Cambodia

This one is long, so sorry, I'm once again too lazy to read through. If there is major spelling/grammar mistakes(and I'm sure there are), you just have to deal with it.

So Phnom Pehn. The minute I crossed the border I knew this was going to be the better part of my trip. You know, I had the feeling in my stomach. Perhaps I was a bit stressed in Vietnam, and knowing that I had survived across to the second part of my journey (ugh what a cliché) I knew that nothing will stop me now.

Phnom Penh itself is another city. Now I truly realize, a city is a city is a city, and I don't want to be in one anymore! But I met some wonderful people there, and there is few remarkable places, which I'm going to talk about a bit later. The city itself is practically same as Hanoi and Saigon, but there were few differences: first of all, it was much darker, as many streets did not have lights. Secondly, there were child beggers, and more child workers. It was the first time I have seen a child begger and now I truly know what it feels like when something stabs a heart. It physically hurt.

The second day I went around the sights with two girls I met at the hostel. First stop was the Killing Fields. The first time I heard about the place, I was excited, like there are real sculls and stuff! How cool is that?! Boy how wrong I was.

Here's a small history lesson: during the 20th century Cambodia had a civil war. The worst hit in the 70's when Khmer Rouge decided to return the dark ages, destroy all the western influence, kill all the educated people and make the rest grow rice. Cities were emptied, doctors, layers, men, women, and children were killed without mercy. Killing Fields are the place where all those people were executed. Over 200 000 people were killed by them.

Now all the mass graves are empty and the bones are placed in a tall pagoda in the middle of the fields. Also all the old structures have been destroyed, but there are still signs stating what was were. My personal favourite was the magic tree. The tree had a loudspeaker, to cover the screams and cry's off the victims. The neighbors had no idea what was going on at the site. Also some of the trees were used to kill babies; souldiers grabbed the baby's feet and whacked his head against the tree.

After the field we went to S-21, a school that was turned in to a iterrigation centre. The place had a eerie feeling to it. The rooms were empty, except for a bed. It was still possible to see blood stains on the floor. Walking through the corridor I could almost see how it used to be a school, as the floors had chess tiles and the walls were painted yellow. Outside thee were the old swing, which was later used to torture victims. I bet you guys are my facebook friends, just wait for the pictures, you'll get the idea. It was really hard to be there

Opposite of the site there is this really nice, flowerly restaurant. It is a total tourist hole, but it was nice to get the horrifying reality check out of our minds. The restaurant was actually part of an organistion, that helps unemployed people.

Next we went to the National Museum, which was nice, but nothing compared to previous sights. The rest of the day was relaxing and planning the next day. Maddie decided to join me so we went to Siem Riep together! What a nice turn :)

The bus trip felt longer than it was (6 hours). I was starting to get tired of the constant travelling. But it was more than worth it. Siem Riep is a nice change of phase. Quiet, calm, and relaxing. They didn't have any streetlights, except close to a river that run through, so it was pitch black when we arrived.

We met up with Edward and few of his new friends. Oh and before that, I FINALLY got my harem pants.

The next day we were off to Angkor Wat. I have only one word: AMAZING. I tried to stay out of the tourist jams, and just get the feeling of the place. Once again, I cannot describe it by words, check out my pictures later. Even better, go there yourself! The pictures don't do justice, none at all.

The best part of Angkor Wat when I found a quiet corner outside the main square. I was just sitting there and this monk came to talk to me. We ended up chatting about western culture, Khmer Rouge, and about people in general. Perfect ending for a perfect trip.

When I came back to Phnom Penh I ended up scammed. I knew what was going on, but I was too tired to care. When I arrived, it was 2 am and I was planning on sleeping at the airport. It was closed, so my tuktuk driver took me to a guesthouse he knew. It was in a really small back alley in the middle of nowhere, and I started to wonder what did I get myself into. The room was worst yet, there were pieces missing from the wall, roof, and it smelled weird. Also it was possible to see through the floor. So peeps, never, ever go to 'No Problem'; it's a shitty place to be.

So the next day I left at 9 to the airport with the same tuktuk driver. The airport was really quiet, and they took 25 bloody dollars as service fee. What a rip off! Anyway. I managed to get home safe, happy, and most improtantly, I had found some kind of inner peace. I love Cambodia, it was one of the best.