Phnom Penh offers a mixed bag. On the one hand, you have the grandeur expected of a capitol city -- a magnificent Royal Palace, the national museum and a number of historical sites. On the other hand, the Khmer Rouge years were particularly tough on the city, devastating its infrastructure (it still hasn't fully recovered) and leaving signs of the regime's mass murders everywhere.
The sprawling Royal Palace complex is beautiful, if a bit worn around the edges. In particular, Preah Vihear Preah Keo Morakot (aka the Silver Pagoda) was amazing. The building received its nickname from the thousands of silver tiles covering its floor. Hundreds of representations of the Buddha crowd the interior. Unfortunately, strict "no photos" rules prevented me from capturing any of it on film (or card anyway).
It's hard to put into words the feeling of walking around Choeung Ek, the largest of the Khmer Rouge killing fields. So far, only two thirds of the mass graves at the site have been excavated -- revealing the remains of almost 9,000 people. According to our tour guide, almost every heavy rain reveals more bone fragments or shreds of clothing. Many of the prisoners executed at Choeung Ek were brought to the site from Tuol Sleng, a former high school in the south of Phnom Penh, converted to a prison by the Khmer Rouge.
Tomorrow, we head for Sihanoukville and the coast. Yay, for buses.
3 comments:
Aounds like it's been an interesting day or two.
Somehow we're happy to hear that you didn't spend much time in the bar, but we are a little disappointed in Uncle Brad.
We thought he'd be up for trying the special drink....or not.
What a wonderful adventure! Thanks for sharing it. The pictures are beautiful and how funny to see the four of you "refugees" in the shot.
Have fun. Be safe.
rhonda
ok. you've inspired us. we're now blogging about our adventures while roaming the back yard.
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