So, I'm sorry to anyone who did check back in December for an update on our trip. I was hoping to post along the way during our travels, but instead we semi-unplugged and just tried to enjoy every minute of our trip.
Our first stop was Phnom Penh, Cambodia! Now, I don't know about you, but I honestly didn't know too much about Cambodia besides Angkor Wat and the ancient temple complexes in that area. I knew Cambodia was somewhere I wanted to visit for it's ancient history, but the country surprised me with it's friendly people and it's complexities.
When we landed we had to get a Visa On Arrival Form in the airport and pay a $30 fee as well as give them a passport picture. The process was very easy and only a little confusing. There were two windows, one where you hand the form and photos, then the second you go to when they call your name and pay the fee. It only took 20 minutes and then we were on our way! When we got out of passport control we ended up outside surrounded by families and friends waiting for their loved ones. We were lucky and had a guide meet us at the airport. He was very friendly and energetic. His name is Chanseng. When he saw us he asked how our flights were and then wanted to know if we wanted to use "The Happy Room". Mi Amor and I looked at each other and we were like, "What's the Happy room? I mean...I don't want to use it now...maybe later?". We laughed, our guide told us it was the bathroom! So now we know "The Happy Room" is the bathroom and not some kind of Happy Ending Massage type deal.
The next day was our First day and it was jam-packed! We woke up early and met our guide Chanseng. He took us to The Palace. It was incredible! First of all, the weather was clear and hot with blue skies. Seriously couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day! The Palace grounds have multiple buildings and the King still lives on the grounds. The buildings all have dragon and cobra details and really popped against the blue sky. We got to see the Throne Room that was more European style inside with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, but the walls were decorated with paintings of a Buddha Epic.
The Silver Pagoda is also on the Palace grounds, it is named this way for the silver tiles that cover the floor inside. When we entered we had to take off our shoes and then we could walk around. There were glass cases filled with artifacts of value. In the middle of the Pagoda is a Buddha statue made of 90kg of gold and was encrusted with diamonds! (Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos inside)
After wandering the Palace Grounds we went to The National Museum. The museum is filled with artifacts from around Cambodia and is a great intro to the Country. There was an interesting exhibit about a submarine that sunk with Cambodians on it going to help during World War One. I had no idea Cambodia was even involved in WW1, but I will admit I am ignorant when it comes to world politics and history. It's one reason I love traveling, I can learn in a hands-on experience about what that country has gone through and what they are still going through. It is always an eye-opening experience. The grounds of the museum are also very beautiful, we took some time to enjoy the courtyard and relax a little.
Our next stop was Wat Phnom. It is a Buddhist temple on a hill created partly because of a legend of Lady Penh. A woman who found statues of Buddha in a Tree and placed one on top of a hill that the people helped create. It became a shrine and then later was made into a Wat. The temple on top of the hill has statues of Buddha as well as a statue of Lady Penh. The statue of Lady Penh had a Louis Vuitton necklace around her neck! Seemed that someone who visited gave her a nice gift!
We took a break for lunch at this restaurant called "Titanic" on the river. It was really nice, and we sat right by a traditional dance performance. We had fish skewers, Chicken Curry, and a vegetable stew. Everything was delicious! Also tried their local beer, Angkor. It was good!
The second half of our day was very heavy. It's hard to write about. We went to see The Killing Field that is just outside the city. It is absolutely horrible. I really didn't know too much about this recent history, honestly really only saw the movie about it. Schools that I went to never taught us about this genocide. I was also just so shocked at how recent it was, 1975-1979. It seemed that any people from Cambodia that we met had a family member who was affected by this war. I don't want to get too much into the history because I don't want to get any facts wrong, but I urge you to read about it and educate yourself about what happened there.
We had a Bovine Road Block on our way to The Killing Field.
The Killing Field we went to visit and pay our respects to had a monument to the people who died there. Inside the monument, they had excavated some of the grounds and put the bones they found inside a tall glass structure. It was like a catacomb. Each row was a different age group. Some were even kids. I did not feel comfortable taking photos here, but wanted to at least show you a little.
We walked around the grounds of the field. They had recently built a raised wooden boardwalk so people could walk around and see the extent of this place without accidentally stepping on someone's bones or decomposing garments. Some of the mass graves that have been excavated have wooden posts around them and visitors put bracelets on the posts to show their respect. I left a hair tie I had with me on the mass grave of mothers and children.
After visiting the Field we went to Toul Sleng Genocide Museum which used to be a prison called S21 and before it was a prison it was a school. This museum was shocking. They have some old jail cells you can walk into in the first building. The middle building has photos of people who were kept there. Some of the photos were of a person after they died. There was also a section where you could walk through a hall that was divided into very small cells, maybe only big enough for one person to lie down in. Those cells had stains on the floor still. We were told when they turned the prison into a museum they didn't really clean up the blood stains. The third building I couldn't even walk through, it had images of torture techniques and items. People were just killed in such a raw brutal way. It was honestly very hard to walk through.
At the museum there were two men who survived being held captive here. One wrote a book about his experience and you could meet him. He was spared because he was able to fix a typewriter.
Later that night we went to see a Traditional Dance show that is at the theater behind The National Museum. It was very beautiful to watch, but unfortunately our jet lag started to kick in, so in the middle of the show we both fell asleep for a little. But! I would recommend seeing the performance, if you aren't too jet lagged! It was a good end to our first day.
