5th October 2014, I had an early flight to catch from HCM and arrived safely at Phnom Penh International Airport around 9.20am. In less than 20 minutes, I finally arrived at The Plantation Urban Resort & Spa. Checked in was smooth and easy, I did not have to wait for the usual after 2.00pm checked in time like most hotel's does. I did not waste much time as soon as I put my luggage in the room, off I went to get a tuk-tuk to bring me around the city.
My first stop was 'The Killing Fields', a must to visit if you are here. After paying the entrance fee (USD 5), I was given a headgear that looks like the picture below. Instruction was given on how to use it and as soon as you put it on, there's an audio for you to play, explaining every detail on each steps you take when you are at the field.
Killing Fields is one of the worst massacres in history whereby millions of people are taken from their homes, tortured for information, being brutally killed and buried in mass graves under the ruling of Khmer Rouge.
I was told that this tree is called the Killing Tree. Children were taken away from their mothers, their bodies being swung and beaten on the tree till their brains smashed through the open grave.
A little bit of history taken from Wikipedia, Khmer Rouge is actually a communist group led by a man named Pol Pot. He is responsible for the systematic cruelty and horror on enarmous scale. Almost one in five people living in Cambodia at the time is believe to have died as a result of Cambodian genocide.
My next stop was at 'Tuol Sleng Genocide'. For those who doesn't like history, this I guess isn't a place for someone like you. One might think its a total waste of time visiting an abonden school but for me, this is not just an empty school. This place was used to be a prison (Security Prison21) by the Khmer Rouge regime from its rise to power in 1975-1979. The entrance fee for this place is USD 2.
Tuol Sleng means ' Hills of The Poisonous Trees ' and was only one of at least 150 execution centers in the country. Believe it or not, there were as many as 20,000 prisioners there that were later killed.
6th October 2014, I have arranged for a tuk-tuk to bring me to the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, and National Museum. All 3 places were located at the same place. The entrance fee for both Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda is around USD 6 per person plus an additional of USD 2 for a camera. Meanwhile the entrance fee for the National Musuem is at USD 5.
This is the Royal Palace where the King of Cambodia resides until today. All tourist were only allowed to roam in the complex at a certain area where as there are some areas which are restricted.
The Silver Pagoda is located on the next south of the Royal Palace, which was divided by a passage way. It is also known as Wat Preah Keo Morokat because of the silver tiles that covers the floor. Only a few area of the tiles are allowed for public and currently it is served as the official temple of the King of Cambodia.
National Musuem of Cambodia was said to be the largest musuem of arts, archeology and history. It also include collections of ceramics, sculptural and bronzes. Located at the north of the Royal Palace, the musuem is housed with beautiful red walls with over 14,000 interesting exhibits.
7th October 2014, after breakfast, I arranged with the same tuk-tuk guide to bring me to Phnom Chisor after seeing lots of raves about this place from Tripadvisor. Journey to this place took us almost 2 hours to reach, but it's totally worth the visit. I paid USD 20 for a tuk-tuk and USD 2 for the entrance fee.
This Khmer Temple is located on top of the hill in Takeo Province offering breathtaking views of the Cambodians countryside. It was built in the 11th century by King Suryavarman during the Khmer Empire.
After spending almost half a day wandering around the temples and taking beautiful pictures, my tuk-tuk guide brought me to a hut where simple meals are cooked by the local villages for tourist to experience the real lifestyle of a Cambodian in rural areas.
I was actually impressed to see how this people managed to prepare food for us with just a small stove without basic kitchen needs. No refrigerator, no oven, or even gas tanks. Just wood fire, a life chicken, knife and herbs to cook a meal.
I simply couldn't believe that the more simple the food is, the more it taste delicious.
8th October 2014, time to pack and say goodbye to the beautiful and nicest people in Phnom Penh. I spend a total of 4 days and 3 nights. Having also visited Siem Reap previously proves that Cambodia is really beautiful country with lots of interesting history and culture. The Cambodian's themselves are indeed very friendly and honest people which is why they never failed to impress the hearts of many tourist here.
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