Phnom Penh Fun, Raffles, Sunset Cruise

Here is the long awaited update of the last few days in Phnom Penh!

Day 1:

We had a lazy morning by going to the gym and having more baths. We got ready by dressing up to go to raffles for afternoon tea.

Raffles gave us chicken pandan pita, smoked salmon sandwich, cucumber and cream cheese flat bread, iced bun, cheese cake, chocolate mousse, and a few other assorted afternoon tea treats. We chose the femme fatale package which included a cocktail created for Jackie Kennedy’s visit to Cambodia when she stayed at raffles. It was a fruity fizzy mix of liqueurs and champagne. Very fancy.

After our tea we spied a bar with over 50 gin bottles arranged with gin garnishes and ice buckets. We learnt that this was a 2 hour gin bar experience where you get to pour your own gin and tonics and mix together the flavours. Say no more we were sold so for just £20 we began our 2 hours. Robin enjoyed the dry gins especially the Mekong brand. I loved adding cucumber and lime to all of mine.

We left raffles satisfied and happy to have had some luxury. Out the front there was a huge Christmas tree which reminded us of the cold weather you lot must be feeling back home.

Once back at the hotel we crashed into bed and dreamed of gin and tonic combinations.

Day 2:

Today we left the hotel to meet up with two lovely girls we had met in Laos, Meg and Mia. We checked into the Mad Monkey and waited for them to arrive.

We went walking around Phnom Penh stopping in a cafe to chat and catch up on our adventures.

In the evening we had a few beers and played cards.

Day 3:

Today we joined the Mad Monkey hostel trip to the genocide museum and the killing fields. As mentioned before in the blog, Cambodia has the dark history of the Khmer Rouge.

The genocide museum is actually an old prison of the Pol Pot regime. It was a security center called Tuol Sleng. Before prison, it was a school. It was strange to walk round and think that each of the torture rooms used to have children sat learning.

The museum came with an audio guide which spoke of the atrocities as you wandered around the complex. There was a block for important prisoners such as government officials, other holding blocks with cells, a courtyard which has become a memorial.

We learned of some survivor stories: one boy was rescued when a liberating army came and found him hiding in prisoners confiscated clothes, another survived by being able to fix typewriters ( a skill needed due to the Khmer Rouge documentation system), and other was an artist who painted portraits of Pol Pot. Despite being prisoners in the security center they were ensured survival by being valued individuals.

After the prison we went to the killing fields. This was where the mass killings of prisoners occurred. Once a forced confession was tortured out of them at the prison, they were taken to the killing fields. Mass graves of over 400 bodies litter the countryside. Again the tour had an audio guide which in the first few minutes informed us to be cautious of where we walked as rain still brings bones and clothing to the surface 40 years later.

A somber morning finished with some lunch back at the hostel.

In the evening we went on a sunset cruise with a bbq. We sailed the Mekong munching grilled meat skewers and playing card games. We met a lady traveling and she joined us after the boat to go to a bar to continue our card games and play pool.

Day 4:

Having had a late night we had a slow start. We decided to go to the cinema to see the new gladiator film. It was very good. Then we went back, had dinner, and went to bed.

Day 5:

We said goodbye to Meg and Mia before hopping on a bus to VIETNAM!