Phnom Penh

We ventured to another border crossing yesterday from Vietnam into Cambodia, this was a little less stressful than our previous experience mainly because we had a English speaking guide to help us through passport control. We arrived into the capital mid afternoon, it was tipping it down with rain but we got right into the adventure by taking our first tuk tuk ride to our hostel.

Today has been a packed day, we got up and hired ourselves a tuk tuk with a driver for the day who took us to S21 prison. This old school was converted into a prison between 1975 and 79 when the dictator Pol Pot set up the Khmer Rouge, horrific torturing and killing happened here for 4 years with 20,000 people passing through the prison and only 7 survived when the Vietnamese took over the city in 79. We were lucky enough to meet one of the 7 survivors today who was selling his book of his time in the prison, I got my photo with him and the book signed (see photo).

After seeing the harrowing photos and prison cells we got back in our tuk tuk to the killing fields 1/2 hour away. This was where prisoners from S21 prison were transported to be killed and dumped in mass graves. There was a big monument as you can see on the photo as you walked in with 17 levels of bones and skulls they excavated after the regime collapsed. Over 9000 bodies were excavated with one grave holding over 450 corpses. It was horrendous and not for the faint hearted.

After a very grim morning our tuk tuk driver took us back into the city centre where we got lunch before heading to the Palace where we got chatting to some monks who could speak a little English.

Just as we were leaving the palace thunder and lightening had started we carried on walking back to the hostel when we had an almighty crash of lightening right over our heads, Kris almost hit the concrete he ducked so quick, the locals crapped themselves and my heart jumped out of my chest. We made it back to the hostel where the owner was telling us how over 80 people died from the lightening last year in Phnom Penh, scary stuff!!

To calm ourselves down we decided to do a lonely planet recommendation and get a massage from blind masseurs. It says to be careful in Cambodia with massages as they are offered really cheap but often the masseuse has wandering hands! It says for an official one go to the Seeing Hands Massage which we did. An hours massage for $7, not bad although my masseur was fascinated with the slightly bigger than average westerner in his hands that he couldn't see but it was a very relaxing massage.

So overall a busy and eventful day and now to get some shut eye before the journey onto Siem Reap tomorrow.