Day 12 - A lazy get up for breakfast which we took by the pool whilst contemplating the plan for the day. Quick shower and change and we set off for S-21 / Toul Sleng Museum. This is where some of the prisoners under Pol Pots regime were imprisoned and some of the buildings have hardly been touched since it was abandoned in 1979. It was a high school before the Khmer Rouge regime took it over.

We entered S-21 and got our tickets and you instantly get a feel for the place, set up in four large rectangular buildings three stories high from A to D. Building A was where the prisoners that were being tortured were kept (see front photo) and this is where the Vietnamese found 14 people still tied to beds when they raided the prison in 1979. The graves for these people are in the grounds near the entrance. In each cell was a photo of each victim as they were found and they are absolutely indescribable. Outside building A was what used to be the children's exercise equipment which under Pol Pot, was used to tie people up until they passed out then dunked in cold stinking water to wake them up before more torturing.

Building B was more of the museum part with photos and prisoners confessions which they set forced to sign under torture. It also housed old clothes that were found and some of the shackles used.

Building C had to be the worst but to be honest the whole thing was shocking. C is the building that has not really been touched with the very small cells still evident and you can walk freely amongst them. Again the prisoners would only have had a munitions box for a toilet and that is it, no bed, no nothing. On the outside of the building is the original barbed-wire still in place and the barbed doors.

Building D gave some of the story of the people that were forced to work there but more harrowing was that it also housed some of the torture equipment. These were sat alongside some gruesome paintings of what went on including being shackled down whilst they pulled the finger nails out one by one, water boarding and drowning. This doesn't even start to describe it. There were also some of the implements used for the torture but the next room housed a big surprise, skulls of the dead in a cabinet.

Out in the courtyard near the exit was one of only seven survivors (out of thousands) of S-21 but we didn't stop as there was a large tour group with him. A truly horrific place but one that had to be visited to see if what we'd read was all true. Tomorrow we are visiting The Killing Fields which is where the prisoners from S-21 were taken after torture to be killed.

Returning to the hotel for a spot of lunch by the pool and after a while we managed to secure one of the snugs housed in the pool area to chill out for the afternoon.

In the early evening with it still stifling hot even though the sun had gone down, we headed off to the olympic stadium which is where every evening, Cambodians come to exercise en mass. Has to be one of the most random things we have ever seen, hundreds of locals all working out to a boom box on the walkway at the top of the stadium. I'll try and upload the video! But it wont give you the full randomness of it!! Tuk tuk back to road 278 where we had been told the nice restaurants were. We had been recommended a place called La Table Khmere by the hotel so we got our tuk tuk driver to go past here for us to check it out. No one in there, not a good sign. We went off to a close by bar to grab a drink which actually turned out to be a nice restaurant by the looks of things.

Wanting to give La Table another chance, Alice went for a quick stroll back last and here were two Khmer families in there so we decided to head there. A very good choice as the food was delicious and we couldn't understand why it wasn't busier. Another group of three travellers from our hotel came in which aroused our suspicion and then another couple.......and then the owner of the hotel. Guess he owns the restaurant as well hence the recommendation!

As we were eating, the heavens opened so it was a definite tuk tuk back to the hotel where we had a drink at the pool bar watching the amazing storm and eagerly awaiting the SVHC vs Eastbourne score.....7-2 win!