior felt very Italian though. Had a very comfortable stay at this hotel.
My 1st day in Phnom Penh (PP), I took a TukTuk to the National museum (great to be back in a TukTuk, I might get one when I return to the UK). The museum is home to the world’s finest collection of Khmer sculpture. It’s housed in a terracotta structure of traditional design (built from 1917 to 1920) with a lovely courtyard garden. I wandered around for ages, enjoying the sculptures. I’m sure some of them had been destroyed/damaged during various wars etc that Cambodia has been through.
After the museum I had planned on going to the Royal Palace but it was closed until 2pm, so I had a bit of time to kill. As it’s becoming a theme with my travels, I somehow got talked into taking a TukTuk tour, of the city, by a very persuasive young man. To be fair, his English was excellent and I did end up seeing places I hadn’t thought of!! When he offered me more tours the following day….I did manage to say NO!!! I call that progress ?. The tour look in a Buddhist temple, the independence monument (independence from the French), a statue of the king who negotiated Cambodia’s independence and various other things!!
And so onto the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda. Beautiful building, in stunning grounds, all very well maintained. It is the royal residence of the king of Cambodia. I’m not sure if he lives there or its a bit like our Buckingham Palace in London, mainly used for state affairs.
That evening a went to a little cultural centre and saw some tradition dance. Not as grand as the Opera House in HCMC, but sitting on cushions on benches, had a whole different charm about it.
I couldn’t visit Cambodia and not pay my respects to the hundreds of 1000’s of people who died during the Khmer Rouge reign 1975-1979. I was 1st aware of what had happened in Cambodia after seeing a movie (a true story), called ‘The Killing Fields’ made in 1984. The film is absolutely heart breaking, but also incredibly important in ensuring that the world is aware of what the Cambodian people went through. Another excellent film is currently on Netflix if you are interested in learning more. Again a true story, and called ‘1st they killed my father’. Both films very difficult to watch but shouldn’t be ignored.
The Khmer Rouge were a communist backed army. A few days after they took power in 1975, the Khmer Rouge forced perhaps two million people in Phnom Penh and other cities into the countryside to undertake agricultural work. Thousands of people died during the evacuations. They wanted to transform Cambodia into a rural, classless society in which there were no rich people, no poor people, and no exploitation. To accomplish this, they abolished money, free markets, normal schooling, private property, foreign clothing styles, religious practices, and traditional Khmer culture. Public schools, pagodas, mosques, churches, universities, shops and government buildings were shut or turned into prisons, stables, reeducation camps and granaries. There was no public or private transportation, no private property, and no non-revolutionary entertainment. Leisure activities were severely restricted. People throughout the country, including the leaders, had to wear black, which were their traditional revolutionary clothes. Over the next three years, they executed hundreds of thousands of intellectuals; city residents; minority people such as the Cham, Vietnamese and Chinese; and many of their own soldiers and party members, who were accused of being traitors. Many were held in prisons, where they were detained, interrogated, tortured and executed. The most important prison in Cambodia, known as S-21, held approximately 14,000 prisoners while in operation. Only about 12 survived.
I joined an organised tour to visit Choeung Ek (one of many killing fields) and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. The young woman who was our guide, was really informative and answered any questions we had. It also turned out that her mother and father, who had been 18 and 21years at the time of the Khmer Rouge, had been forced to marry, so they could have ‘babies’ to keep the regime going. Her stories made it all even more real.
People didn’t even know that the killing field was even there until recent times when it was being excavated for crops. More and more skulls and bones are being found. Also during the rainy season, some bones come up through the soil now it’s been disturbed. Just glad I was there when it was dry.
The visit to Tuol Sleng (S-21) was just as difficult. As well as visiting the cells, there was rows and rows of pictures of the people/children who had died/been executed there. So sobering and completely heartbreaking. Only 12 people had been found alive when it was liberated. One of them, a 9 year old child, who is now an adult, was there to tell his story. He had such a sadness about him. I’m not sure I could keep reliving what he had been through, day after day.
After the tour, I just spent the rest of the day quietly, reflecting on what people have been through and continue to go through. Who knows what eventual truths will come out of Syria ?
My last day in PP, I was back in a TukTuk and visited a very modern shopping mall. It was alive with young happy people and just the contrast I needed after the killing fields. The Cambodian people are some of the nicest I have ever met and its hard to believe what their country has been through. I wandered around for a bit and then went to a very large cineplex and saw the movie ‘Birds of Prey’. It was the 1st time I’d been to the cinema since Zambia and I had a smashing time. The film was being shown in the VIP screen, which meant a chair that fully reclined with pillows and blankets!! Also at the start of the film, the country flag came on the screen and the national anthem played….everyone stood up and sung…brilliant ???. My hotel was in a great location with plenty of restaurants and bars to chose from, serving lots of different types of cuisine very cheaply. I had a very happy stay in Phnom Penh.
After PP, because I had been getting a bit tired (bless) from keep moving on every 3/4 days, I had decided to splash out and spend a week on an island called Koh Rong Samlon. This was my ‘holiday’ from travelling ? Koh Rong is easily reached by ‘ferry’ (I use that term quite lightly), from a town called Sihanoukville. Sihanoukville is the biggest eyesore (hole), I have every seen. I think it used to be a lovely beach resort but now is one big construction site….and not in a good way. I can never imagine that this town will ever look beautiful again. Avoid at all costs. To get to Sihanoukville I took a bus, to save money, which actually was not too awful. The journey took about 7 hours, and they stopped twice on route for comfort breaks and lunch. Once in Sih, it was an easy walk down the hill to the ferry terminal (well it would have been easy if I stopped carrying so much luggage with me). The ferry was predictably an hour late, and everyone onboard, except me, was under 30 with a backpack!! At this point, I’m going to sound very old…. there was no safety brief, in what to do if the boat went down ? and the couple of life jackets I did see were under a pile of backpacks!! On reaching the island, I was unloaded onto a wooden pier and then transferred into another little boat to get to the resort…..what an adventure, and I’m still here to tell the tale ?. And oh my goodness, what a place to choose for a week of rest and relaxation. I literally have found heaven on earth.
There is life jackets under that lot!!! 
Had to wade out to get into this boat for transfer to resort
My accommodation for the next week is a bungalow, 10 steps from an amazing beach and sea so clear and warm I just couldn’t imagine. The resort is still quite new and not very big, probably 26 bungalows altogether. I could have paid extra to have a ‘right on the beach’ bungalow, but didn’t feel it warranted the extra money. My view is still spectacular as they have staggered them, so you still can see the sea. My ‘holiday’ has come just at the right time, because I have developed a stinking cold….yes only a cold, I have no temperature, cough or shortness of breathe!!! Think of me, struggling on my island paradise!!
