Bright Lotus Guest House 2 Phnom Penh

... from the mass graves. This is one of hundreds of mass killing fields across Cambodia. This was a beautiful and peaceful place and an ideal place for remembrance, yet it was eerily quiet. There was another small museum detailing what happened, some of the things we read especially what happened to the babies and children, was literally unbearable to imagine and was really upsetting. By the end of the day you were in a very solemn mood, we headed back to the city centre ...

This is a must see in Phnom Penh.Entrance fee is US$2.00

Within the Palace ground visitors are only allowed to visit the Silver Pagoda and its surrounding areas.Once inside the temple visitors are not allowed to take photographs.Many areas are out of bound to visitors.This Palace is a smaller version of its counterpart in Bangkok which is much bigger.Nevertheless, it has some very beautiful architecture and intricate Khmer work of art.

One may be mistaken that ...

... in their eyes is piercing and moving, the desperation to live is clear in their eyes. Young children, old woman, mothers all staring at you in these photos, as a reminder to us not to forget. With the emotions of sadness and somberness in my mind, the next room makes me feel even more upset and stunned at the images I am viewing. On the walls are paintings of the inhumane methods of torture by the Khmer Rouge soldiers and in the room are the weapons used to end the lives ...

... start teaching in their own secondary schools after they finish their studies at the RTTC. I could say a lot about these books but the long and short of it is that they are outdated, introduce but don't explain grammar points, and involve subjects that are relevant to life in Cambodia but present them in a way that is sometimes condescending, like suggesting that Cambodian people are not smart enough and lack the necessary skills to start a successful ...

... his people to support the Khmer Rouge.

Regrettably Pol Pot had emerged as the leader of a peasants' revolt later called the Khmer Rouge after the US began it's incursions into Cambodia in a futile attempt to hunt down the Viet Cong. French Colonial hands were also unclean as they had mixed it with the Khmers (ethnic Cambodians), the Thais and the Vietnamese thus setting the seeds for later civil conflict.

My first ...

... was a little surreal to be there; my mind couldn’t wrap itself around the stories and relics of torture, interrogation, starvation, and fear.

On Saturday, we left. We didn’t want to hang out in Phnom Penh for the weekend, waiting for the embassies to open on Monday. Tired of the noise, chaos, and pollution of the city, we decided to take a break. So we took a bus to Kampot, a small town on Cambodia’s southern coast, to relax a bit and figure out our next step.

... geleden nog volop autos reden rond te zwemmen! De familie keek de ganse tijd nogal bezorgd maar door hun gebrekkig engels begrepen we niet wat ze ons wilden duidelijk maken totdat we plots het woord '"snake" verstonden. We klimden snel weer in de boot en later die dag leerden we in een klein museum over de flora en fauna van de streek dat er blijkbaar massas slangen en zelfs krokodillen in het water zijn. Bah! De volgende 3 dagen huurden we met de 2 kerels van Oostenrijk ...

... encouraged to be a beggar. But I pushed my plate towards her the 3rd time she stopped by. She grabbed the whole plate in a flash, squatted on the ground right next to me and ate every last scrap, even spooned up tomato sauce by the mouth full. She did this in a matter of 30 seconds flat. The look on her face when she gave me back the plate was just so thankful. She looked like she hadn't washed in at least a week, hair all over her face, no shoes, ripped clothes and no parents in ...

... pits and surrounds.
Once we'd been around and sen enough, went back to our waiting driver who was more than ready to have a heart-to-heart talk over about the tragedy.
A couple of other Westerners asked if they could ride in our tuk tuk:
'Our driver's driven off and left us here.'
Our driver wouldn't entertain the idea. the golden rule about paying tuk tuk drivers is to do it after and not before. Then they are obligated to wait for you without doing a runner ...

... of at several times to do the guys shopping.

Since we was driving into Phnom Penh I had a chance to see the city properly and I must say I was quite impressed. Some parts of the city was quite modern and developed. The areas where there was trees and grass planted there was no dust. But in areas where there was none then it was a dusty. I eventually arrived at the Indochine Hotel, the journey time was 3 hours 40 minutes. I booked a double room for ...