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Picking up from where we left off in Phnom Penh...
After a few days relaxing/partying we did some cultural stuff and went to the Tuol Sleng Genocide museum and the Killing Fields. Neither of us really knew much about what happened in the 70's but it really opened our eyes to the horrendous things that the people went through. The museum was originally a high school but was then turned into a prison by the Pol Pot regime. A lot of the old classrooms have been left how they were as prison cells and have in them just a iron bed and some weapons that were used for torture, as well as blood stains on the floor. The worst thing about it was that down the road was a school built in the same style that is still a school so it made it even harder to imagine what happened there.
After the museum we went to the Killing Fields which is literally a field where thousands of people were executed and the bodies left in mass graves. As you walk round, you can see bones and teeth partly buried and rags of clothes left behind. There is also a memorial which contains hundreds of skulls. It was good to learn more about the history of the country but very hard seeing actual human remains.
We met some nice people in Phnom Penh and had a few wild nights out, involving seeing the sun-rise 3 mornings in a row and joining in with the locals for a bit of outdoor aerobics!! We decided we wanted to see a bit more of Cambodia so feeling very hungover, we hopped on a bus to Battambong. We spent the first day catching up with some much needed sleep and then after a bit of exploring we felt a bit disappointed! Not that Battambong was horrible or anything, but we'd had such a nice time in Phnom Pemh that we really missed it! So, we ended up going back to meet up with the friends we'd made and also to visit the orphanage again.
We had a lovely last few days there, and even did a little bit of teaching at the kids home (something to consider in the future!?) before heading to Siam Reap. The town of Siam Reap is quite nice but very touristy because of Angkar Wat, with lots of big hotels and thousands of Japanese!!
The Temples of Angkar...
The first day we went to one of the temples for sunset, which was nice but really busy and without wanting to sound ungrateful, not the best view we've seen! It was worth the visit though. The next day we set off early to visit the big temples of Angkar Wat, Angkar Thom, Bayon and Ta Promh. It was very very impressive to see, but we weren't as enthusiastic as most people, simply because we've been spoiled by the Taj Mahal and because we saw so many temples and palaces in India, we are still feeling slightly templed out!! Ta Promh was our favorite. It's the one used in parts of the Tomb Raider film and is one that hasn't been restored so there are loads of big tree roots and crumbling rocks everywhere.
So, Angkar Wat is really amazing and definately worth visiting but all in all we had a better time in Phnom Penh as we made loads of friends, especially at the orphanage. We both have said that we will go to Cambodia again because it really is a great place and the locals are lovely.
This leads us back to Bangkok, to catch our flight to Burma in the morning. In true budget backpacker style, we're going to sleep in the airport rather that shell out for a room! We're both really excited to see Burma, especially as Jess is half Burmese, and we've heard wonderful things about it so watch this space...
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