Phnom Phen, Cambodia

So, as per where I left off before, we decided to take a bus from Laos to Cambodia (budget option). It was a very interesting experience. First,we took a relatively short bus ride to the border, and were told to get all of our belongings off the bus. We then had to go to a station where we were told to pay $1 each to have a thermometer that looked like a taser held up to our foreheads to make sure we didnt have fever (no swine flu allowed). After that, we were motioned to another station where we were to fill out immigration information, and pay some more bogus fees. Some people decided to try to argue with the Cambodian border police about the extra 2 or 3 dollars they were pocketing, so we ending up spending about an extra hour and a half at the border crossing. I took it upon myself to join some of the bus drivers/local people in a game of volleyball. I happened to be wearing a Beer lao tank top, and for some reason I was able to serve well that day, so they kept saying "Give it to the beer lao girl." It was a fun way to spend the time in the blistering heat on the border between Cambodia and Laos.



When we finally made it to Phnom Phen, we went to the hotel where our friends Katie and Laura had been staying. It was not in the best area of Phnom Phen, but I guess you get what you pay for. Phnom Phen is not the most exciting city to visit in the first place. However, it is worth a stop (two nights max. even though we stayed four) to try to gain an understanding of the atrocities the Khmer Rouge committed in the mid-late 1970's. Its amazing how much we learn about the Holocaust, and how none of us knew barely anything about the genocide in Cambodia only thirty years ago. Walking around Phnom Phen, you would have no idea that thirty years prior the whole city had been evacuated by the Khmer Rouge and that they had murdered 1/4 of the Cambodian population (over 2 million people) in the span of about 4 years.



We visited the killing fields where much of the genocide took place, as well as S-21, a school-turned-prison, where many brutalities took place. In they same way that the Nazis killed anyone opposed to their ideas or not of their beliefs, the Khmer Rouge killed doctors, teachers, and anyone who could potentially interfere with returning Cambodia to a strict agrarian lifestyle- a "socialist" society free of any hierarchies where everyone would be equal....hmmm....They also killed children and babies, in fear that they would revolting against the Khmer Rouge when they were older. It was so sad to think that all of the people over thirty that we encountered in Cambodia had in some way been directly affected by the Khmer Rouge- whether it was losing their parents, siblings or other loved ones in such an inhuman manner. Anyway, this was a big eye opener for my friends and I and just shows how little I know about the world.

Other things we did in Phnom Phen included visiting the royal palace...which ended up being a royal rip off. The palace itself was definitely beautiful, but we found out through a not-so-quiet and extremely aggravated tourist (we presumed american) that the entry fee had been tripled from the previous year. And, completely our fault but also annoying, we had to purchase huge bright yellow tshirts to wear around because you arent allowed to expose your knees or shoulders in the palace. It was worth a trip definitely, if only for the rampant monkey roaming around the palace grounds looking for food...

Phnom Phen also had quite an impressive mall that was probably five stories tall and had a roller skating rink on top. My friend Laura and I chose to spectate only, as the locals were very impressive roller-skaters- it seemed like serious business. Wandering through the mall we happened upon a large food store that carried many of our american favorites- including chips and salsa which was a must-have for us. I'm sure we were quite the scene heading back to our hotel in a tuk-tuk and inhaling chips and salsa. At a traffic light we had a little boy come up to us asking for money. Instead we decided to give him the chips and salsa manly so we would stop eating it ourselves.... so thoughtful of us.

The next day I explored the central market which is quite an undertaking but worth the trip. There is a large dome at the center of the market which seems to house nothing-with numerous branches coming off of it almost as if you were to look at the sun from an aerial view. It was very easy to get lost but the deals were amazing. I bought two tank tops for less than three dollars and something else that i cant remember. I also tried to buy some local food from a stand in the middle of the market...Im not sure whether they didnt understand me or didnt want to serve me but I got a look like maybe I should move on.

The only other noteworthy thing we did in Siem Riep was go to this club that named Heart of Darkness after Joseph Conrad's famous novel. In our Lonely Planet guide book it explained Heart of Darkness as a place where "young wealthy cambodian mafioso go with their body guards." Maybe they were indistinguishable from the other people, or whether or not that is true at all, I dont think I saw the cambodian mafia. The only thing out of the ordinary were the many men-men couples on the dancefloor....very common in Cambodia apparently. We also insisted on having the dj play party in the usa again, so a techno version and us jumping around enthusiastically on the stage ensued.

*****Sidenote: forgot to mention this in my lao post... but the night before we left for cambodian me and mimi had opted for budget accomodation, which was basically a hut right on the river with much access for bugs. Hence, we found three cockroaches in our room ( I killed one-arent you proud of me dad??) as did mimi...and then we got our stuff out as quickly as possible and found a better accomodation. There was no way I was sleeping with any cockroaches..and these ones looked like they were on steroids. sorry, just had to mention that because i thought i handled the situation well based on my bad bug-killing history.