So glad I did not leave straight after the tour ended. When I read the itinerary and realised that our last visits were to the Killing Field and Genocide Museum I decided I didn't want those to be my last memory of the trip The cruel depravity to which the people were subjected to in this bleak period of history cannot be forgotten and must not ever be repeated BUT I want my "take home" memory to be one of Cambodia today. A country rich in history and tradition is, like a butterfly emerging from it's cocoon,finally emerging as a must see destination in SE Asia for the 21st century - and rightly so.

My plan was to spend the extra time in Phnom Penh just wandering aimlessly about getting a feel for the city as it is today. It was an added bonus that Naomi (from my tour) also has the same idea and although we were in different hotels we decided to pair up for most of the time and wander about together. Decide to forgo the 'tourist" markets and visited a couple of traditional local markets that are aimed at the local people - no mass produced souvenirs etc just everyday items that people need. An amazing array of fresh produce that left us with our mouths watering.

Found "Art Street" - Street 178- and spent some time looking at the galleries and sculpture shops selling both traditional and contemporary works. Very pleased with myself - no shopping just browsing.

Lunch time found us at one of the many open air cafes/bars where we enjoyed a nice cold beer and BBQ squid. We sat there for ages just people watching - everyone going about there day-to-day business - and the frenetic movement of vehicles that seems to almost be orchestrated. So many near misses but no road rage just a wave and a smile as they let things go......Our waitress then came over and said a gentleman wanted to buy us a drink......mmmm.......we were not sure about this but checked him out and he waved a friendly hello so we accepted his offer. He came over and joined us and we discovered a fellow Aussie!!! Got talking only to discover that he and Naomi were both from the same suburb in Melbourne .......talk about a small world!!! He was visiting with some mates for 5 weeks (his mates had family there) and it was his first trip out of Aus. We ended up having a great discussion about cultural differences and how nice the lifestyle was in PP. Took his photo where he put on his best "aussie bogan" look so I would not forget when back in China what Aussies were like!!!!

We then headed off for more wandering and then for a well deserved full body Khmer massage. We both wanted to back in our hotels by dark - not sure how safe it is at night for single females - so parted company after a very enjoyable day.

The only other bit of sightseeing I did was to visit Wat Ounalom which is the oldest Buddhist foundation in the city founded circa 1422. It had been extensively damaged during the Pol Pot regime and the library destroyed. Once home to about 500 monks there are now only about 30 left.