Phnom Penh, Cambodia

While we only stayed in Phnom Penh for two nights, our experience of the city was generally positive unlike many backpackers we had met during our travels.

We spent our only full day in Phnom Penh visiting Tuol Sleng (S-21), a high school turned Khmer Rouge prison, and the Killing Fields, where thousands of Tuol Sleng prisoners were executed and buried. The most poignant moment for me was the story of a 27 year old New Zealander who was captured by the Khmer Rouge while attempting to sail the world. Just like many Cambodians, he was tortured, forced to sign a damning confession, and executed. Personally, it is strange and saddening that despite the deaths of over two million Cambodians, the story of a same-aged New Zealander was needed to intensify this experience for me. My reflection is that his story made the Khmer Rouge's atrocities and the vicitims' suffering seem so much more real. Needless to say, it was a very quiet, sombre, and surreal day for our travelling party (watch the movie The Killing Fields if your interested in learning more).

We now head to Koh Rong island off the southern coast of Cambodia for some RnR.Read more