"Hello from Cambodia" Cambodia by funky_pigeon

Phnom Penh

Once we had crossed over from the Vietnamese border and obtained our stamps from the Cambodian border we had a 2 hour boat ride, up to the first major city, where we were then put on buses and taken to the capital Phnom Penh. We arrived late on the 28th of November and because we were still a part of the organised tour you get taken to a suggested guesthouse.

We hid and then walked to the guesthouse we wanted to stay at, which was very nice, would have been nice to stay at the Hotel Cambodian which was amazingly huge, but funds wouldn’t have covered one night.

The following day we moved to a guesthouse which over looked a lake, and was more in the backpackers area. So food and drinks tend to be cheaper as there is more competition. We visited the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum which was one of the security prisons during the Khmer Rouge period. It really chokes you and as you walk around each of the 4 Buildings, we felt physically sick by some of the things that the Cambodians must have experienced during this period.

The pictures that you can see in the photos are victims that died at the prison (Thousands died) and/or were taken to the Killing Fields nearby. The other photos show the cells that prisoners were kept in, chained to the floor. These buildings used to be a high school.

The movie that you watch tells a story about two prisoners kept there during the war, and how it has affected the families of today. The place is fantastic and gruesome all in one and we suggest not eating breakfast before visiting.

Sunset at Sihanoukville

We left Phnom Penh by bus and after meeting a couple of friends (Sam and Ollie) from Laos, we were recommended a place to stay in Sihanoukville. The bus journey wasn't too bad, and in a couple of hours we had made it to Cambodias south coast. Sihanoukville is quite spread out across the coastline with a fully working port at one end and the tourist area along the beachfront.

After being at Phu Quoc Island the beach never really seemed as nice but the place we stayed at was called the Dolphin Shack and offered free accommodation right by the beach. The accommodation was ok, a mattress on the floor with a mosquito net and a friendly cockroach at the top to keep us company. The room was open and we shared the space with a French girl, who had just completed training at college to be a professional clown ・Like Madame Butterfly, and then a couple from Switzerland.

The area was very friendly as you are practically living with a Cambodian family, and we got to know a couple of other people along the way, gave us a chance to have a rest from Phnom Penh and to build our energies up again for heading up North. So we tried Juggling and Dragon Balls, swinging balls around on the end of strings and trying to avoid getting hit by them! You can try this with fire, put we both felt we needed more practice before trying this!

We stayed here for a couple of days until it started to feel that everyday had the same routine, and it was time to move on again.

Ruin house at Kep

We wanted to travel to Kampot by train, as apparently the scenery is the best to be seen in Cambodia in this region. Unfortunately our guesthouse owner informed us that this part of the railway line had been sold to a public company to transport food around and was no longer possible.

We decided to catch a minibus to Kampot, which would take 2 hours back along the coast towards Vietnam. We wondered why so many cars traveled with their boots propped open and it became clear when we neared the bus stand. The cars are also used as a form of transportation and are called share-taxis which travel to a destination when overflowing ・quite literally ・thus requiring the space when having your boot open.

Kampot is situated near the riverside, and still has some examples of French architecture and a laid back feel to the town. Whilst we were here we wanted to travel down to the nearby town of Kep, and we managed to do this by hiring a Scooter for the day.

Kep is a town located at the beachfront and has often been used as a retreat for the rich including the Khmer Rouge when it got too much in the Capital. Much of the town has been stripped and the buildings left to ruin after the famine of 1979 and it gives off quite and erie feel. We had an excellent seafood lunch with shrimps caught straight from the sea.

We then traveled the coast for a little bit, passing the former residency of King Sihanouk and taking our picture by the large mermaid statue at the base of the beach. There is also an abandoned beachside resort here, but by the looks of things, the town is starting to develop again into a seaside town・wouldn't want to swim in these waters though.

• Pros:very different, interesting people, loads to see
• Cons:Bed Bugs