Phnom Penh - the capital of Cambodia

After our trip through the Mekong Delta finally (it was a never-ending trip!) we arrived to the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh.
The first thing was to look for accommodation as it was already dark …. We decided to stay in a hostel around the area called Boeng Kak, beside a lake with the same name. Lots of travelers stay around here or along the river side.

Phnom Penh is a city of contrasts…. The luxury beside the poverty … huge hotels and luxurious cars in some streets and shacks in others… the thing is that Cambodia is a country still recovering from cruel wars.

The French colonized the country in 1864 and Cambodia didn’t achieve independence until 1953. Peaceful times were short lived as the country was dragged to the Vietnam War on the 60s. This continued with the dictatorship of the Khmer Rouge army. The Khmer Rouge took control of the country from 1975-1979. These years are remembered for its barbarities;it is said that a 3rd of the population died during this period.
Khmer Rouge established a drastic regime which isolated Cambodia from any foreign influence. They closed the schools, hospitals, factories, banks, temples….. confiscating any property and moving the urban people to work on the land. They were forced to work from 12-14 hours a day without the necessary food or rest. This situation ended up with a high number of deaths due to executions, exhaustion, malnutrition, diseases and hunger.

Khmer Rouge wanted to turn Cambodia into a classless society forcing all the population to work on the land. All those considered intellectuals were executed. They only need to know how to write, read, speak another language or wear glasses to be killed. This regime broke families … any kind of family link was banned and the non fulfillment of this rule was brining people to death.
After almost 4 years of suffering, North Vietnamese troops invaded Cambodia (1979) throwing out the Khmer Rouge. Its leader, Pol Pot, dissolved the organization in 1996 and died in 1998….so he never paid for what he did!!

Cambodia is still affected by this last catastrophe as it was only 30 years ago…

We visited the, nowadays, museum of Tuol Sleng. This museum was a school that the Khmer Rouge turned into a security jail called S-21. Here they imprisoned and tortured the people under arrest. Those were later executed in the Killing Fields of Choeng Ek"

To be honest it left a lasting impression to visit this museum and the killing fields where the genocide occurred. It’s overwhelming!!






After that we went to visit the local market and the surroundings. This is a local food market but you can also find souvenirs or clothes.




We also visited the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda. This complex in the middle of the city has temples, a museum and the Royal palace. The complex is very nice…you can spend there hours just seeing the huge and beautiful temples!!!





There was a wood balcony in one of the temples where the Cambodians were playing some music with local instruments.. and … of course.. we had to try them!




Our visit in Phnom Penh ended up with a relaxing walk along the bank of the river and a nice dinner beside the lake.
We are going to the south of Cambodia now….

See some photos of Phnom Penh here!!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27523343@N06/?saved=1