Phonm Penh, Cambodia

Arrival: 02/01/09 3:30pm

Departure: 02/05/09 6:45am

Sight Seeing: Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

People: Sketchy

Food: Sketchy

Accommodations: Angkor Hotel - everything was broke but it was a great place to get catch up on sleep ($15 per night). PKD1 Guest House - clean, but a little noisy at night ($10 per night)

Pictures: Pictures of Cambodia

Summary: One of the dirties cities we've ever visited. It a good hub and the Genocide Museum was very interesting. There is no need to be here more than one day, unless you're like us, and are waiting for your visas.

Details: Our overall advice for Cambodia would be to fly into Siem Reap for a week or so before flying to, uh, anywhere that isn’t Cambodia. Hell, even Bakersfield would be an improvement.

If, however, you find yourself stuck in Cambodia’s capitol, Phnom Penh, it’s best to avoid the pungent smells of the city by staying indoors with a cold beer (or 24 in our case). Phnom Penh is without a doubt one of the worst places we have ever seen, though one must bear in mind the tragic events this country- and this city in particular- have undergone in recent history.

Imagine if, only 40 years ago, everyone was evacuated from Washington, D.C, not to return for four years. Now imagine that the capitol’s deserted schools were transformed into concentration camps responsible for torturing and murdering the so-called “traitors to the revolution” as well as their wives and children. Well, that’s basically what happened in Phnom Penh.

The Khmer Rouge Regime was a destructive communist party of Cambodia from 1975-1979. Most of their power was lost after a Vietnamese invasion in 1978, but it wasn’t until 1998 when they lost all power. The Khmer Rouge Regime executed, tortured, starved, and forced labor on innocent civilians of Cambodia killing an estimated 1.5 million people (1/5 of Cambodia’s population at the time). These horrifying acts of genocide are strikingly similar to Germany’s Nazi party.

Tuol Sleng, a genocide museum in Phonm Pehn, was a secondary school turned killing ground during the Khmer Rouge Regime. Where monkey bars became gruesome accomplices to torture and former class rooms where used as cells. Entering and exploring the museum is a heartbreaking and tear jerking experience to say the least. Viewing the prison cells, torture methods and devices, and photographs of all the victims helps you understand why Cambodia remains one of the poorest nations in the world. The massive extermination of 1.5 million innocent women, children, and men only occurred less than 40 years ago.

When the Khmer Rouge Regime was defeated by Vietnamese troops in 1979, survivors returned to Phnom Penh, hoping to rebuild their lives.