Pnomh Penh

So, onto Cambodia. Coming in by bus the country was very flat, with houses on stilts, many of them wooden and pretty poor looking (in the wet season most of the land is flooded). An uncomfortable 6 hour bus journey (with ferry ride) brought us to Pnomh Penh, with me a bit miffed after being scammed out of 2 pounds at the border.

Pnomh Penh has its share of sights. First up I went for the depressing options first to the Killing Fields where the mass graves of thousands killed by the Khmer Rouge were unearthed. There were 8000 skulls in a Stupa, and you could still see bones and teeth poking up through the ground. Next up was Toul Sleng genocide museum, a former school that had been used to torture people before they were sent to the Killing Fields. All in all a very depressing morning, especially hot on the heels of the War Remnants museum in Vietnam. In the afternoon I went to the National museum, which had lots of sculpture in a very nice building (including a fine collection of Lingas, which I must say were longer than Indian Lingas). Then it was the Royal palace, which was very ornate but a lot seemed off limits.

In my first few days in Cambodia I felt everyone was trying to get money out of me and overcharging, I've usually taken a few days to adjust when I change countries and currencies, but I did feel a bit like a cash machine here.

Picture update:



Skulls at the Killing Fields.


The national Museum.



Part of the Royal Palace.