Phnom Penn

Trip Start Mar 21, 2006

Trip End Mar 20, 2007

Loading Map

Map your own trip!

Map Options

Show trip route

Hide lines

Flag of Cambodia Phnom Penn, Cambodia
Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Next stop the capital. Phom Penn is alot larger that Siem Reap, is a cool place but with a dark history due to the Khmer Rouge era. As much as we enjoyed our time we thought that we must see some of ther museums around here. We saw the Tol Sleung genocide museum known as s-21 where about 17,000 people were taken interrogated, tortured and killed save for about 7 survivors. The place was a former school before this happened, a sickening smell lingers in the cells still.
We also went to the killing fields of of Choeng Ek. This is where the poor people were taken after S-21 to be killed and dumped in mass graves, the monument here is filled with the skulls of the victims, a mixture of innocent people and former Khmer rouge personnel who fell out of favour with Pol Pot.
Despite these recent horrors that accounted for 1 life in 7 over the whole countries population the people remain vehemently proud of their national identity. We went to the royal Palace and there you could see the pride on the peoples faces as they looked up at the solid crystal Buddha, and the 90kg solid gold buddha here as well, remembering that no matter what, these peoples forefathers built Anglor Wat so what else matters?

Slideshow