Phnom Penh,
Cambodia
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The bus ride was an easy 4 hours up to the capital a stark contrast from the peaceful beaches of the last few days. My initial impressions of Phnom Pehn weren't great but i think a second visit helped. You still have the noise and the hassle everywhere you go but we had time to stroll around and check out some sights and the river front this time which were good to see. The afternoon sights consisted of a couple of city musems and drinks and food on the banks of the Mekong - a truly impressive sight for any river running through a city making the Thames look like a trickling brook. As darkness fell walking along the riverbank and having just phoned people back home (most of whom were at rhythms of the world, an event back home i was def missing out on by not being there) we were pondering our experiences of Cambodia- A travelling baptism of fire on arrival to this recently war torn country and a growing affection for its people and what it is trying to salvage from the wreckages of its past. I feel sure that if they get the balance right between its natural beauty and the tourism that is sure to take this country by storm over the coming years it will prosper like the neighbouring thailand, but it has to be careful not to turn into a gaudy tourist trap.
An early breakfast was designed to give us enough time to visit the horiffic Khymer Rouge torture Musem in the morning but we simply ran out of time and the blog needed updating. Plently of time for guresome musems of war when we get to Vietnam.
So farewell to Cambodia it has been an experience that will never be forgotten, Vietnam awaits.
