Cambodia, Chapter 2

The next chapter of our trip did not start with such a scenic or interesting journey as our last leg, no boat rides through floating villages or children waving at us as we glided by in the late morning sun. Our travel to Phnom Penh saw us once again crammed onto a local bus avoiding curious stares and mosquitoes.

Strange Cambodian Fact Number 1! - An interesting aspect of traveling on Cambodian buses is that a screen at the front of every bus that plays a variety of interesting irritations; everything from Hip Hop music videos to Karaoke DVDs. Bruce Lee films dubbed in Cambodian are also available on a number of routes. Don't forget your iPod if you want to retain your sanity.

Tammy and Richie ride the Karaoke Super Highway

We arrived in Phnom Penh hungry, tired and not quite ready for what the city would throw at us. On descending the bus steps we had the usual onslaught of pushy tuk tuk drivers shouting for our business "Miss Miss Miss, Tuk Tuk, Cheap Hotel, Miss!" But we soldiered past and walked the length of the city in search for a hostel near the lake area of the city.

Strange Cambodian Fact Number 2! - Our hostel, we were sad to learn, like many similar places in Phnom Penh, is set for demolition in the next year or so. Due to the growing popularity of Cambodia as a tourist and business spot much of the smaller businesses (such as guesthouses, restaurants etc.) are being muscled out to make way for large apartment blocks and businesses. The lake in the centre of the city is currently being drained to make way for more valuable real estate to open up. Our advice is to get to Cambodia in the next 5 years while it still retains some of its character.

Phnom Penh is vast and busy city, crossing the road can be compared more to an extreme sport than an essential aspect of a journey. Street signs mean nothing and traffic lights seem to serve only as an enticement into a game of chicken. But once again this city is a shining example of the Cambodian peoples' genuine hospitality and good humor.

If you can get through the myriad of indefinable smells and grapple with flip flops on the slanting pathways, this city has a lot to offer. The street kids hawking travel books and novels are well trained sales people, but it's a great moment when they occasionally drop out of character as pushy hawkers and begin to act like kids, playing games and giggling at the crazy "Barrang" with the red hair and piercings.

Tammy with a homeless kid, Sihanoukville. Really gorgeous little guy

Cambodia is saturated with its past, everywhere you go it is inescapable. Whether it be the street kids trying to sell you Pol Pot's Biography or a book about the Khmer Rouge, or perhaps just a chat with a local who can tell you their stories, you cannot escape what this country and its' people have endured.

A visit to the Choeug Ek (The Killing Fields) and Toul Sleng (the former S21 Prison) is a must for anyone traveling to Cambodia. It is a chilling experience but it is a way to learn more about the country and what the Khmer people have endured.

A marking for one of the mass graves, The Killing Fields

Teeth exhumed from a mass grave, The Killing Fields

The Pagoda, The Killing Fields

Communal shackles, The Killing Fields

The Killing Fields have been reformed and house a visitors centre and a Pagoda. The Pagoda is now home to thousands of skulls which were removed from the graves. Many of the mass graves have been exhumed, however, identification of the bodies has been impossible as there were few records maintained of who was brought here when Pol Pot evacuated the cities, forcing the inhabitants into torture prisons or death camps.

The Pagoda, The Killing Fields

Skulls inside The Pagoda

The Roof of the Pagoda

Toul Sleng, known locally as S.21 had as heavy a silence as found in the Killing Fields. The former primary and high school was converted into a prison in 1975 when Pol Pot's clique moved on the city dwellers, forcing them out of their homes and either to country slavery or prison.

A cell wall, S.21

Prison Cell, S.21

Classrooms converted into prison cells, S.21

A wooden pole in the yard, once used for physical education in the school, was turned into an instrument of torture.



In 1979 when the prison was finally shut down only 6 people were found alive. The bodies of 14 Cadres who were accused of leading an uprising against Pol Pot were found, beaten and in various stages of decomposition. They are still unidentifiable.


The rooms that the bodies were found in are open to the public, the beds they were found in are still there and the blood stains still mark the floor to this day.

A quote from the leaflet handed out in S.21
"Keeping the memory of the atrocities committed on Cambodian soil alive is the key to build a new, strong and just state"

Some of the male prisoners who were held and tortured in S.21

Some of the child prisoners who were held and tortured in S.21

S.21 Prison, Phnom Pehn

As I have mentioned before, though their history is fraught with much pain and suffering, the Khmer people are extremely well natured and good humored. They are willing to talk about their history, and while it will never be forgotten they do not allow it to swallow them up.

Tea time, Phnom Pehn

Richie and pal, Phnom Pehn

Strange Cambodian Fact Number 3! - When Tammy has enough alcohol in her system, she can in fact speak sign language! I spent nearly two hours chatting in broken sign language to a lovely woman in a lively Phnom Penh bar. Looking on was a rather confused Richie and a French backpacking companion, both of whom were aware that I cannot sign but was somehow managing to chat to this lady...

Tammy and Pal, Phnom Pehn

After a few nights in Phnom Penh we hit the road again on the Karaoke highway and headed South for Sihanoukville, Cambodia's most popular haunt for beach bums. Unfortunately we discovered two things about Sihanoukville on our arrival, first there is no beach anymore as it has been swallowed up by high tides and bad weather and second, that Sihanoukville in general was not a very nice place.

The nightlife in this beach town we found to be over-exuberant and very unimaginative. Somehow we managed to last here for 7 days, staying is a hostel called Monkey Republic, recommended only if you like Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas played incessantly till the wee hours of the morning. Between hangovers and nights out we even managed to fit in some sightseeing.

Our adopted pet who followed us around Sihanoukville for 8 days, drinking at the bar with us

All aboard the Sun Boat Tour, captained by the effervescent Robert and his 8 month old Rottweiler, Lucy!

The Sun Boat, Sihanoukville

Captained (and built over 3 years) by Robert, the Sun Boat set sail early in the morning with a day of island hopping, snorkeling and sight seeing ahead. We were promised by Robert that this would be one of the best days on our travels and he wasn't wrong.

Richie on the top deck of The Sun Boat

The Sun Boat, Sihanoukville

Our first stop was a quick dip for snorkeling, however, the normally placid waters were full of very small but very real jelly fish. Tammy and Richie lasted about 15 minutes in the water before we hopped out rather ungracefully with our flippers still on, jumping about scratching ourselves and coming close to knocking small children over-board.



After regaining some of our composure we headed to the top deck for the trip to Koh Rung Salem, a little island with white coral beaches, jungles and mangroves, about 2 hours from the coast of Cambodia. The Sun Boat dropped anchor a bit from the coast so people had the option of swimming in or taking a speed boat over. Either way you were surrounded by clear blue waters, heading for a clear white beach.

The Sun Boat, Sihanoukville

The Sun Boat, Sihanoukville

Koh Rung Salem beach

People could walk from one side of the island to the other through a large jungle which rang with the sound of cicadas, grasshoppers and German tourists who seemed to communicate through loud and unnecessary squawks. Richie and I dropped back from the group and had a bit of a wander on our own.

Jungle Mushrooms, Koh Rung Salem

Jungle Mushrooms, Koh Rung Salem

Tammy in a barley field, Koh Rung Salem

Jungle Mushrooms, Koh Rung Salem

Next we were led by Robert around the mangroves around the river crossing the island. Much to my and Robert's amusement Richie was motioned towards the front of the three-strong group by Robert. After a couple of minutes of walking and talking he suddenly found himself plunged into a hole in the riverbed at least 8 foot deep! He came up spluttering and confused but thankfully saw the funny side.

Tammy and Richie in the mangroves, Koh Rung Salem

As I said though, Richie and I were not Sihanoukville's biggest fans so Robert gave a tip on an island to get to for a few days if we were looking to escape the noise and bars in Sihanoukville. The island is Koh Russai or Bamboo Island and the guesthouse is called Koh Ru. So we packed our bags, waved a happy farewell to Sihanoukville and boarded the boat destined for Bamboo Island.

Richie on board the Bamboo Island Boat

Our 3 day sojourn somehow developed into a 9 night stay. The basic bunglaows have shared bathrooms and showers and the whole place only has electricity for a few hours in the evening, so it's very much back to basics for everyone. During the day the options are swim, sunbathe, sleep, read or sit in a hammock and await sunset. The evenings were generally spent at the bar with the guys who worked there.

Some sunset shots

Richie and Tammy (yes I'm there somewhere), Koh Ru, Bamboo Island

There was a really great atmosphere here in Koh Ru, the only rule is not to take yourself too seriously. It's all about relaxing and having a bit of fun. And if that's not good enough for you there are multiple animals that you can distract yourself with. Whether it's Murphy the dog, Pringles the cat or a tussle with Rambo the goat.

Richie shows his softer side, Koh Ru, Cambodia


Miki and Rambo, Koh Ru, Cambodia

Pringles having a nap, Koh Ru, Cambodia

When the sun falls you may be lucky enough to see a fire show from one or more of the people who can manage the fire poi or fire staff. And you'll always have a drinking buddy, whether you want to or not!

Jacks and Gemma, Koh Ru, Cambodia

Bucket on the boat

Giant sea snail, which we ate raw in a spicy salad.

So it was with heavy hearts and lighter wallets that we said farewell to our new friends in Koh Ru. It was a really gorgeous way for us to round off our Cambodian leg of the journey, it will be a sad day when this guesthouse is knocked down next April to make way for bigger enterprise.

Our hut facing the beach

The flip flop tree

Strange Cambodian Fact(ish) Number 4! - If you hear a loud THUMP in the night and cannot see where it has come from in the dark, it is more than likely a coconut falling from a nearby tree. If hit by such a descending nut a blow to the head could be fatal. Apparently accidents of this nature kill more people per year than shark attacks!

Richie avoiding the coconuts

Killer Coconuts!