We had a nice poolside breakfast at the small eating spot that our deck overlooked. Eileen had not slept as well as she would have liked, the mattress was a step above "firm", otherwise this small boutique hotel is a rather peaceful spot just a block off a main street in PP.
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| Pool area at the 252 Hotel in Phenom Penh |
Our guide picked us up right on time and we headed off to Killing Fields, with some Cambodian history along the way. Mentally, we were both prepared for what we were about to see, but it's just so chilling to think that just 35 years ago, 2 million or so citizens of Cambodia were killed by fellow Cambodians, sometimes even brainwashed youth killing their own families. I took only two pictures, one of the monument that has recently been built to honor the memory of the millions that were killed, and one of the Killing tree, now adorned with memorial ribbons.
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| The skull filled memorial tower |
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| The killing tree |
After the Killing fields, we made a brief stop at the Russian market, which did not differ much from many of the other markets that we have been to, although this one did seem a bit more structured. From there we went to the nearby S21 Genocide museum and had a quick look there. This is an old high school complex is district S21, that was converted to a detention center where they catalogued and interrogated everyone before they were sent to the killing fields. This place is just about as chilling as the actual killing fields.
Our lunch spot was not far away, we had lunch in HCMC at a similar place where they bring in disadvantaged youth, and train them in the food services industry. Our food and service were excellent, I will be looking for a recipe for tom yum soup when I get home.
Straight to the airport after lunch for the quick flight to Siem Reap, I only had time to snap my neck a couple of times as I nodded off, before we started to descend. As usual, our guide and driver were waiting, and we were soon at the hotel. We were happy to be out of Phenom Penh, we just did not find much appeal to that city. This place on the other hand has a whole different feel to it. Growth here has been recent and rapid, with tourism accounting for a huge proportion of the livelihood. Large luxury resorts line the main road from the airport to town, restaurants and tourists are everywhere.
Our hotel is a little bit out of town, about halfway between the main town and the temples. It is again a beautiful, peaceful spot, so I think we will enjoy our last few days here. We're on the second floor, each room has a private sitting area outside the door, with a couple of couches on the deck overlooking the pool area.
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| View from sitting area, pictures don't do justice |
We had a beer on our deck, did some trip advisor hunting, and decided to jump in a tuk tuk and go downtown for supper at #2 rated Genvieves (spelling may be off). It was pretty busy but the owner said it would be 15 minutes, so he took or name and we went for a short walk. Got our table shortly after getting back and actually decided to order western food, Eileen lasagne and I had lamb shank. The portions were huge and very good, but once I got deeper into my meat, it was almost frozen. The owner apologized, saying that they cook three or four of these per day and sometimes they do not all sell. They are frozen and reheated, but certainly something went wrong today. They brought me out an entire new one from todays batch, and did not charge for my meal. There was no way I was finishing, but we both left stuffed and happy, for $15. We walked the Pub Street, just because we were right there, but did not make any stops. Another $2 tuk tuk back to the hotel, rum and blogging on the deck, although the heat and mosquitoes sent us indoors eventually. Since we have hit the Mekong, we have found the mosquitoes. Too bad, because it would be very nice to sit out here and soak up this warmth in the late evening.
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| Our fabulous supper at Genvieves |
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| A view of Pub Street |
Tomorrow we have a day at the temples, where I no doubt will use up a few bytes of memory card.
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