Phnom Penh Day 2


As you may recall from yesterday's entry, I planned on riding tuk tuks all day today. And, with the exception of the 5 hours I spent riding a bicycle, I did. Against my better judgement, I signed up for a half day bicycle tour of the Cambodian countryside. Against my better judgement, you may ask? Let me explain.
1. With the exception of a night bike tour of Bangkok that I took back in 2011, and the occasional spin class, I don't really do a lot of bike riding.
2. I tend to wholly dislike group tours of pretty much any kind. Being with a whole bunch of people on a tour just isn't really my thing.
3. It's hot out there. I mean, really, really hot.


But I decided to bite the bullet and go. Experiences that make us vaguely uncomfortable are generally the ones that make us grow the most as people (I kept telling myself). Now, when I signed up for the tour, the brochure stated that anyone who could ride a bike "reasonably well" could do this tour. In hindsight, I should have investigated "reasonably well" a bit further. What I thought to myself was, I can totally ride a bike...how hard could it be? It was hard. It was waaaay above my bike riding skill level. It was hilly and muddy and sandy and rocky. And there were obstacles like children and dogs and chickens and cows and other people on bikes. But it was also amazing. We got to see some of the country outside of the bustling city. Outside of the noise and commotion and chaos. We flew past traditional houses, farms, and livestock. We biked small hidden trails though banana groves and jungle. We took the ferry over the river and biked on tiny one lane bridges. We stopped at the home of a family who raised silkworms and made their own silk. It was great. It was utterly exhausting, but it was great. And at the end, they provided a complimentary meal.

Which brings me to lunch. Now normally I am not what you would call an adventurous eater. I tend to gravitate toward things I like. Trying new foods isn't really my thing. Unless you put me on a bike for 5 hours, make me really, really hungry, and put limited food options in front of me. Next thing you know, I wolfing down fish with the head on, lemongrass noodles, jack fruit, and "chicken" on a stick (I don't know exactly what it was but i'm highly suspicious that it was not chicken).


After a shower back at the guesthouse, I headed out (in a tuk tuk) to Choeung Ek also known as the Killing Fields. Remember the Tuol Sleng genocide center I saw yesterday? The Killing Fields were where the prisoners from the center were taken to be executed. Not to get all depressing again, but it still astonishes me that as many as 3 million Cambodians were executed by their government. That's one of every four Cambodians. The Killing Fields are about 30 minutes outside of Phnom Penh and I spent a few hours wandering around and just reflecting. The site provided an audio tour and you could walk through the memorial at your own pace. There are still pieces of bone and victim's clothing everywhere. There is a memorial stupa filled with excavated skulls of the victims. There are memorials where the mass graves were uncovered. They killed as many as 300 people per day with machetes, axes, and garden tools as bullets were deemed "too expensive". It is a haunting and sobering place.


Okay, now I just have a few things to write that don't really fit anywhere else so I am going to put them here. I saw a motorbike today with probably 100 dead chickens hanging from it. I am two days in and have yet to get a mosquito bite. Or buy a single souvenir. These are both big accomplishments for me. I thinking of starting a new photographic series called "Scenes from the back of a moving tuk tuk" or maybe "Too late to snap a photo". Some of my favorites are in the photo section below.


I think that's it for today. After two very busy days, tomorrow morning I am taking the bus to a small town called Kep, where I may just lounge by the pool with a drink for a day or two. If you don't hear from me for a few, that's where I am. Miss you guys!