There were various reasons for wanting to visit Phnom Penh, one of which was due to the amazing time we had in Siem Riep and the fact that it would only be right to explore the capital too. Amongst some of the other reasons was our desire to learn more and thus better understand the effect that the Khmer Rouge regime had on this wonderful land and its lovely people. In order to completely understand it, we needed to visit some specific places, the Killing fields and, the Tuol Sleng genocide museum, otherwise known as S21. Apart from it’s heartbreaking and grim past, we also really wanted to experience once again the lovely people of Cambodia. After all, we fell in love with Siem Reap and it’s people when we visited a few years back and we always knew we would visit this stunning land again. Phnom Penh was a different, much bigger city, with many sky rise buildings across the city and it continues to grow year by year but we knew we would fall in love all over again. Like Vietnam, Cambodia invokes images of war and atrocities to those who’ve never travelled here……this in our opinion is a travesty in itself and should never be the identifying factors of any place on our beautiful planet.

Choeung Ek Genocidal Center- Killing Fields

As I’m sure you can imagine, a place such as this is not for the faint-hearted, but if you ever decide to travel to these shores, the Killing Fields must be included on your list because this is as real as shit gets and in my opinion, it is our duty as world citizens to know and understand that entire countries’ populations were subjected to the type of ill-treatment and torture that is so alien to the majority of us. The Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot is believed to have killed over 1 million of his own people between 1975-1979 with estimates rising to 2.5 million due to the policies of the regime. Any intellectuals, doctors, lawyers, teachers were basically doomed.

The killing fields are situated out of the main city approximately 20 minutes tuk-tuk ride from the town centre. We paid $15 to get to the area. There is an entry fee of $5 per person which includes headphones with an audio auto guide available in multiple languages. It’s a good system as it allows you to take the tour in your own time without the need to follow a specific guide and it navigates you step by step so you don’t miss out on any of the information regarding each reference point as certain buildings or grave sites have specific importance. During certain viewpoints, you hear stories from survivors telling his or her story, bringing home the reality of what happened in the very spot you happen to be standing……very real, very chilling, very sad. Innocent people brought here to be killed in cold blood, many of whom weren’t aware of what fate awaited them, thousands upon thousands of people took their last breath here. Even the hardened among us will be shocked and moved by the macabre level of the crimes committed here. To see children’s clothes and small shoes displayed in a clear glass case was extremely moving, it broke our hearts. Often with atrocities such as these, they happened in a time we didn’t know, knowing that this took place during our own childhood makes it even more hard to fathom as the children that this clothing belonged to were often the same age as us.

As a memorial, in the centre of the area is a 17 story glass stupa which houses 8000 victims’ skulls, this is to honour the thousands of people that lost their lives. As I mentioned earlier, it’s not for the faint-hearted so be prepared as the whole area and all that comes with it is very overwhelming.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Also known as Prison S21 was once a children’s school, but after the Khmer Rouge took over the city it was used as a prison holding many thousands of innocent people. There is an entry fee of $5 which includes audio auto guides to navigate you through the two buildings that made up the prison. Each room had a story to tell with original pieces of furniture including chalkboards, beds that the victims slept on, chairs and some very graphic photographs can also be viewed in some of the classrooms. On the second level prisoners were held in tiny cells when they weren’t being tortured. Brick walls had been built within the classrooms to create tiny prison cells no bigger than 1m x 2m. Prisoners were locked in close to one another, but forbidden to speak to each other. They were kept in chains at all times, forced to sleep on the ground. Their lavatory was a bucket, placed in the corner of their cell and they had to ask permission to use it. I don’t know how people survived in this horrific place but as it was described, many preferred death than living in these conditions. As this was a school there were balconies on each level, however, the regime covered this area with barb wires to stop the prisoners from jumping and committing suicide, as I am sure many of them contemplated. They were trapped no matter what they tried to do. Many of the rooms had pictures of the victims and they ranged from small babies to old men and women.

Even with all of this hardship and injustice, it has become what I admire most about the people of Cambodia, no matter how much they have been through and how little they have, they are such a kind and welcoming nation of people…. we would do well to learn to appreciate what we have.

Moving on from the experience of learning and appreciating these terrible and troubled times for Cambodia and it’s people, it was time to take in what has since become a wonderfully vibrant and modern city that has so much to offer………

Balconitel hotel was our hotel choice for our stay here and could not have asked for a better place. It was beautifully decorated, the staff were lovely and the amenities were great. The room itself was a decent size and clean…….the only downfall being the construction going on opposite the hotel, where a huge new tower block was coming together, but hey, this is an ever-growing city and this type of construction can be found on almost every street….and long may this economic growth continue. Balconitel is an absolute diamond and we would probably choose it again if we decide to return to Phnom Phen.

We started our journey by walking through the Central Market, this was the nicest market in the city, there are multiple entrances and you can’t really miss it as it’s roof resembles a golden dome. The market sells everything from jewellery, shoes, bags, clothes, fresh flowers and food stalls. The shop owners were friendly and not as pushy as you experience in markets in other Asian cities. We were able to buy a few bits to take back home.

Connecting Hands is a cafe that I highly recommend, Mick and I always support cafes/restaurants that like to give back to the community. Connecting Hands is a training cafe in Phnom Penh providing an opportunity for young Cambodian women to gain skills as young cooks, chefs, baristas and customer service staff. We went for Brekkie and it was really good. As this is a training centre, the young women do their best to serve you in the best possible way. The young women have been used for trafficking as this is a way to help them succeed in their lives.

Street Art 93 was a bit of a pain to find, to be honest, but with the help of our favourite app, Maps.me, we managed to locate Boeung Kak Lake & Street 93 which are both near the French Embassy. The murals are scattered across alleyways, sides of buildings and on shop front shutters but unusually for this sort of urban graffiti style it was all in a very back street residential area where you wouldn’t expect this type of thing……I’m sure the locals must be sick of people wandering through the area in search of the artwork. So having found all we were hoping to find we thought we’d make our way out…….unfortunately, as hard as it was locating this place, it was equally as hard navigating our way out to the main drag as GPS coverage was pretty much zero in these tight little lanes so rendered our app useless….. so much so that we decided, after half an hour of coming and going, to wake a dozing tuk-tuk driver to get us out to where we wanted to head next. €3 later and we were on our way……..Time for a coffee!!

Daughters of Cambodia Visitor Centre is a restaurant and a gift shop offering opportunities to young girls in order to help them rebuild their lives. Unfortunately, the women here were forced into working in the sex trade. Daughters of Cambodia offers them a way out with training programs and secure employment to enable them to start afresh in a safe and structured environment. The ground floor consists of a gift shop, filled with items handmade by the employees and has some lovely little bits and bobs and trinkets. The restaurant is on the upper floor so we went for a drink and a snack. There is also a spa, offering manicures, pedicures and massages. A tip is always appreciated.

Bistrot Langka is a French restaurant and is No.1 on TripAdvisor. We wanted to visit and in order to avoid any disappointment, I booked a table online. A cosy little restaurant that caters for a few tables, but the chef was obviously classically trained as the food was really good and very well presented. I had a veggie plate and Mick the Beef Bourguignon, with no alcohol consumed we paid $33.00, quite expensive in Cambodian terms but definitely worth every penny. The restaurant is located in a very small alleyway tucked in behind residential buildings and shops,  we used maps.me to navigate our way to the street and then needed to pinpoint its precise location using a bit of guesswork…..all worth it in the end though

Wat Phnom is a must-visit and the place we visited on our last day in Phnom Penh, the entry fee is just $1, its the tallest religious structure in the city. The temple is very popular with the locals who come to offer their prayers. If the temple was beautiful from the outside, then the inside can only be described as absolutely stunning. Be advised it is mandatory to have your shoulders covered and as always with any religious sites it’s important to be peaceful and respectful.

The Chocolate Shop was located on Street 240, a very vibrant part of town, a very busy street with tons of cafes, restaurants and shops. We searched for this place due to our love of chocolate and wanted to get a feel of Cambodians take on it. The decor was in the old Gallic style with its heavy oak wood and glass display units and shelving with similar period retro design tiles. Having spent a good part of fifteen minutes taking in the beauty of the store…..we got down to the business of our vist…….choosing which chocolates we wanted to try, we went for 6 different varieties, small chocolate cubes all with their own distinct design and all very decadent and wonderfully rich. This cafe also serves hot and cold drinks and is very welcoming. 6 chocolates cost $6.50. Would definitely recommend this place for any chocolate lovers that want something over and above the usual fare!!!

Sora Sky Bar is located on the roof of the recently built Rosewood Hotel. Our main reason for visiting was the opportunity to enjoy an evening sunset in Phnom Penh…… unluckily for us…..it rained! We decided to visit anyway although we stayed indoors. It was lovely mind, this is where the many wealthy Cambodians and expats reside so don’t expect it to be cheap…..is isn’t! A couple of drinks set us back well over $20, rather expensive but that’s what you pay for such a magnificent view and two lovely cocktails.

PassApp needs to get a mention in this post as it was the best app we downloaded and was our lifeline here. PassApp is a taxi app for Cambodia and is a must-have while here. The best way to get around in Phnom Penh is by taxi or tuk-tuk, and as long as you have this app on your smartphone you’ll need nothing else. It is quick, easy to understand and follow….just as long as you have a Wi-Fi/4G signal, you could be anywhere in the city, once you make a request there will be a vehicle coming your way within minutes. Tuk-tuks are extremely cheap and this gives you the opportunity to save on your journeys…….or offer generous tips to the driver.

Currency + Visa + Safety

In the whole of Cambodia, they prefer US $ and it’s accepted everywhere, of course, their own Riel currency is used, and any change you receive will always be given back in Riel regardless what currency you pay with. As far as travel visas are concerned, almost every foreign national travelling here needs a visa upon arrival, you can also obtain this online. We opted to receive our visa upon arrival. It costs $32 and you must remember to bring one passport photo otherwise that will be an extra $2. In terms of Safety, I read many horror stories before we travelled to Phnom Penh regarding the safety of foreigners, but Mick and I never once felt threatened or came into contact with any situation that gave us cause for concern……and we did make our way to some very dodgy areas of the city. You just need to use common sense and obviously don’t go flashing cash, jewellery or in some cases even your phone while walking around but this is just generally good practice wherever you are. We mustn’t forget that the average salary is very low here and unfortunately they have a preconceived notion that all foreigners are loaded so it is always good policy to have your wits about you.

You always get the sense of the hardship that Cambodians have suffered in their past and no more so than in Phnom Penh, although, with the economic boom that is spreading throughout this wonderful nation, you get the impression that much better times lie ahead. It is still a tough one though whether we’ll return or not to Phnom Penh, we had a lovely time here, we feel that travelling through other less commercialised parts of this wonderful land will be more in keeping with our prefered type of travel.

Andria

xx