Phnom Pehn, history and city living

Even though we're not city people we had to make a stop in Phnom Pehn to explore the capital of Cambodia. When we arrived it was Chinese New Year and many people in the city some how feel that they are chinese and therefore they celebrate and close their shop/restaurant etc. On the bright side though, this ment less traffick and much easier to cross the road then when the holiday was over.

Stupa filled with bones and head sculls

The best part was visiting the two museums, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21) and Choeung Ek Genocidal center (Killing fields). It was really educational in a sad and horrifying way. The museums both had good audio tours which made it easy to do go our own pace. It is also a lot easier than trying to read over ones shoulder all the time. S21 was a a school that during the Khmer Rouge was used as a prison and an interregation centre. The methods they used are unspeakable. The killing fields was exactly that; a place for killing during the Khmer Rough. People were sent there only for that purpose. The paranoia of the regime knew no limits and therefore also small children and even babies were murded, only so they could not come back to revenge their relatives in the future. None of these museums are for the soft heartet and I must admit that I at times felt rather sick. 

Listening to stories from the past sitting in the shade

Killing tree

 

 

The buildings of S21 looked just like other schools.

Of course we took a tuk tuk to the museums and before we knew it we were in the middle of nowhere. There, my boyfriend, not me, was offered to shoot with a huge amount of different kind of weapons. We politely turned them down. Just the thought of the weapons and the ammunition being somewhere close scared me. Coming from Norway I guess I am as underexposed of weapons as one can get.

A tent in the middle of the street in the middle of Phnom Pehn= wedding

People watching is always a good activity in a city and Phnom Pehn is no exception. Thar it when you notice the small things happening on the street. Down at the river was an excellent spot viewing from a terrace.

We had to give the Russian market a go, and I was not disappointed. It was huge, one could find everything from fresh meat to spare parts for the scooter all within the square. The thick and warm air smelling of raw meat is to me sickening so I was glad to find out that all food stalls were gathered at one place so once I passed them I could breath freely again and enjoy my shopping and bargaining. Compared to Siem Reap it was less hassle walking through the market, they were not all over you at once. One place I actually had to look for the owner.