Phnom Penh

After touring the temples in Siem Reap it was off to Phnom Penh.  Even though the 2 cities aren't that far away from each other, with the terrible roads it would take forever to get there so instead we flew, on the "can't believe it really exists" Siem Reap Airlines.  The flight was short and sweet but they still give you a snack box (chicken pie, water, etc.) which is remarkable considering on most US flights these days you're lucky to get peanuts and a beverage for a 3 hour trip.

The purpose of our trip to Phnom Penh was to visit the S-21 prison and the Killing Fields, two places were horrific events took place during the reign of the Khmer Rouge.  Our guide for the day was excellent and we learned more from him than we could have from a billion books.  It's amazing to me that a few times a week he spends hours walking through those places, remembering the things that he lived through as a young boy (like many people alive during that time he lost people to the Khmer Rouge). The prison was quite sobering and some of things you see and hear about you'd rather not.  There are tons of pictures of people who were held there and executed at the Killing Fields, as well as lots of pictures of the (child) soldiers.  There was also an excellent photography exhibit done by a foreigner where he took pictures of the pictures, capturing their reflections in the glass, with visitors in the shots, kind of "bringing them to life".  Hard to explain, but very cool, and it really does make you think about and feel the people that were lost.

After completing our visits we headed to lunch at a non-profit restaurant run by former street kids.  We've been to a few places like this during our stay and this one was by far the best, but either way it's nice to know that you're helping these kids just by having a meal. I have to admit that part of the appeal of the place was the Bushisms poster they had hanging in the bathroom – our esteemed leader doesn't have a very good image over here.  Hard to believe, I know. Anyway . . . the food was surprisingly good, with favorites including roasted eggplant dip, barbecued meatballs (I believe they were actually fried, amazing how good they are with the crunch on the outside) and an awesome mango slaw with sesame. As with most of the other restaurants we visited the quality of the ingredients was superb (white meat chicken in curries, better than what you'd get at a restaurant in the states) and even the Western dishes were well done.  The food is more expensive than other countries in southeast Asia as they have to import all the ingredients but it's still relatively cheap and at least you get your money's worth.