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Location Date Oceania 1698796800 Asia 
1687129200 South America 1570748400 Europe 1569625200 Africa 1568761200 -
Location Date Uzbekistan 1687129200 Tajikistan 1686610800 Kyrgyzstan 1686178800 Kazakhstan 1685919600 South Korea 1685574000 Malaysia 1556060400 Singapore 1475967600 Vietnam 1410044400 China 1372806000 Sri Lanka 1361577600 Thailand 1335913200 Cambodia
1328400000 Laos 1327708800 Indonesia 1236988800 Hong Kong 710377200 Philippines 395190000 -
Location Date Phnom Penh 1328400000 Siem Reap To Phnom Penh
1328054400 Siem Reap 1327968000 Vientiane To Siem Reap 1327795200
A free morning and a sleep in today which my roommate and I needed desperately after our alcohol fueled night last night. Went to see a traditional Khmer show at a restaurant on infamous Pub Street and enjoyed our final dinner in Siem Reap. Now you all know that I like a bargain…..went to buy a cocktail to celebrate our night which was $4 USD but to buy a pitcher of the same cocktail was only $6USD and you got a free T-shirt……..guess which option I went for???? A no-brainer really….
Got a late check out which gave me time to finally update my blog, catch up on emails etc etc…nothing that requires too much effort as the head is a little heavy. Left the hotel at 1330 heading to the airport for our short flight to Phnom Penh…… I am filled with trepidation as I am wondering how big this plane is going to be. YES you guessed it....another baby plane. I am not getting used to them one little bit.......actually it doesn't matter what the size...I'm still not in control!!! Never fear we arrived safely in Phnom Penh at one of the prettiest airports I have ever seen, headed to our hotel and then off for a cyclo ride around the city to gain a first impression as the sun was setting. Hard to see much of the sights but it was a beautiful sunset and we then headed for dinner at Romdeng Restaurant. This restaurant trains former street kids in cooking and service skills and serves traditional Cambodian cuisine from the provinces
PHNOM PENH . Cambodia's capital retains much of its former colonial charm, with old houses along tree-lined boulevards. One could almost be forgiven for forgetting that this tranquil and charming city was the site of some of the worst horrors and atrocities of the 20th century.
History:A City of Occupations
Phnom Penh, founded alongside the Tonle Sap and Bassac rivers, has been the capital of Cambodia since the mid15th century, after Angkor was abandoned. Most of modern day Phnom Penh was built while under the colonial control of the French, (who occupied it in 1864 as an extension of their interests in Vietnam). In its heyday, the city was considered one of the most picturesque in Southeast Asia.
Since gaining independence from France in 1953, decades of political turmoil have constantly transformed Phnom Penh. A domineering monarchy was deposed in 1970 by the military as the country was dragged kicking and screaming into the Vietnam War. Under the direction of Henry Kissinger, the countryside was carpet-bombed to "root out" Vietnamese communists. This insane military strategy drove the rural population into the capital, creating an overpopulated metropolis of hungry people, and paving the way for the eventual Khmer Rouge takeover under Pol Pot.
In April 1975, (two weeks before the fall of Saigon) the U.S. forces abandoned the city as the Khmer Rouge moved in. Initially welcomed, the KR soon instituted harsh policies (somewhat similar to China's Cultural Revolution), including forcing almost the entire population back into the countryside to produce rice. The city was transformed into a ghost town, and the site of countless political tortures and murders.
In 1979, fed up with overambitious border attacks by the KR, Vietnam invaded Cambodia, taking over Phnom Penh, driving the KR into hiding in the countryside and plunging the country into 16 years of civil war. A $3 billion UN peacekeeping initiative resulted in the election of current Prime Minister Hun Sen, who made a concerted attack on the Khmer Rouge through military means and dubious amnesties, effectively eliminating them. With country now relatively stabilised, Phnom Penh is steadily being restored to former glories as the Cambodian economy recovers. Despite ongoing high employment, the streets are lively during daylight hours, and there is an unmistakable optimism in the air.
The Independence Monument sits in a traffic circle which sort of marks the south end of "downtown" Phnom Penh. Built in 1958 as a memorial to Cambodia's war dead after the gaining of independence from France in 1953, the monument, built in the Angkorian style, consists of five levels decorated with 100 snake heads. It is at its most impressive later in the afternoon with shadows highlighting the complexity of the design and giving the structure a warm orange glow.
Got a late check out which gave me time to finally update my blog, catch up on emails etc etc…nothing that requires too much effort as the head is a little heavy. Left the hotel at 1330 heading to the airport for our short flight to Phnom Penh…… I am filled with trepidation as I am wondering how big this plane is going to be. YES you guessed it....another baby plane. I am not getting used to them one little bit.......actually it doesn't matter what the size...I'm still not in control!!! Never fear we arrived safely in Phnom Penh at one of the prettiest airports I have ever seen, headed to our hotel and then off for a cyclo ride around the city to gain a first impression as the sun was setting. Hard to see much of the sights but it was a beautiful sunset and we then headed for dinner at Romdeng Restaurant. This restaurant trains former street kids in cooking and service skills and serves traditional Cambodian cuisine from the provinces
PHNOM PENH . Cambodia's capital retains much of its former colonial charm, with old houses along tree-lined boulevards. One could almost be forgiven for forgetting that this tranquil and charming city was the site of some of the worst horrors and atrocities of the 20th century.
History:A City of Occupations
Phnom Penh, founded alongside the Tonle Sap and Bassac rivers, has been the capital of Cambodia since the mid15th century, after Angkor was abandoned. Most of modern day Phnom Penh was built while under the colonial control of the French, (who occupied it in 1864 as an extension of their interests in Vietnam). In its heyday, the city was considered one of the most picturesque in Southeast Asia.
Since gaining independence from France in 1953, decades of political turmoil have constantly transformed Phnom Penh. A domineering monarchy was deposed in 1970 by the military as the country was dragged kicking and screaming into the Vietnam War. Under the direction of Henry Kissinger, the countryside was carpet-bombed to "root out" Vietnamese communists. This insane military strategy drove the rural population into the capital, creating an overpopulated metropolis of hungry people, and paving the way for the eventual Khmer Rouge takeover under Pol Pot.
In April 1975, (two weeks before the fall of Saigon) the U.S. forces abandoned the city as the Khmer Rouge moved in. Initially welcomed, the KR soon instituted harsh policies (somewhat similar to China's Cultural Revolution), including forcing almost the entire population back into the countryside to produce rice. The city was transformed into a ghost town, and the site of countless political tortures and murders.
In 1979, fed up with overambitious border attacks by the KR, Vietnam invaded Cambodia, taking over Phnom Penh, driving the KR into hiding in the countryside and plunging the country into 16 years of civil war. A $3 billion UN peacekeeping initiative resulted in the election of current Prime Minister Hun Sen, who made a concerted attack on the Khmer Rouge through military means and dubious amnesties, effectively eliminating them. With country now relatively stabilised, Phnom Penh is steadily being restored to former glories as the Cambodian economy recovers. Despite ongoing high employment, the streets are lively during daylight hours, and there is an unmistakable optimism in the air.
The Independence Monument sits in a traffic circle which sort of marks the south end of "downtown" Phnom Penh. Built in 1958 as a memorial to Cambodia's war dead after the gaining of independence from France in 1953, the monument, built in the Angkorian style, consists of five levels decorated with 100 snake heads. It is at its most impressive later in the afternoon with shadows highlighting the complexity of the design and giving the structure a warm orange glow.
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