We arrived in Phnom Penh after an interesting bus journey from Siem Reap. The mix of Cambodian karaoke (played at deafening volume from the bus TV) and our neighbour eating deep fried crickets like sweets made for a memorable experience! The city is pretty well developed with lots of new buildings and we made our way by tuck tuck to the lakeside backpcker area.

The main reason to visit Phnom Penh is to learn about the terrible history of the Khmer Rouge occupation of Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. We visited the Tuol Sleng (S21) museum that was converted from a high school into a prison and place where diplomats, teachers, doctors and monks were tortured. Men, women and children were brought here because they were believed to be against the regime. From the prison, over 20,000 Cambodians were taked to the killing fields to be killed. As you can imagine, the place is deeply upsetting and it was a very emotional visit as many pictures of the victims are on display. They also still have the tortue beds in the cells. We then visited the killing fields where a huge monument has been built to remember the estimated 3 million who died. It was a very moving experience and made us realise how proud Cambodian people are and how they will not forget the familiy and friends they lost.