Holiday in Cambodia

I just arrived in Saigon to 32 degree heat and a torrential downpour, so it seemed like a good time to update the blog. I had a great twelve days in Cambodia, I definitely enjoyed my time there more than Myanmar or Thailand. I arrived in Phnom Penh and was lucky enough to be met at the airport by my Khmer friend Sophia, whom I met through my friend Mike in Seoul (Check the first Thailand blog entry circa July). From there it was straight to the venerable Foreign Correspondents Club for a beer on the terrace. By this time it was already 11pm and I checked into a rather dodgy Chinese guesthouse. By 8:30am the next day I was quite ready to say goodbye to said guesthouse, and ventured out into Phnom Penh for breakfast with my friends Sophia and Vann.



After breakfast I checked myself into the Okay Guesthouse, it was even better than the name implies; quite a good place to stay if you're in Phnom Penh. After that it was off to the Vietnamese embassy, where I was able to get my visa processed in less than twenty-four hours. After getting those things sorted out it was time to do some tourist stuff. First stop was the Royal Palace. It was a rather impressive building, but it was so hot that day it a little more difficult to appreciate. After that Sophia took me to the National Museum of Cambodia, of which I had heard many good things. I was underwhelmed by the collection of artifacts, however it seemed like a large portion of the museum was closed for renovations. Easily the most impressive part was the building itself, and it was quite nice to sit in the courtyard for a while.

The next day I was on my own, and after sleeping in in the morning I went to Toul Sleng Prison, a converted school where the Khmer Rouge used to hold and torture prisoners before sending them to the killing fields. It was quite a sobering experience to say the least. Very little has been changed at Toul Sleng since the Khmer Rouge left, and you can still see the bloodstains on the walls in certain places. That was enough for one day, and I retired to my guesthouse.

The next day I made the forty minute tuk-tuk (3 wheel motorbike taxi) drive to the killing fields. For me Toul Sleng was a more powerful experience, although the giant pile of human skulls was certainly a chilling reminder of what had happened in this unassuming chunk of farmland not too long ago. After that I had a complete change of pace and went to check out the Russian Market. It's essential just a big, Asian, covered bazaar. However I was able to get a good deal on a couple short sleeve dress shirts; good for dealing with immigration agents and the like.

After a couple of somber experiences in Phnom Penh I decided it would be a good idea to hit the beach for a couple days, so I grabbed a bus down to the resort town of Sihanoukville. I really didn't do much except be lazy, eat, drink, and read. There was potential to do a lot more there, but I really just wanted to relax for a couple days. After days I headed back to Phnom Penh for one night, and then took a bus to Siem Reap; the jumping off point for visiting Angkor Wat.



Angkor Wat is the most impressive man-made set of creations I have ever seen. I bought a three-day pass and spent an average of nine hours a day exploring various temples. One of the highlights was getting up to watch the sun come up over Angkor Wat. It was quite busy, but still a very enjoyable experience. Immediately after the sunrise I headed to another famous Angkor temple, the Bayon. At 645am I had the place almost to myself, and it was great to wander around this beautiful temple before all the tour buses arrived. The temples were great, but they were almost all incredibly crowded. I would very much have liked to see them before the tour buses descended en masse. Even through these crowds you can't hide the beauty of one of humanity's greatest achievements. I think the pictures I took tell the story better, so I will add some to this entry when I return to Canada. Also, on the way out to one temple my tuk-tuk hit a cow. I was fine, the driver was fine, but the cow was a bit shaken up. Please insert bad "t-boning a cow" joke here.

I also found a couple nice cafes in Siem Reap, and the Blue Pumpkin deserves special mention. If I had more time there it would have been very easy to spend the hot hours of each sitting in one of these great cafes. One other thing I did in Siem Reap was visit the Landmine Museum. This is a very small museum run by a Khmer who was a former child soldier for the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese, and also receives some funding from a Canadian NGO I believe. It contained more information on landmines, and landmine removal than anywhere else in the world I dare say. All proceeds from museum go towards the continued de-mining of Cambodia. You can find more information about it here: www.cambodianlandminemuseum.org . That brings us to Saigon, where I sit now. The flight was only forty-five minutes long, and I got a complimentary upgrade to business class... I think I'm going to like Vietnam.