Paying slightly extra for the 'V.I.P' bus from Battambang to Phnom Penh, we thought it might be similar to the buses of the same name in Thailand. We were proved wrong! As the bus pulled up Jack and I knew we had overpaid, but that as we needed to get to Phnom Penh, we didn't have much choice! We sat on the rickety seats and were surrounded by flies as we looked at the gloomy wet weather outside! Then, around ten minutes into the journey the bus came to a halt. Apparantly the driver had realised that he had forgotten a passenger and needed to turn back to where we has set out! He then proceeded to turn the bus around on a VERY narrow road whilst the rain was making the terrain more and more slippery. Before we knew it the bus had slipped backwards into a ditch with half of the bus still pointing towards the road. After some shouting from the Cambodian passengers on the bus, the driver eventually opened up the doors to let us off! We all waited under a bamboo shelter on the side of the raod while the driver made numerous attempts to get out of the ditch...eventually with the help of a rope and a truck we were back on the road!
By the time we got to Phnom Penh we were tired and exhausted but pleased to get there. We checked into our guesthouse, named 'Sweet Home' and sat down in their restaurant to eat a welcomed fry-up and a pot of tea :) The next day we visited the notorious Killing Fields in the morning and the Tuel Sleng (S:21) prison in the afternoon. Seeing the sights where the most horrific of events had taken place, events which I had been reading about at the time, was both a shock to the system but also overwhelmingly poignant. In a strange way, it confirmed the brutality of the Kymer Rouge regeime for me and made it feel that bit more real..something which I could not have felt just from reading novels or articles. Jack pointed out however, that although we had seen the skulls, bones and teeth of the victims in the fields and the black and white mug shots of the victimsin the prison, connecting the two together was almost incomprehensible. It was tough truly understanding that the bloodied clothes on display had once belonged to the ashen faces of those in the pictures.
The next day we decided to visit the markets and go for dinner along the riverside. We first went to the Central Market which was geared more towards the locals with lots domestic products on offer. We gave the Russian Market a go next which proved to be much more exciting. There were stalls and stalls of clothing, bags, jewellery and delicate ornaments (all of which I would have bought if I could!!) After dinner we went to a newly opened shisha bar and smoked some cherry shisha. The bar was lavishly decorated and was great for a bit of peice and quiet. On our final full day in Phnom Penh we decided to go and experience the Dr Fish foot treatment. The owner of the shop asked us if we wanted to big fish or the littles ones, emphasizing that the big ones would be extra ticklish! Jack being Jack of course opted us in for the big fish! Although they really did tickle, this was a funny experience and I would definitely go back for a 2nd treatment!
The next day we got the bus (6+ hours) back to Siem Reap where we met with Ellie again after she had been teaching in Battamabang. We stayed back at the bed bug guesthouse again as it was the easiest place to meet..but soon discovered more of the little b*****s! As we only had 2 nights there we didn't worry too much and we just made sure we fumigated our backpacks in our next destination, Koh Chang.