It seems
that everything passes through Phnom
Penh, so I was back in the city for a few days before
heading further north.
The drive
up from Sihinoukville was interesting. I was on a much cheaper bus than the one
I went down on and as I expected it was pretty crowded with locals, which
generally means far more unscheduled stops along the route. I had a front row
seat which I thought would be good as I’d be able to see what was happening on
the road ahead. In hindsight it’s probably best not to know. The hooter is
generally used instead of the breaks. Double white centre lines seem to mean ‘hoot
while overtaking’ to warn others around the blind corner to expect a bus on
their side of the road. On occasions I could make out the whites of the eyes of
the oncoming driver. I think on the next trip I’m going to sit as far back as
possible, away from the hooter and the karaoke machine blaring out Cambodian
love songs.
Back in Phnom Penh I decided to
stay nearer the river this time and I found a tiny little room, but perfectly
adequate and within budget. The internet was free but incredibly slow. May of
the cheaper rooms have no window, or a window onto an internal corridor. This
one had a window, but no view so I may just get a windowless room in the
future.
I visited
the Genocide Museum. It was a school that was
converted into a prison and a place of torture and killing by the Khmer Rouge
between 1976 and 1979. Over 70000 people spent time there and only a few
survived. All ages, men and women, boys and girls, many children. It was a
truly horrific place. It has been preserved much as it was found and is an
awful reminder of mans’ inhumanity to man. What makes this different for me is
that I was a teenager at the time and I remember reading about Pol Pot and the
Khmer Rouge, but it was in a remote part of the world. I now have a better
understanding of the events of the time, it must have been truly awful. It’s
possible that up to two million people may have been killed. Every person in Cambodia over
the age of 30 must have been traumatized or affected in some way or another.
Many of those responsible have simply re-integrated back into society. The
trials of some of the remaining leaders are only taking place now.
The French
left Cambodia
a long time ago, but the French culture is still quite noticeable. The major
roads are large French style boulevards and baguettes get served with
everything. I even saw a group of locals playing boule.
After a
weekend in Phnom Penh,
it’s time to move on and up to Siem Reap – stepping off point for the Angkor
Wat Temples.
Facebook photos at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=327886&id=744675149&l=23ae4d478d
