We have arrived in the bustling city of Phnom Penh and the good news is we have met up with Annabel and Emma again who have just done a whistlestop tour of Vietnam!

I'm sorry but I really can't be very witty about Phnom Penh - it is a city whose major attractions relate to the pain and suffering of the Cambodian people and it is a dirty, busy city.The photos probably tell the story better than I can here. But here goes....

On Day 1 we decided to follow a walking tour recommended by the Lonely Planet. First stop was a cafe called Friends which is run by former street children and whose profits go to supporting street children - the food was excellent and the cafe is right next door to a school built by the same charitable organisation. The LP makes it quite clear that the best way you can help the Cambodians is to give money to aid agencies rather than straight into the hands of the beggars or street children particularly the latter as this discourages them from going to school/trying to start a 'normal' life. We have seen posters telling us that despite children telling tourists that they need money for their education it is free in Cambodia.

Other buildings seen on our walking tour were the Railway station which as Cambodia has NO trains is pointless and closed. The Hotel Le Royal which is where ex pats fled when the Khmer Rouge took power not that it did them any good and where the journalists etc stayed after they were all allowed back into Cambodia! The National Library which the Khmer Rouge turned into stables destroying many of the books and throwing others into the street - some brave people picked these up returning them to the library after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. The French Embassy where foreigners and some Cambodians moved to after Hotel le Royal - foreigners were eventually all deported into Thailand, the Cambodians were never seen again.

On Day 2 the four of us hired a tuk tuk for the day and went to the killing fields of Choeung Ek, Tuol Sleng Prison (or S-21) and the Royal Palace. It was a very intense day!

The Killing Fields - The first thing that greets you is an awful stupa built by the Vietnamese containing 9,000 skulls. This was originally in a closed glass cabinet but as it caused offence to the Cambodians who believed that all the spirits were trapped inside it is now open in parts. All the original buildings have been dismantled though there are some informative boards telling you what was where. Of the 129 communal graves 43 have been left untouched though fortunately tourists have no access to them. I don't really know how I felt walking round - quite numb really. In the rainy season as the ground washes away bits of clothing and bones start to appear on the surface. We took a walk around the perimeter of the site as it is a fairly peaceful place just to reflect on what we'd seen but instead we were followed the whole way round by 2 children begging for money - and they did not stop talking, at one point they said that they didn't need $1 from each person but that $1 per couple would suffice and these were children of about 7.

Tuol Sleng - David and I have both just read a book called 'The Lost Executioner' which is all about the prison and its Commandant Duch which really helped to put the whole place into perspective. In typical Cambodian fashion the maintenance and housekeeping of the prison leaves a lot to be desired but in a way this adds to the authenticity of the place. It is a haunting place and also very upsetting in particular all the photos on display. The Khmer Ruge took photos of every inmate to pass through the door and as approximately 20,000 people were held at S21 that's a lot of photos - it is gut wrenching to see the expression on their faces - men, women and children all pretty much aware of there impending fate. Only 7 people survived S21.

The Royal Palace - We eventually arrived here at 4.10pm and the place shut at 5pm so it was a quick look round. It is like a gardened oasis of calm amidst a humdrum city and has some lovely regal structures. The highlight is supposed to be the Silver Pagoda which has a floor of 5,000 gleaming silver tiles - mmmm!!! Most of them were covered with rugs but those we could see were dull and looked like they had been stuck down with selotape. We eventually got kicked out of here as they wanted to close the gates - see photos.

Well I think that's me finished on Phnom Penh but I'm just going to copy a poem I read at Tuol Sleng as I think it explains the Khmer Rouge era very nicely.

The New Regime by Sarith Pou

No religious rituals.
No religious symbols.
No fortune teller.
No traditional healers.
No paying respect to elders.
No social status. No titles.

No education. No training.
No school. No learning.
No books. No library.
No science. No technology.
No pens. No paper.

No currency. No bartering.
No buying. No selling.
No begging. No giving.
No purses. No wallets.

No human rights. No liberty.
No courts. No judges.
No laws. No attorneys.

No communications.
No public transportations.
No private transportations.
No traveling. No mailing.
No inviting. No visiting.
No faxes. No telephones.

No social gatherings.
No chitchatting.
No jokes. No laughters.
No music. No dancing.

No romance. No flirting.
No formication. No dating.
No wet dreaming.
No masturbating.
No naked sleepers.
No bathers.
No nakedness in showers.
No love songs. No love letters.
No affection.

No marrying. No divorcing.
No marital conflicts. No fighting.
No profanity. No cursing.

No shoes. No sandals.
No toothbrushes. No razors.
No combs. No mirrors.
No lotion. No make up.
No long hair. No braids.
No jewelry.
No soap. No detergent. No shampoo.
No knitting. No embroidering.
No colored clothes, except black.
No styles, except pajamas.
No wine. No palm sap hooch.
No lighters. No cigarettes.
No morning coffee. No afternoon tea.
No snacks. No desserts.
No breakfast [sometimes no dinner].

No mercy. No forgiveness.
No regret. No remorse.
No second chances. No excuses.
No complaints. No grievances.
No help. No favors.
No eyeglasses. No dental treatment.
No vaccines. No medicines.
No hospitals. No doctors.
No disabilities. No social diseases.
No tuberculosis. No leprosy.

No kites. No marbles. No rubber bands.
No cookies. No popsicle. No candy.
No playing. No toys.
No lullabies.
No rest. No vacations.
No holidays. No weekends.
No games. No sports.
No staying up late.
No newspapers.

No radio. No TV.
No drawing. No painting.
No pets. No pictures.
No electricity. No lamp oil.
No clocks. No watches.

No hope. No life.
A third of the people didn't survive.
The regime died.