Phnom Penh

As posted by Ingrid:

We are driving along the best Cambodian highway which makes your average potholed Quebec road look good. Mopeds laden with mattresses and water tanks, tuk-tuks, cars, minivans, cows and large tour buses all vie for space on the narrow roadway. Construction dust and shoulder traffic mingle to create a red sand coating on everything. After a 6.5 hour bus ride we arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital. Our hotel, The Willow, is a villa which was formally used by the UN and which is situated near the Independence monument in the midst of many embassies -in other words in a very safe part of town.

Phnom Penh must have been laid out by the French (I should look that up!). It's boulevards are wide with green spaces and walking trails between the lanes and traffic circles with monuments connecting them every kilometer or so. The river front has a wide and long promenade stretching a couple of kilometers. You could imagine being in Paris -until you breathe in the unmistakable smell that is Southeast Asia. Part dust, part food, part jasmine, part sweat, mixed with the occasional whiff of sewage.

Our first stop the next morning was the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a converted high school which became Pol Pot's house of torture and horrors between the years 1975 and 1979. 14,000 to 20,000 men and women died within it's walls. Many were transported to the Killing Fields to be executed after confessing to any suggested crime. The front of the building is covered in razor wire, originally intended to prevent suicides. The building has been largely left untouched. Blood has permanently stained the floor tiles, the walls provide ample evidence of the tools used to create pain. Today,the pictures of the victims are displayed within the larger cells and family members still come looking for loved ones. There are only seven survivors.

The lush garden of the National Museum provided an oasis of tranquility and an opportunity to reflect and regain our equilibrium. As part of the Angkorian period the museum holds the most beautiful and best preserved artifacts from the temples of Angkor Wat and we see the heads of the guardian (now headless) from the entrance bridge outside Angkor Thom. Seeing the treasures one more time gave us a better understanding of the historical context.

A visit to the Royal Palace was disappointing. Although the grounds are large and well manicured, many of the buildings are shuttered and not open to visitors. In contrast to the Royal Palace in Luang Prabang one does not get the impression that a family once lived here. The throne room however is stunningly beautiful with a large thick carpet woven to match the intricate pale yellow tiles surrounding it. Unfortunately, no cameras allowed...........

At dusk we joined hundreds of locals to fast-walk the rectangle in the midst of our closest "Champs Elysee" until night fell and we fund a helpful police man to guide us across the never ending stream of traffic - where are the traffic lights? Being older has some advantages, and we are playing it up!

Tomorrow we are leaving for a nine day trip to the Cambodian coast..........