Phnom Penh has been through horrors of Khmer Rouge and devastation of civil war but the optimism and infectious smile of its people persisted, rising the capital from the ashes. The pace of life here is even more relaxed than in Thailand, traffic glides leisurely and stroll is more in tune with the surroundings than a brisk walk. After twelve hour bus ride from Krabi we chose to fly in from Bangkok and even though Phnom Penh wasn’t originally part of the itinerary it happened to be much cheaper destination to fly into than Siem Reap. We cleared customs briskly and within minutes were on our way to the city in Khmer version of a tuk tuk - comfy seat on wheels attached to a motorcycle. Somehow we had to get over the aversion we developed for all types of rickshaws and taxis, because there simply was no other way of getting from the airport.
The area close to Psar Thmei proved to be ideal for our stopover, it is central and has a small neighborhood vibe to it, with mango selling vendors on bicycles, laundry hung out to dry in balconies, and skewered pigs roasting next to local men enjoying breakfast at corner cafés.
organized chaos
stuffed with long grass on the inside they're ready for consumption by early afternoon
three mangoes for a dollar, free enthusiasm
The Russian Market is a wonderful maze of stalls selling everything you need and don't need but still want to buy. Natural light pours through makeshift roof openings creating surprising moments of ephemeral beauty.
not yet sure what this fruit is...but it just looks fun to eat
instead of a container, plastic bag to go
Genocide of the late 70's is very much alive today. Under the brutal Khmer Rouge rule an estimated 1.7 million people were exterminated in little under four years. Sick and elderly got enslaved and forced into labor camps while intellectual were interrogated, imprisoned, and tortured only to be killed and dumped into mass graves, their kids murdered to prevent future retaliation, all in an effort to create a utopian agrarian based society untainted by history. We visited two places that stand witness to those events early in the morning...and couldn't erase horrid images from our mind for the rest of the day...maybe that's just the intent.
Exhumed remains from mass graves at KIlling Fields of Choung Ek outside of Phnom Penh
Tuol Sleng, a school turned into main imprisonment and torturing ground, brings shivers to the bone. Concrete, barb wire, walls marked by bullet holes…long hallways and infinite number of photographed prisoners…
"To keep you is no benefit. To destroy you is no loss."
Wife of an attorney-at-law and their newborn baby.
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