Phnom Pehn, Monks and Football
Natalie: We sadly departed Siem Reap yesterday on a tour bus that took 5 1/2 hours to get us here. The bus arrived and boy did the people swarm, at one stage another passenger told them all to calm down, this was followed by the whole crowd laughing and saying yes yes, you calm down. Funnier if you were actually there but deserved a mention as we had about 20 people around us that have no idea of personal space screaming that we should go to there guest houses, they have tuk tuk, they have clean rooms! We finally chose lakeside as it was recommended by another tourist that for some strange reason was hanging around the bus touting with them...dodgy...perhaps, but all the same the place is fine and the view over the lake is sublime.
lauren: The afternoon in Phnom Pehn was spent at the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. As with alot of the places we've been, there were a number of monks around - seriously the friendliest and most beautiful you will come across. Always, up for a chat 'with the ladies' we were lucky enough to have a young Monk show us through the palace. They seem as curious about us as we are of them and it only takes a smile before they are practising their english with us. The other toursist get kinda jealous but I tell you, we are Monk Magnets! Awesome.
Being the cultural buff I am, I suggested we find a bar showing the State of Origin! i Know...very sad. Nat found a Walkabout listed and for anyone who has experienced a Walkabout overseas knows this is usually a good humoured aussie pub. This one though was kinda different! Slimy fat old Aussie men learing over their young Cambodian girlfriends were the only people other than us. Ewwww! As I said, different...but we got to watch the game with the best team winning on the day. Of course.
Natalie: Well I have to say that QLD won fair and square even if I don't like it! I am also not happy JAN that Germany were knocked out of the world cup....There goes me winning the work sweeps.
Today started out with us heading to S-21 which was formerly a high school that was turned into a prison interrogation camp under Pol Pot's regime of terror. We hired a guide who gave us a lot of information about the atrocities that took place in this sombre run down old school. Some 20000 people were interrogated here and then taken to the killing fields (which we also went to) to be executed and dumped into mass graves. I know this is not the sort of thing you may like to here about but I think it is important to highlight that Pol Pot also known as Brother number one committed one of the largest genocides in our lifetime, under him approximately 2 - 3 million Khmer people (as the Cambodians call themselves) were killed for no reason at all. You cannot imagine the images they actually show you in this place. Having said all of this the people here are amazing with the way they have dealt with the hardship and adversity, they always have a smile for you and are genuinely wanting to know about you. They are also hard workers and want to work which has been something that has struck us along the way.
Lauren; Well, Natalie has touched on some of the hardships experienced by the wonderful people of this country though there is so much more. We have really fallen for a country home to people that have a spirit and sense of fun that I havent seen before. They look forward to a peaceful and prosperous future and we are sad to say goodbye. As with post place I visit, I wish I had more time but we are leaving in the morning for a pretty exciting journey into the Mekong Delta (parts that we will see via boat have not been open to foreigners for quite some time, though I promise its very safe!) Asias greatest river system will be a treat and will travel by bus and boat until we reach Vietnams largest city, Saigon. We will of course be updating again from there. Bye for now. xxx Lauren & Natalie.
lauren: The afternoon in Phnom Pehn was spent at the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. As with alot of the places we've been, there were a number of monks around - seriously the friendliest and most beautiful you will come across. Always, up for a chat 'with the ladies' we were lucky enough to have a young Monk show us through the palace. They seem as curious about us as we are of them and it only takes a smile before they are practising their english with us. The other toursist get kinda jealous but I tell you, we are Monk Magnets! Awesome.
Being the cultural buff I am, I suggested we find a bar showing the State of Origin! i Know...very sad. Nat found a Walkabout listed and for anyone who has experienced a Walkabout overseas knows this is usually a good humoured aussie pub. This one though was kinda different! Slimy fat old Aussie men learing over their young Cambodian girlfriends were the only people other than us. Ewwww! As I said, different...but we got to watch the game with the best team winning on the day. Of course.
Natalie: Well I have to say that QLD won fair and square even if I don't like it! I am also not happy JAN that Germany were knocked out of the world cup....There goes me winning the work sweeps.
Today started out with us heading to S-21 which was formerly a high school that was turned into a prison interrogation camp under Pol Pot's regime of terror. We hired a guide who gave us a lot of information about the atrocities that took place in this sombre run down old school. Some 20000 people were interrogated here and then taken to the killing fields (which we also went to) to be executed and dumped into mass graves. I know this is not the sort of thing you may like to here about but I think it is important to highlight that Pol Pot also known as Brother number one committed one of the largest genocides in our lifetime, under him approximately 2 - 3 million Khmer people (as the Cambodians call themselves) were killed for no reason at all. You cannot imagine the images they actually show you in this place. Having said all of this the people here are amazing with the way they have dealt with the hardship and adversity, they always have a smile for you and are genuinely wanting to know about you. They are also hard workers and want to work which has been something that has struck us along the way.
Lauren; Well, Natalie has touched on some of the hardships experienced by the wonderful people of this country though there is so much more. We have really fallen for a country home to people that have a spirit and sense of fun that I havent seen before. They look forward to a peaceful and prosperous future and we are sad to say goodbye. As with post place I visit, I wish I had more time but we are leaving in the morning for a pretty exciting journey into the Mekong Delta (parts that we will see via boat have not been open to foreigners for quite some time, though I promise its very safe!) Asias greatest river system will be a treat and will travel by bus and boat until we reach Vietnams largest city, Saigon. We will of course be updating again from there. Bye for now. xxx Lauren & Natalie.
posted by Natalie Mack at 7:11 pm
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