Friday, August 31, 2012

Phnom Penh... like going back in time

Not because of all the history but because this is what I imagine Vietnam was like maybe 20 or 30 years ago... simpler, dirtier, smaller... but it still has its charms

Just a quick check-in from an internet cafe as we had to stop in to book a hotel for tomorrow, as we are somehow getting to Siem Reap a day earlier than planned... easy to lose days here and there when travelling but we seem to have gained one.

Our arrival in Cambodia was the same way I left last time, via bus between Phnom Penh and Saigon (ho Chi Minh)... it was all a little overwhelming for Lala I think, especially since I made her run the gauntlet of touts and tuk tuk drivers and walk to our hotel, which was somehow again nowhere near as close to the bus stop as she anticipated... the hotel didn't help her sanity either, being a "bargain" place with a good location but facilities a bit more "rat hole" like than our previous hotels so far... but it serves our purposes and will keep us dry until we move on.... the luxurious curtains over the large window also handily stop people who are walking up the internal stairs from looking in on you sleeping!! All the mod-cons!! Also have to remember never to go to the bathroom without someone in the other room, as the door handle comes off...

Anyways, a good day walking today has nearly wrecked my companion but we have seen the ancient history  museum and S-23, the Killing Fields war crime museum, converted from an old prison and torture centre that was originally a high school... sobering indeed, memories of the atrocities not too many years ago still haunt the country quite a bit and are a major part of their recent history. Now I think it might be off to one of the local tourist bars or the FCC for a drink or two as the rain clouds roll in...

Off on the bus tomorrow and then we will be seeing our dearest Eve in a couple of days and will check out the sights and sounds of Siem Reap.



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