We decided to use a tour company for this trip and very thankful that we did. The last time I was here, we just used a driver but had to explore on our own so there were some things that we didn't know about.
Anyhow, we pretty much visited all the major sites of Phnom Penh.
1. Royal Palace - where former King Sihanouk is being kept until his cremation ceremony which takes place in a couple of months.
2. Wat Phnom - Temple on top of a hill in the center of Phnom Penh. Named after a wealthy widow who built a shrine to protect four sacred bronze statue found in a river. People now go there to pray to her for protection and wisdom.
2.1 Visit at a local Wat during lunchtime to see the monks chant before having their meal. I am now able to relate to what my parents saw growing up and Gerald got to experience it as well! Paying respects to the Khmer culture.
3. Lunch at Khmer Surin - westernized setting, traditional food:)
4. Choeung Ek - Killing Fields where more than 17,000 people were killed. About 8900 bodies were discovered in mass graves here, with bones still showing beneath the soil. We payed our respects at the memorial and learned a lot about the tragic events that took place here.
5. Tuol Sleng - S-21 prison where victims were tortured before being taken to Choeng Ek to be killed. Saw some horrifying pictures and heard some horrifying stories. We met one of only two survivors left of the S-21 prison. I bought his book so will have to share his story with y'all sometime. Amazing stories sometimes come out of terrible events.
6. Independence Monument - to commemorate independence from France. Independence day was on November 9, one day before we arrived so everything was decorated all nicely.
That concludes our tour! Despite the Khmer Rouge events, Phnom Penh is indeed a charming city.
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