Well, as predicted Tuol Sleng, or S21 (the Khmer Rouge 'prison') was a difficult trip. Housed in what was an old High School, it's set around a courtyard that was surrounded by barbed wire fences. In block A the classrooms were converted into small cells, and today most are furnished only by rusty metal beds, ankle restraints and a single black and white photograph of some of the unthinkable atrocities that happened here. In block B there are headshots of many of the prisoners, including some of the 20,000 children the Khmer Rouge killed here and at the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek (about 10km away from Tuol Sleng) until 1975. The museum also has plenty of information about Pol Pot and the other Khmer Rouge leaders, some of whom are awaiting trial today. It was a fascinating trip but I think we, and most other visitors, were happy to leave the oppressive atmosphere.
On a lighter note, bizarrely we bumped into a couple there that we had originally met in Buenos Aires in Argentina. It really is a very, very small world. Afterwards we had a lovely lunch at Bodhi Tree, a restaurant where a percentage of the profits go to help the local people in Phnom Penh.
On our third day in Phnom Penh it finally stopped pouring with rain (despite the fact that it's supposed to be the dry season - I swear the English weather is following me around the world) so we were able to slip on our trainers and head out to explore the city. We walked down the Tonle Sap river and had a fantastic lunch at Khmer Borane, before heading to the Russian market to do some more haggling. My flip flops had 'mysteriously' disappeared from the hostel (you have to take them off before you go into the bar area, I think it's a religious thing) so I got a new pair for 3 dollars, and a 'krama' or checked scarf. All the locals have them and use them for everything, as dust protection, sun protection, as a bandage, a towel, round their heads, round their waists... they're very much a symbol of Cambodian identity. After that we had a happy hour drink at the Foreign Correspondents club at sunset, sitting on the balcony which looks over the National Museum and the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, where the King of Cambodia still lives.
The next day we hit the road again, taking the six hour bus journey to Siem Reap (which means 'Thailand defeated' - bet the Thais love that). We stopped on the way to get some food at a market where they were selling fried bats, cockroaches, locusts and spiders. Unsurprisingly (even I have limits) we didn't purchase any of those but we got a bag of mango and bananas from one of the young local girls selling them. Most of these girls don't have enough money to go to school and are probably no older than 8, but they can conversate with you in English and are very sweet (and cheeky!)
We dodged the awaiting hordes of tuk tuks at the bus station in Siem Reap and hopped aboard the free one already arranged for us by the hostel in Phnom Penh (they get commission from the hostel, so the deal is you get a free ride if you stay there, or pay if you don't like it) but the 6 dollar a night hostel was fine, with cable TV and a nice room, so we had a shower and dumped our bags before heading out to catch the sunset at Angkor Wat, which was stunning. After that it was back to Siem Reap for dinner, which was great - the town has a great bar and restaurant scene set along some bustling alleys and markets. And Angkor beer is just 50p!
The next day (today) was our full-on session at the mighty Temples of Angkor. Built between the 9th and 11th centuries, the temple complex encompasses thousands of enormous temples (many of them now swallowed up by the surrounding jungle) and was the centre of the Khmer Kingdom which once covered an area from Myanmar to Vietnam and had a population of 1 million when London had just 50,000 inhabitants. The temples were rediscovered about 100 years ago by the French, who set about clearing them out of the jungle and making them accessible, which continued until the Khmer Rouge came into power. As we were only spending one day we hired a tuk tuk driver for 15 dollars for the day to take us to the three most magnificent temples (there are miles between them).
First we took in Angkor Wat, which is the largest religious building in the world and just mindblowingly HUGE. Then we headed to Bayon which has hundred of huge stone faces staring down at you (the general consensus is that they bear a striking resemblance to King Javarama-something-or-other who was King at the time), before stopping for lunch and finishing with Ta Prohm, which was my favourite. As it's quite deep into the surrounding jungle Ta Prohm isn't as well preserved as the others, but it makes it even more fun. Gigantic tree routes curl between the huge mossy grey slabs and great piles of broken stone lie around (there are many areas that are out of bounds - you wouldn't want one of those falling on your head). The whole place is totally Indiana Jones. So Indiana Jones it just doesn't seem real. They even filmed parts of Tomb Raider here. Yes dad, that's right, Jolie was here.
After that we dragged our weary legs back to the tuk tuk for the half hour journey back through the palm trees and forests to Siem Reap. The weather is so perfect here, like a glorious English summer day, that I didn't want the journey to ever end. We'll head out for dinner tonight and to peruse the markets, and then at 8am tomorrow morning we are getting a bus bound for Bangkok. We should arrive at about 5pm... battered and bruised no doubt, it is supposed to be a very, very bumpy ride. I shall report again from the other side!
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