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Phnom Penh was quite different from Sihanhoukville, I guess because it is the capital! We arrived during rush hour and didn't realise that it was also a holiday for the Cambodian people, The King's Birthday (which he celebrates over 3 days, and we had decided to stay for 3 days!) So it was really busy as we travelled through the city. Our guest house was called Sweet Home and we were stationed on the FIFTH floor. We were greeted by a tuk tuk driver who works at the guesthouse, but isn't paid to work there, just hopes to get everyone to use his Tuk tuk! He was a really nice guy though so we decided to ask him to take us on the tour to see the Killing Fields and the S21 prison.
Cambodia has a harrowing history and it made it very real when we saw the Killing Fields. During the Khmer Rouge takeover all sorts of 'outsiders' were tortured and killed for basically no reason at all. They were usually taken to the S21 prison and then sent to the Killing Fields where they were slaughtered and thrown into mass graves. The place has been left as it was found really, the bodies were moved but the skeletons remain in a large monument at the centre of the field. There are also clothes from the victims still buried in the ground but due to the rain, the mud has been washed away and the clothes have come to the surface. We walked around and saw trousers and tops sticking out from the ground, it was shocking and really brought it home. We then went to the S21 prison. The was first built as a High School then when the Khmer Rouge took over they made it into a prison. Again it had been left as it was found, each room containing a bed and certain things that were used for torture. All in all it was quite a distressing day but definitely something that has to be seen.
We spent the rest of our time in Phnom Penh enjoying the river (and the restaurants by it!), the market, the Palace and the Supermarket where we bought crackers, cheese, ham, tomatoes and salt and vinegar walkers and had a picnic! It's nice to have something that isn't restaurant food!
After 3 days we had our visas for Vietnam. We took a bus, expecting the same distressing event as the last border we crossed but we were mistaken...
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