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Cambodia & Vietnam Trip – Day 2

Pictures from Phnom Penh

Hotel: Angkoriana Hotel
No 297 Phum Boeng Duan Pa Khum Slakram
29 May -1 June

Up at 6am Cambodian time – showered and had breakfast, which cost an extra US$3 for Brendan, as he wasn’t included in the hotel cost. Was a buffet

Met our guide, Dah & our driver, Mr Rain, and headed out into the traffic. It wasn’t as bad today, as Sunday is a rest day.

(click Read more, below, to continue)

1st Stop
The Royal Palace & the Silver Pagoda. They had special guides to take you around & charge US$2 to use camera & US$3 to use a Video.
It is a large area approx 1km2, all similar buildings with yellow/ gold , blue & emerald colour roofs, with cobra snake decorations.
Was very hot today, 36degC drank a lot of water. Tried one of the silk skirt/ sarong, in purple, though today (Sunday) Cambodians dress in red; everyday is a different colour.
The Silver Pagoda has a floor made entirely of solid silver tiles. The art work on the roofs and ceilings is very impressive. Brendan was excited about the fish in the ponds. Lots of Buddha statues, made from hard sandstone, marble or even solid gold. On the way out, brought Brendan an iceblock, which was much like a Calypo back home.

Built in 1866, the site contains various buildings of interest, including the Khmer-style Throne Hall, now used for special ceremonial occasions. South of the Throne Hall are the Royal Treasury and the Villa of Napoleon III, built in Egypt in 1866, for the opening of the Suez Canal, and was later presented to the Cambodian king as a gift. The famous Silver Pagoda, originally constructed of wood in 1866, was expanded in 1962 by King Sihanouk who had the floor inlaid with 5,329 solid silver tiles, hence its name. The most revered image is the Emerald Buddha, made of Baccarat crystal and dating back to the 17th century. Behind it, another Buddha statue was cast in 1906, utilizing 90 kg of gold, and decorated with 9,584 diamonds. Cabinets along the perimeter contain gifts presented to royalty and dignitaries. Along the inside of the recently restored 600-metre external wall is a colourful mural depicting scenes from the Reamker, the Khmer version of the Ramayana.

2nd Stop
The National Museum, had another official guide – No photos allowed, lots & lots of marble statues of Buddha and of ancient Hindu gods & warriors, very impressive workmanship, as they date back to the 6th century and are in very good condition, considering all the political upheaval this country has been through!.
Once again, Brendan, enjoyed the fish in the pond

3rd Stop
Wat Phnom, Pagoda on a Hill, had to climb lots of stairs to reach the top. The art work, here, was impressive. On the walls lots of Buddha statues, people come here to worship.

On a hill to the north of the city, and restored or reconstructed in 1434, 1806, 1894 and 1926, Wat Phnom is a symbol of the capital city Phnom Penh and regularly used for prayer, small offerings, and meditation.

A fortune teller read my fortune. Had to place a book of writings on my head, & place a stick into it. First and second time the readings were not good, but you get 3 readings, and the 3rd time was OK. Ended well, so they told me!
Brendan had a fan club of two young ladies who seemed to adore him; they even put his shoes on for him, played with him, gave him big hugs and kissed his hands.
Lots of beggars were everywhere. Especially ones who have been maimed by the war, land mines etc, and young children. Very persistent
Lunched at a nice restaurant, had Chicken & Cashews, Pepper Steak and fried rice between us.

4th Stop
Next stop Tuol Sleng Museum (Genocide Museum), an old High school which was changed into a prison/ torture chamber by the Khmer Rouge. Saw buildings which housed the prisoners, with tiny cells, walls still stained with blood & faeces. Lots of photos of the killed, very horrific, lots of innocent people killed. Relatives have also written stories of what happened to their loved ones. It was interesting, but, not very nice. Glad to live in Australia! It is very hard to imagine this happening, and not very long ago.

Tuol Sleng was originally built, as a secondary school, named Tuol Svay Prey High School, in 1960.. The Khmer Rouge converted this into a torture and interrogation centre to extract ‘confessions’ of anti-government sentiment. Many victims were women and children incarcerated along with the ‘suspected’ father. Documents recovered indicate that over 17,000 persons had been imprisoned there between1975 and 1978, only seven of whom are known to have survived. The others, once the ‘confession’ had been extracted under torture, were transported to Choeung Ek for execution. Records show that the highest figure was on 27 May 1978, when 582 persons were sent to their death. The museum was established in 1979 after the Vietnamese invasion. The Khmer Rouge’s meticulous photographic records of their victims are exhibited as tragic testimony, to those who suffered and died in their hands

Bought an emerald bracelet, on the way out, didn’t bargain very well, will try better, next time!

5th Stop
Off to the Killing Fields, Choeung Ek Execution Area, 15km southwest of the city centre along a very bumpy road, which is one of the many sites of Khmer Rouge mass executions.. We see people collecting “Morning Glory”, a water lily of sorts, from the river and piling it onto push bikes, to the point where you can hardly see the woman riding. Brendan fell asleep, before we arrived, which was just as well. We left him in the van, with the driver.

The exhumed skulls of some 8,000 souls, arranged by sex and age, are displayed behind glass panels in the Memorial Stupa, which was erected in 1988. Although some were killed and buried at Toul Sleng, most victims were driven out to Choeung Ek at night by truck. Some were made to dig their own graves before being clubbed to death with any heavy instrument available. In addition to those exhumed, another 43 pits have been left undisturbed and the final shocking total can only be guessed. The pleasant orchard setting does little to dispel the horror engendered by this grim sight, as Choeung Ek is just one of thousands of recorded mass grave sites throughout the country, and is by no means, the largest. On May 9th each year a memorial service is conducted at the stupa, in memory of the estimated 1.7 million people who died during the genocide

Lots of kids begging, and playing soccer amongst the graves, where clothing and bones still protrude!
Back to the hotel for along awaited swim. We have used this as a bribe for Brendan, all day. Stayed in the pool, for ages, even, when it rained. Then decided to have room service US$16, and then off to bed, all extremely tired!

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