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We arrived on Sunday night after a horrendous day of bus travel. The bus was two hours late picking up and then took four and a hlaf hours to make the trip which was not bad but because of the delay we arrived much later than we should have. The guesthouse we wanted to stay in was full so we went to another that had a room and everything was ok. We went out for a bite to eat at this Malaysian resteraunt and it was brilliant. Really nice food and really friendly family running it. When we got back to the guesthouse we were approached by a member of staff asking if we required a driver for the next day to take us to see the sites. We agreed and said that we wanted to go to the Khmer rouge prison which is now a museum and he said it would cost $3.
The next morning we set off and had an excellent guided tour around the museum. We learnt so much and it was a really moving experience to listen to somebody who had lost family members tell us about the history. We then met our driver who took us back to the guesthouse and then demanded $6 for the trip. I said no because we agreed on $3 but he said that was only one way. Luckily a nother guest told me that it should cost $2 there and back so I turned back to the driver and said I was going to report him to the manager and he could F@ck off if he thinks he is getting any money out of me. The management denied all knowledge of him and were totally unhelpfull so we went out, found a much nicer guesthouse for the same price. We came back, packed our bags, paid our bill and told them to shove it all up their arse. Luckily at the new guesthouse we met a driver who is really nice and is charging us the correct fare so we have been using him ever since!
After all that fuss we were feeling a bit pissed off so we decided to go and visit something and try to forget about it all. We went to the grand palace and silver pagoda which was excellent. Extremely beautifull and well kept with really nice grounds surrounding it. In the evening we went for a drink at theis bar on the river and then a lovely meal with a cool pavement seating area.
Today we have been to the killing fields and this was the best thing we have seen. It is the most horrible place but everyone should go there to see how Cambodia suffered and how dangerous ideas in the wrong minds can be. The memorial stupa with the skulls is massive with over 8000 skulls on display. What is most horrible is to think of all the places they have not yet found that contain countless Cambodians who's only crimes where to be intelligent or a city dweller.
Phnom Penh is an amazing city. The streets are filled with French style buildings and the river front area is an excellent place with bars and resteraunts and it feels a bit like Paris. Some of the old colonial buildings are fantastic and it is a much nicer place than Bangkok.
Tomorrow we are going to Sihanoukville which is on the south coast where we will be staying for a few days before touring the surrounding area a little. We are aiming to be back in Thailand on about the 26th. This time we have booked tickets with a bus company that is supposed to be more upmarket. I hope this will prove a wise move!
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