Sean Penn is not the capital of Cambodia

No, Sean Penn is not the capital of Cambodia.  Phnom Penh is the capital.

I wasn’t necessarily thrilled about going to Phnom Penh.  The only things I knew about it were that the tourist hot spots were the killing fields, the genocide museum and the shooting range.  Now, I will bet it is no surprise that those three things are not exactly my cup of tea.  Beautiful ancient ruins, okay.  Paying to shoot cows, eh, I’ll pass.

I arrived at my hostel, one that I booked in advance again, at the recommendation of a friend.  It was a great location and filled with friendly and exciting people.  I met an Australian girl who was in town for three weeks to volunteer at an orphanage and an American girl who moved to Phnom Penh on a whim to teach.  The two girls, alone, would have made my trip to Phnom Penh worthwhile.  They were very interesting to talk to, and gave me lots of tips about where to go.  They both insisted that I go to the killing fields and the genocide museum.  So, even though I wasn’t thrilled about it, I took their advice and went.

I hired a tuk tuk for the day.  He took me to the killing fields, the genocide museum, the Russian market and the palace.  It was a pretty big undertaking for one day, but in a lot of ways, I thought I would just want to get it all over with.  Boy, oh boy, was I wrong.

The memorial at the killing fields.

My first stop was the killing fields.  I honestly had no idea what to expect, but I expected to hate it.  For five US dollars I gained entry to the fields and an audio tour.  It was amazing.  Well, that is a terrible word to use in this situation, so let me explain.  The tour was incredibly well done.  Everything was explained in plenty of detail, but nothing was too overwhelming or too much information to process.  There were the options of a variety of different personal stories, each of which made the history significantly more real and shocking.  I am not going to even attempt to explain the significance of the killing fields, or the history of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia for that matter, but look it up.  And now that the Khmer Rouge is back in the news, it is quite relevant.

All I can say is that the day was moving.  The killing fields and the genocide museum were incredibly informative.  I am so grateful the girls recommended to go.

The Russian market was just another market.  But, I am a bit jaded at this point.  The market did have some pretty impressive wheels, however.

And the palace, sorry, Cambodia, but Thailand wins.

A model of Angkor Wat at the palace.

I spent the evening enjoying a traditional Khmer dinner with my new friends.  We had a great meal, a great discussion, and a beautiful walk along the river back to the hostel.     

A flat tire?  I wonder why...