Today's contribution is by David
Next day we had an early start from the Delux Villa. How we would miss their enormous fruit plates! We were met by a very jovial driver who seemed to find everything that we said hilarious, despite not being able to understand what we were saying. After the now customary Krypton Factor-esque puzzle of how to fit our luggage in the boot, we were off, weaving through an anarchy of tuk tuks, scooters and lorries that make up the Cambodian streetscape. Our route to Phnom Penh was fairly direct. We made it in under five hours through an almost continuous succession of villages and dried up rice paddies. On the outskirts of Phnom Penh we slowed to a crawl for the last part of the journey.
Hot and tired. we were eager to arrive at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club. Gill is an habitué of the FCC, Anthony once had Christmas lunch here, but for David it was a first. The FCC is in a prime riverfront position in Phnom Penh and today is a well known watering hole for expats and visitors alike. The walls are decorated with photos and stories from its 1970s heyday when it served as the hub for foreign correspondents covering the descent of Cambodia into Khmer Rouge rule, and the later disintegration of the regime. Despite the availability of club sandwiches and sauvignon blanc, it still felt evocative and we could imagine the former glory of the FCC where adrenaline and alcohol-fuelled journalists competed fiercely for stories and fought to get their copy out first.
After laid back Battambang, Phnom Penh was an assault on the senses. The centre of town is a jumble of architectural styles, centred on the Royal Palace and National Museum. Close to the FCC, Trunkh is a great place to shop for quirky Cambodian products. They stock a wide variety of clothes, art and housewares made by co-operatives from across Cambodia. The owner is a very friendly Aussie lady who was not only a great salesperson (“ouch”, says our credit card) but also gave us recommendations on places to go in town that we would not have found in a guide book. We hopped into a tuk tuk to spend our first evening in Lane 308, which has recently developed a reputation as the place to go for bars and restaurants in Phnom Penh. We were amazed to discover Cicada, a gin only bar. Anthony and David decided that this was “research” so we stopped off for a few gins served in copper tankards.
The next day was rather more sombre as we were to spend the morning visiting the killing fields just outside the city, followed by a visit to the notorious S21 prison- both of which now serve as important reminders of the brutality and nonsensical nature of the brief but devastating Khmer Rouge’s grip on Cambodia. The tuk tuk drivers who congregate outside the FCC reminded us of the pigeons in Trafalgar Square. It was impossible not to be intercepted and cajoled by competing drivers. How to decide between one and another when they all rely upon tourists to earn a living and are desperate for a morning’s work? The more savvy drivers managed to remember our names from the first morning. Being greeted by name from a tuktuk parked across the street was disarming to say the least. In short, transport is never a problem in Phnom Penh…
After 45 minutes of weaving through the gridlocked and fume filled streets we arrived at the Killing Fields on the outskirts of the city. The almost bucolic scene that awaited us seemed to belie the grisly purpose of this site during the Khmer Rouge era. This location served as an execution site for citizens who had fallen foul of the regime. Transgressions were as random as wearing spectacles, breaching minor rules or being compromised by family links. Many of the mass graves have been excavated but others remain untouched as a mark of respect to the dead. The most telling reminders of the history of this place are the fragments of clothing and even bones that are seemingly given up from the ground and are clearly visible to visitors. An audio tour provides testimony from survivors of life under the Khmer Rouge and a temple has been constructed in memory of those who were killed at the site. The grisly spectacle of piles of skulls and femurs attested to the history of this sad place.
Continuing the theme, our next stop was the infamous TuolSleng prison, or S21, where dissidents and opponents of the regime were often detained en route to the Killing Fields. The complex is in a suburban part of the city and its original purpose as a school is immediately apparent to any visitor. The conversion of classrooms into cells and torture chambers was made to house and interrogate those who fell foul of the regime, again for often spurious reasons. An estimated 17,000 inmates were imprisoned here between 1975 and 1979. The number of survivors is disputed but estimates range from 9 to 129 people who left Tuol Sleng alive. The Khmer Rouge were meticulous about recording the reception of inmates and their time at Tuol Sleng. Today their carefully maintained records serve as a reminder of these forgotten people, many of whom had been separated from their families and were never seen again. The photos of the inmates stared back at us from room to room. Some were frightened, others defiant...The shy smile of a teenage girl, the confused look of an elderly woman, and even the mischievous smiles of toddlers serve as a powerful reminder that each one represents a life, a family, hopes and dreams and only represent a sample of the millions of ordinary Cambodians who found themselves subject to thisnew and barbaric regime. They will not be forgotten by anyone who visits S21.
The midday heat was punishing in Phnom Penh, driving us back to the FCC each day for a rest. We had read that the Olympic Stadium was an interesting place to visit in late afternoon as the heat of the day subsides. The stadium was built in 1964, and has had an interesting history including hosting North Korea vs Australia for the 1966 World Cup qualifiers. No other country would host them at the time and North Korea eventually qualified for the tournament and made it to the quarter finals of the 1966 World Cup. It was no surprise for us to learn that during the Khmer Rouge period the Stadium was used as yet another execution site. Today the Stadium has a happier use as a focal point for locals who congregate in the late afternoon to do mass aerobics. Competing sound systems blare out western dance music to a mix of mostly older people around the rim of the stadium. Meanwhile more serious runners do laps of the stadium below. The atmosphere is jovial and fun and it gave us an interesting insight into how locals spend their time in this frenetic but somehow captivating city.
The Mansion is a must visit for any visitor who finds themselves in the vicinity of the FCC. It is a derelict building that has had an interesting history, like just about every other building in Phnom Penh. It was constructed as a colonial mansion, and inhabited by a succession of wealthy families before being commandeered by the Khmer Rouge in 1975. These were followed by the Vietnamese army in 1979 until their withdrawal from Cambodia; all of which has taken its toll on the building. Faded elegance it isn’t: trees and shrubs are growing out of the building, the roof is largely absent and the masonry is flaking. But don’t call Phil and Kirstie to make an offer just yet, as this makes for an excellent watering hole, helped enormously by a very generous happy hour policy. The FCC now run The Mansion as an art and event space, and at night the building is lit to its best and most dramatic effect. Hours can slip by on the slouchy sofas in the courtyard to the soundtrack of Ibiza style chillout music and the horns of tuk tuks. We recommend the Front Line cocktail: a heady mix of passion fruit, gin, chilli and kampot pepper.
For those with an interest in architecture there is a fascinating tour that can be taken either with a guide or downloaded. It covers most of the city centre, guiding the visitor through the various architectural styles from French colonial, through the 20s and 30s to 50s and 60s brutalism.The Central Market was a particular standout on the tour, and it offered us welcome respite from the midday heat. The joy of the tour was that it did not just focus on tourist guide landmarks, but concentrated on rather more prosaic sites such as public toilets, apartment blocks and other municipal architecture. This is what makes Phnom Penh such a singular place in contrast to most other Asian cities where identikit high rises predominate. How long this will last is uncertain as the cranes dotting the Phnom Penh skyline are the harbingers of a new city that is growing from the old. Many of the locations on our walking tour have now either been demolished or are under threat, so go now to catch a glimpse of a low key, low rise, and ultimately enchanting Asian capital that has not been strangled by expressways, shopping malls and high rises (yet).
We left Phnom Penh with mixed feelings. It was Anthony’s view that Phnom Penh was reminiscent of Bangkok 20 years’ ago. It is certainly true that the city has much to offer to the casual visitor. Aside from the set piece guidebook sights, and the Killing Fields in particular is a must for any visitor, Phnom Penh is a captivating place to spend time planning the next happy hour venue.
The next stage of our trip would take us across the border into Vietnam and into the heart of the Mekong delta. The best way to do this is by one of the boats which ply this well trodden route.We left the planning to Gill to decide which boat to take. Not known for her sea legs, we let Gill loose on unsuspecting touts on the quay who compete for business on this stretch of the Mekong. We are sure that they could not have anticipated her forensic questioning on the size, pedigree and sea worthiness of competing vessels.
