getting lost: has it really been over a month?!?

Let me start by saying that as rewarding as this adventure has been so far, it is also exhausting. It takes a lot out of me by the end of each day. I've been sleeping like a baby with the exception of one night, which I can thank whatever dish waged war on the old pipe system. I've been nursing my stomach for the last few days here in Hanoi. A perfect opportunity for a blog update...

Phnom Penh was an interesting city. It's Cambodia's capital city and is much more of concrete jungle than Siem Reap. At least the parts I saw.

I didn't do much my first day. I got in around 3pm and was pretty tired from the bus ride. After checking in, I lazily found some dinner nearby. The hostel was right on the riverside, which was really nice to look at from a distance. At some point I bought an ice cream and wandered a little closer to the water to enjoy it, but not before realizing the stench that wafted up off the surface.

The next day was pretty shocking. I'm sure anyone who has seen S21 Prison and the killing fields would say the same. I didn't take many pictures, but a quick google will paint a harrowing picture for anyone. Basically (and I mean very basic), Cambodia was taken over by the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot in the 70's. His idea was to start from "year 0" and create a completely self-sufficient society via "social engineering". Cambodia's genocide under the Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge took place less than 40 years ago and took the lives of at least 2 million civilians due to executions, starvation, and disease. Some have even estimated up to 3.4 million deaths. There is something like 20,000 mass graves that have been unearthed across the country, and there are bones and teeth still come up from the ground after a heavy rain. Another fact - at one time, there were 2.5 land mines for every one person in Cambodia. I couldn't believe that this was something that I had never learned about, considering how recent this occurred. After seeing these things, it dawned on me that a lot of people who are over 40 in Cambodia today, were probably affected by this civil war in a major way.

on the way to the killing fields

been seeing this is everywhere!

After this, I meandered around Phnom Penh's Central Market and Night Market before sniffing around for a cheap beer. Not only did I completely fail to find a cheap beer, but I managed to accidentally walked right into a, how should I say, not-normal bar? And then paid three times what I should have. When the going rate is 50 cents for a draft, it's not a huge loss. But, being the only customer, it was uncomfortable nonetheless. Once all of the ladies realized that I had made a mistake and this was a simple misunderstanding, we sat awkwardly watching the Miss Cambodia competition on the muted TV as I gulped my Anchor down as fast as possible…

does anyone have the time?

lunch

night market eating area

you pick it, they grill/fry/boil/cook it, you eat it

sugarcane

My last day was a lazy one. I checked out one other market and spent the rest of the day hanging out with one of two Canadian's I had met. They were from Vancouver - fellow Pacific Northwesterners! Later, we all grabbed dinner from a street market and I turned in to rest for the long bus ride back to Siem Reap the next day.

The bus back didn't go any quicker than the ride there, and it left me just as tired.

heading back to siem reap

After passing out for a few hours, I woke to an angry stomach. I flirted with the idea of staying in Cambodia until my system was back on track, but I decided to go north to Vietnam anyway. I've been in Hanoi for almost a week, but haven't done as much as I wanted due to stomach stuff, but I have managed to get out a few times. Also, all of the Halong Bay tours have been cancelled due to weather, which I'm pretty bummed about. Guess I just have to come back!