Phnom Penh, Cambodia

(see map) mike: Once considered the Pearl of Asia, to us Phnom Penh lacked the energy of Hanoi or the vibrancy of Bangkok.  After spending some time here and learning about its traumatic recent history we would better understand why.

We also noticed a distinct divide between the rich and poor. As we ate dinner at a street side cafe, a constant stream of new Lexus SUVs and sedans cruised by carrying Phnom Penh's elite. At the same time barefoot children with trays of pirated books, maimed men, and overeager tuk tuk drivers jockeyed to gain our attention.

After dinner I stopped at an atm and to my surprise received US dollars instead of Cambodian Riel. Turns out the USD is the currency of choice. Included was a new five dollar bill which we were convinced was counterfeit monopoly money. The giant purple five in the bottom right hand corner just did not look right. Regardless, it was nice to use the greenback after eight months of calculating exchange rates.

Our first site was the impressive Royal Palace complex. 

Trin chatting with a hard working water salesboy near the entrance.

Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Precarious painting. We thought it was interesting that he was touching up the palace with a can of gold spray paint. 

Have you heard of the Khmer Rouge? I hadn't beyond associating the term with some bad guys in SE Asia. The regime, lead by a man named Pol Pot, was Cambodia's ruling party from 1975 to 1979. Its goal was to create a completely farming based society and in doing so directly or indirectly caused the deaths ~1.5 million of its own citizens. More info available at wikipedia.

Near Phnom Penh are numerous killing fields where the Khmer Rouge executed and buried its victims. We visited Choeung Ek where our tour guide told us how he lost his entire family during the period. The below stupa contains the eerie site of 5000 skulls exhumed from the site's mass graves.

Between visits to the National Museum, Royal Palace and Killing Fields we caught up on the blog poolside. Our hotel, Blue Lime was brand new and the pool was an awesome oasis in the middle of the hot hectic city. 

Trin Foot Update :  Scabs are gone but there is still some pink, tender and swollen skin.