Thurday 8 Feb 9.30pm . The bus journey from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to Phnom Penh yesterday took 7.5 hours, not 6 as advertised. This is to be expected in this pasr of the world. Major road constructions are under way. The unexpected (I didn't look at the map) was queuing for the ferry across the Mekong. The expected was the the border controls between Vietnam and and Cambodia. I still I arrived in daylight and quick Dutch auction with the tuktuk drivers soon got me to the slightly murky Wolly Rhino (anyone see any double meanings?) Guesthouse close to the Tonle Sap river which was agood location for bars and restaurantswhich I soon found out. My expectation of hearing gun fire during the nights hasn't been fulfilled.
Today I took a sombre tourist route to the Killing Fields (Cheoung Ek Genocidal Center) and Toul Sleng Museum (a secondary school converted in 1975 into the Khmer Rouge S21 interrogation centre), plus anothera Royal Palace.
What will stand out in my memory is the tree at the Killing Field against which they used to bash out the brains of the babies and the photographs of the children amongst the adults who were subjected the horrific interrogations at the school. Phnom Penh is not what I expected and most people I 've talked to really like it.
I'll be content to move on tomorrow to Siem Reap, the town adjacent to the Ankor Wat temples.
2 comments:
What's the security of regulation?
Seems brave of you to take pictures of border crossings.
Tom
Still reading all the blog, plus comments. Making us exhausted just reading it. Keep the comments coming Matt, makes us laugh.
We watch rugby league here (sorry), but Quins doing better at that game, top of the league.
You missed the snow on Thursday, even though didn't come to much in London, managed to cause travel chaos.
Keep up the motorbike taxis.
You're very brave.
Jessica & Dave.
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