We took the bus at 7:00h to go to Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh. The 6.5h bus ride with monotonous Khmer folk music was a bit too long imho. Jonas travelled on to Kep and we might meet again in Sihanoukville.
It seems like that it’s not you who select your tuk-tuk driver but rather the driver who picks you. When you arrive in Phnom Penh at least ten drivers are pointing at the passengers and shouting at each other. When you exit the bus you are then approached by one person who offers his services.
The Royal Guest House had let me wait quite some time before I was finally able to get that long awaited shower after the strentious bus ride.
In the evening I looked around town and the traffic is even worse than in Bangkok. Moto-madness is apparently the right word to describe what is going on. They take every opportunity to sneak thru the traffic be it on the pavement, using the other side of the road facing the oncoming vehicles or ignoring any traffic lights. If you want to cross a major road as a pedestrian you need good nerves and a bit of luck won’t do any harm either.
Sorya Shopping Mall was the first mall in PP and this is where most Cambodians can take their first ride on an escalator. Especially elderly people and monks sometimes prefer to take the stairs, after having a good long look at that strange moving thing in front of them. The mall is nothing special but I was glad I could pick up some earphones since those bought in BKK didn’t last long. Also the food court offers some tasty bites and the mall is also home to the largest supermarket I have seen so far in this country with decent prices.
It seems to me the touts are much more eager to sell stuff and services than in Siem Reap or Battambang. Although they do understand the meaning of a smiling “No, thank you” and let you on your way, the number of people offering their service is much bigger. From the mall to the next side street you get asked alt least 10 times if you want a moto or tuk-tuk.
The next day I started by moving rooms. I had been given a very small and narrow triple room where you need to squeeze between one of the beds and the wall in order to get to the bathroom. The lady at reception confirmed there had been a room available already and when I had packed my stuff, I was told none of the other guests had checked out so far and that the other receptionist was misinformed. In order not to make me mad I was given a nice upgrade that I wouldn’t have been willing to pay for otherwise.
After a quick shower the thrilling and scary 45min tuk-tuk-ride to Choeung Ek Genocide Memorial Park (Killing Field) started. Apparently people do not insist on their right of way as much as back home. While a moto trying to sneak thru the oncoming traffic on the wrong side of the road would be honked to death in Germany, people in Asia just wait and let them pass.
Choeung Ek is a very depressing place where about 17000 people where murdered by Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge during their stoneage-communistic reign between 1975-79. 129 mass graves have been found of which 86 were excavated shortly after Vietnam had liberated the country.
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| Mass Grave with over 400 corpses |
The bones and skulls of almost 9000 victims have been forensically examined, treated with chemicals and placed in a 9-level Buddhist stupa erected for this purpose.
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| Stupa for the victim's bones |
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| Skulls inside the stupa |
In 2005 the municipal government of Phnom Penh privatised the Killing Fields. A Japanese Company manages the site now and charges admission fees. Victim’s relatives feel the government has sold the memory of their loved ones for a quick profit (some say $15.000 per year)
Tuol Sleng Museum (Security Prison 21)
After once again surviving the tuk-tuk ride back into the city, I visited S-21. It is a former school that had been turned into a torture prison after the Khmer Rouge took over the country. Almost all victims killed at Choeung Ek had been tortured and interrogated at S-21 first.
The administration of the prison took pictures of every detainee and so you have entire corridors of people staring back at you from the past. 14 corpses have been found and buried on site while 7 prisoners were rescued alive when the Vietnamese army liberated the camp in ’79.
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| detention cells for common prisoners |
The museum shows the different types of detention cells for former high ranking official and ordinary prisoners. Also the different torture procedures are depicted by illustrated drawings as well as the original torture tools used. A picture series of relatives and former S-21 employees tell the sad stories from both sides.
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| Instructions for prisoners |
Wat Ounalom
Accidently mistaken as the Royal Palace for a few minutes I looked around the area and got blessed by a monk while kneeling in front of a Buddha figure. On site lives the highest monk of Cambodia but you need an audience to see him. Also an alleged eyebrow of Buddha himself is stored behind the main building.
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| Buddhas underneath Wat Ounalom. The light show is a bit out of place |
I met Gerhard sitting under a tree and we chatted a bit. He is a German who has been living in Nimbin fort he last 22 years. I will be in NSW at the beginning of next year and if I decide to go to Byron Bay again I might drop by at his farm.
Royal Palace
I continued on and eventually found the Royal Palace. Not sure how I could have misplaced that thought in my head. Just like in Bangkok the highlight is Wat Preah Keo (also the spelling is different). Inside the pagoda you can see the Emerald Buddha made from Baccarat crystal (in Bangkok the Buddha was made from Jasper). Another name for the edifice is Silver Pagoda because it is floored with 5000 sliver tiles each weighing 1kg. My personal fav was a life-sized Buddha figure made from gold weighing 90kg and decorated with more than 2000 diamonds. As in all these temples taking pictures is strictly forbidden and so I cant show you what it looks like.
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| Wat Preah Keo (Silver Pagoda) |
National Museum of Cambodia
…is right next to the Royal Palace. The main features are mostly inscriptions and sandstone figures of hundreds of Buddha figures in all kind of different positions as well as some statues of the most famous Hindu divinities Shiva, Vishnu and Ganesha. Most exhibits range from the pre-Angkorean-area of 500 AD to 1500. Again, no photography.
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| National Museum of Cambodia |
Wat Phnom (Hill Temple)
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| Entrance to Wat Phnom with Nagas to either side |
Phnom means hill and so Phnom Penh is Penh’s hill. Well, the hill is maybe 25m and allegedly the highest natural point in town. There was supposed to be an elephant around to ride thru the adjacent park but it was apparently on a break. Some macaques linger in the shades but I got warned some of them had rabies and so I didn’t approach them to take any pictures. The place seemed to be quite popular with the locals.
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| Budda figures inside Wat Phnom |
On my way back to the guest house I passed Psar Thmei (Central Market). Although praised by every moto driver, the place looked like any other bigger market in any capital I have visited so far.
I tried to change my 4 flights with Korean Air, but wasn’t successful. They didn’t even find my flight from Sydney to Auckland in their system and also couldn’t tell me if the changes to the flights are free of charge (probably not but at least I would like to know costa quanta).
During my time in PP I mostly ate at the shopping mall’s food court. On the last day I wasn’t even the only westerner sitting in the hall. Food is great, cheap and plenty, although there are some communication issues. But pointing on the menu helps a lot.
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