2 Days in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The bus ride from Siem Reap to Phnom Pehn was an uncomfortable one. I happened to be really lucky and sat behind Yao Ming's 7ft tall sister (fact: she was 7th tall; false: not Yao Ming's sister) who decided she needed to lay her seat back ALL the way for the 4hr bus ride. After losing circulation to my legs, we finally arrived to the "bus station" which ended up being a random street corner. 

The hotel in Phnom Pehn was MUCH nicer than the one in Siem Reap. No swimming pool was included in the price with this room. The hose from the toilet & the air-conditioning worked like a charm. For the first time on our trip we slept under the sheets!


Day One started on a high-note, we met Dennis's cousins Thang and Visa who toured us around on scooters (motos).

Royal Palace, beautiful buildings including the amazing throne room complete with crystal chandeliers and imported Italian tapestries. The Silver Pagoda was the highlight, named after the pure silver tiles that cover the floor of this amazing hall. This room also holds two of Cambodia's greatest treasures: two Buddha's, one carved out of emerald, the other solid gold covered with 2,000 diamonds the largest being 25karats. 

As I said before Cambodia is the Land of Contrast: next was Tuol Sleng Prison Museum. I wish I could just skip past this, but for the same reason this sight was preserved, the same reason we visited- I must write about this: to remember how evil humans can be, in the hopes that we never let this happen again. 30,000 people passed though the former High School; tortured, many times to death, by the Khmer Rouge (KR) before being taken to the Killing Fields. Around 2 millions Cambodians perished during KR 4 years of ruling. Similar to the Nazis in more ways than genocide the KR kept meticulous details of their crimes against humanity. This included photographs of every man, woman, and child that came through Toul Sleng, which are now on display as a reminder that there are faces and lives behind each number on that death toll. 

In no mood for lunch or talking, after an hour of dancing around the topic we discussed some of the most striking images. A young mans smiling face in the mug shot: Did he smile out of habit? Did he not know what was to come? What information was THAT important to gain from them? Why would they imprison this elementary school-aged child? And the mother holding her crying baby? 

When the Vietnamese army came in, only seven people were alive in this prison. As of today, none of the KR have paid for their crimes. And maybe even more unsettling some of the Khmer Rouge are currently members of the Cambodian Government.  

The evening can be described in a lighter tone. Dennis's cousin Thine picked us up and we're off to his aunts house for dinner. D emailed ahead so my prayers of beef kebabs and papaya salad were answered. Along with the amazing dinner, Uncle "Bottoms Up" was entertaining ready to cheers before every sip with every possible pronunciation of "bottoms up"! The night included some great Cambodian Karaoke which me and Leah supplemented with our renditions of Mariah Carey and Usher. (only English music in the house) PS- in a somewhat random house in Cambodia I was amazed to find a picture of myself on the mantle. ( I must note Dennis was also in this photo)

Day two/ New Years Eve was amazing. The morning was spent at the National Museum; we were taken though Khmer history though art. Amazing Bas-Reliefs, gorgeous carvings and intricate jewelry. 

Thine picked us up again this time for dinner and drinks at his house. We spent time with him and his extend family including my favorite 5 year old Brian, who's English is as impressive as his tech savviness. We had delicious Khmer BBQ! The top of the grill is a dome where the meat roasts over the coals, juices dripping down and mixing with the soup and veggies in moat around this dome. We also had spicy chicken wings and tiny grilled squid with tangy dipping sauce. We also sampled traditional wine, which Leah best describes as gasoline. It was of a pinkish hue and was made from rice similar to Japanese Sake. We were entertained by Thine on the guitar, Thang on the drums and a brother-in-laws vocals. Again, me and Leah provided a few English songs (singing over a mix CD we cleverly purchased that morning) After another amazing night and ringing in the New Years we thanked them for their hospitality and said our farewells. Hoping to see all of them again once they get Visa's for the US sooner than later.