Kingdom of Cambodia

After a few hot and humid days in Ho Chi Minh City, I hopped on a bus to Phnom Penh, the capital city of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Phnom Penh is about 6 or 7 hours from Ho Chi Minh City by bus depending on traffic and how long it takes at the border crossing. At the Cambodian border, we were greeted with warm welcoming smiles from the guards. We paid a $25 US visa fee that's good for 30 days. The bus driver handled all of the paperwork for the passengers. Easy crossing!

Phnom Penh is situated on the Mekong river and several small farming villages surround the city. Ox drawn plows can be seen working in the rice fields. The bus dropped us off at the bus station near the central market and immediately we were surrounded by tuk tuk drivers offering a ride $3 dollars. It was chaotic, but most of the drivers speak enough English that we could negotiate with them.

I stayed at the Kha Vi Guest house near the Royal Palace. The area was great and the staff very friendly, but the room was old and grimy. I would have changed hostels, but the surrounding hostels were full for the night. Tuk tuk drivers hung out in the common area and were constantly asking if I wanted a ride in their tuk tuk, which got a little annoying after a couple of days.

One of the tuk tuk drivers took me around the city for $15 for the entire day. My first stop was the Royal Palace which had magnificent gardens and brilliantly colored buildings. The architecture was beautiful and the inside was decadently appointed with elaborate statues. It's a magical place. Then a quick stop at the Russian market to buy a bag and have lunch. After lunch, I visited the Tuol Sleng Museum better known at S-21. In 1975, Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot's (leader of Khmer Rouge) security forces and turned it into a prison known as Security Prison 21 (S-21). It became the largest center of detention and torture in the country. Between 1975 and 1978 more than 17,000 people held at S-21were taken to the killing field of Choeung Ek.

Walking through the school yard was a surreal experience. Knowing that many had suffered there only 30 years before brought chills to my skin. Women and children were killed along with their husband. The leaders of the Khmer Rouge wanted to destroy the entire family because they were afraid of retribution from the family. Many of the babies that were killed by the Khmer Rouge would be my age today. Chilling!

After the museum, I was taken to the killing fields. Between 1.7 and 2.5 million people (almost one third of the Cambodian population) were murdered in the killing fields throughout Cambodia. Many of the mass graves have been excavated and a memorial was built to honor the dead; however, as I walked through the fields, there were still pieces of bone, teeth, and clothing that remained in the ground that I passed over. According to the guide, the Chinese supplied the Khmer Rouge with weapons and taught them brutal methods for interrogation. During the Vietnam war, the Americans were also in Cambodia and were supplying the Khmer Rouge with weapons indirectly through Thailand. Finally, in 2010, just last year, the leaders of the Khmer Rouge were sentenced to jail terms, but some Cambodians were outraged at the leniency of the sentencing.

Despite the atrocious period in Cambodia, many of the people I met and interacted with were warm and friendly. Every where I went, the locals smiled and invited me to share food and drinks with them. Next, I will visit the ancient temples at Angkor near Siem Reap. I can't wait!