Killing in the name of....

Phnom Penh was probably only second to Vientianne when it comes to the worst capital city I’ve seen. Getting off the bus we were literally swarmed by 100 tuktuk riders all wanting our business. It was unbelievable. Shane & I couldn’t move and couldn’t even hear each other over the shouting. Over the din we heard an aussie accent. Jason, a local Cambodian, had taken it on himself to perfect the Aussie accent in order to give himself a competitive edge, he even knew most local slang words. It worked. We were soon with him on our way to a hotel.

 

We hired a bike again and were soon hooning around the crazy streets of Phnom Penh. There wasn’t a lot to do so took a drive to the Phnom Penh Hilton.

This is where Pol Pot imprisoned all those who he felt were a threat. His genocide wasn’t race based. He tried to eradicate anyone who he thought was intelligent. This included anyone wearing glasses. He wanted to keep the nation an agricultural one, and wanted to keep the people simple. This is the second craziest thing I’ve ever heard! The prison was quite disturbing.

 

We also organized a trip out to the Killing Fields which I really was upset by. There was a massive multi story structure filled with the skulls of the massacred. These people weren’t gassed. They were bludgeoned to death. You could see the scars on their skulls. Walking around the fields you could still see bones sticking out of the ground. It was horrific.

 

It was soon back to Phnom Penh where I made my sad departure from Shane, and turned my back on a truly exotic and exciting adventure!