Soursdei!
We arrived in the Cambodian Capital of Phnom Penh exhausted after our two day tour of the Mekong Delta. We woke early the next morning with plans to make the most of our one and only day in Phnom Penh. We set off right away with our friends Tom and Cat, as well as our tuk-tuk driver for the day. Our first stop of the day was at the S-21 Tuol Sleng prison where members of the Khemer Rouge held over 20 000 prisoners under the Pol Pot Regime. We walked around the complex which was a school before it was turned into an interrogation and torture centre. The longer we walked around and learned about its history, the more our hearts ached for those who were taken innocently from their homes and dragged to this terrible place. Of the approx. 20 000 people who were placed and tortured within the prison between 1975 and 1979, only 7 people made it out of the prison alive.
Our day didn't brighten any as we made it to the next stop on our tour of the city. About 15km outside of the city, we made it to the “Choeung Ek Killing Fields”, the place where the prisoners from the S-21 camp were taken and beaten to death (since the Khemer Rouge didn't want to waste bullets they simply bludgeoned them with metal pipes, garden hoes, etc.). As we walked around the fields, we were stunned to see that the area was still littered with clothes, teeth, and bones of the victims. It was disturbing to see and it made us truly understand how terrible and grisly the genocide in Cambodia truly was.
Our last stop for the day was along the river, and what we saw there reflected the outcome of the recent genocide. Many poverty stricken and disabled people lined the streets, asking for anything to better their lives. However, although these people were so poor, their attitudes and spirits were some of the warmest and most friendly that we have run into in our travels. The Cambodian people, although they have suffered a horrendous past, were some of the sweetest and most open people in the world. Tom & Jono capped off the evening with the ingesting of a huge deep fried tarantula like spider (a local treat). Mmmm... Spiderlicious!
We left Phnom Penh with a heavy heart and a newfound admiration for the Cambodian people. After another six hour bus ride, we made it to our next stop, Siem Reap. As we settled into our new guesthouse, we were greeted by our old friends Steve and Laura. Along with Tom and Cat, the six of us hung around for the night and planned out our time in Siem Reap.
Bright and early the next morning, our small group was out and about and ready for a day of fun. Our tuk-tuks picked us up and we were off to Angkor Wat, one of the Seven Forgotten Medieval Wonders of the World, and it is also considered to be the worlds largest religious complex. This complex was built from the 9th to the 13th century by the Khmers, and these groupings of temples made up the capital of their ancient kingdom. We spent a good eight hours traveling by tuk-tuk from one unique temple to another. We were able to explore the temples and, at one point or another, we all felt like either Indiana Jones or Laura Croft (which reminds us that Angkor Wat was in fact one of the principle locations for the Tomb Raider). We spent the next two days at Angkor Wat as well, exploring the ancient ruins, talking with monks, and just enjoying each other's company (it's nice to have friends with you along the way). We finished up our time in Siem Reap with the boys exchanging Angkor Wat photos (there must have been 3500 between the three of them!) and the girls enjoyed some “chill” time over foot massages!
The next day we were up (early, once again) and back on the road. As we looked back on our time in Cambodia, we realized how special this small country was to us. Although our time here was short, we felt as though Cambodia will always be in our hearts.
Soursdei!
We arrived in the Cambodian Capital of Phnom Penh exhausted after our two day tour of the Mekong Delta. We woke early the next morning with plans to make the most of our one and only day in Phnom Penh. We set off right away with our friends Tom and Cat, as well as our tuk-tuk driver for the day. Our first stop of the day was at the S-21 Tuol Sleng prison where members of the Khemer Rouge held over 20 000 prisoners under the Pol Pot Regime. We walked around the complex which was a school before it was turned into an interrogation and torture centre. The longer we walked around and learned about its history, the more our hearts ached for those who were taken innocently from their homes and dragged to this terrible place. Of the approx. 20 000 people who were placed and tortured within the prison between 1975 and 1979, only 7 people made it out of the prison alive.
Our day didn't brighten any as we made it to the next stop on our tour of the city. About 15km outside of the city, we made it to the “Choeung Ek Killing Fields”, the place where the prisoners from the S-21 camp were taken and beaten to death (since the Khemer Rouge didn't want to waste bullets they simply bludgeoned them with metal pipes, garden hoes, etc.). As we walked around the fields, we were stunned to see that the area was still littered with clothes, teeth, and bones of the victims. It was disturbing to see and it made us truly understand how terrible and grisly the genocide in Cambodia truly was.
Our last stop for the day was along the river, and what we saw there reflected the outcome of the recent genocide. Many poverty stricken and disabled people lined the streets, asking for anything to better their lives. However, although these people were so poor, their attitudes and spirits were some of the warmest and most friendly that we have run into in our travels. The Cambodian people, although they have suffered a horrendous past, were some of the sweetest and most open people in the world. Tom & Jono capped off the evening with the ingesting of a huge deep fried tarantula like spider (a local treat). Mmmm... Spiderlicious!
We left Phnom Penh with a heavy heart and a newfound admiration for the Cambodian people. After another six hour bus ride, we made it to our next stop, Siem Reap. As we settled into our new guesthouse, we were greeted by our old friends Steve and Laura. Along with Tom and Cat, the six of us hung around for the night and planned out our time in Siem Reap.
Bright and early the next morning, our small group was out and about and ready for a day of fun. Our tuk-tuks picked us up and we were off to Angkor Wat, one of the Seven Forgotten Medieval Wonders of the World, and it is also considered to be the worlds largest religious complex. This complex was built from the 9th to the 13th century by the Khmers, and these groupings of temples made up the capital of their ancient kingdom. We spent a good eight hours traveling by tuk-tuk from one unique temple to another. We were able to explore the temples and, at one point or another, we all felt like either Indiana Jones or Laura Croft (which reminds us that Angkor Wat was in fact one of the principle locations for the Tomb Raider). We spent the next two days at Angkor Wat as well, exploring the ancient ruins, talking with monks, and just enjoying each other's company (it's nice to have friends with you along the way). We finished up our time in Siem Reap with the boys exchanging Angkor Wat photos (there must have been 3500 between the three of them!) and the girls enjoyed some “chill” time over foot massages!
The next day we were up (early, once again) and back on the road. As we looked back on our time in Cambodia, we realized how special this small country was to us. Although our time here was short, we felt as though Cambodia will always be in our hearts.
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