Phnom Penh

We have another issue with the tap water in south Asia.  Last night I had a very small cut on my finger (like one drop of blood) and I didn't think anything of it. Then I wake up this morning and it's swollen and pink. The only thing I can think of that would have caused an infection is the tap water from washing my hands.  Luckily, I have a Rx of amoxicillin with me (a doctor thought I shouldn't be in a foreign country without antibiotics) so Steve thinks I should go ahead and take them. After a day of medicine, my finger looks normal again.  Sigh of relief! 

Our driver and guide pick us up at our hotel for a day of sightseeing around Phnom Penh. The driver has the radio display on, but no volume, but I can see the artists - I notice both Taylor Swift and Rihanna are playing on the channel. Looks like it's the same music everywhere!

One of the buildings on the Imperial Palace grounds.

In a light rain, we start off at the Imperial Palace.  Our guide shares some of the country's history and information on the kings.  Cambodia has a close relationship with China and Korea - the royal family has palaces in both countries.  We can see it reflected a bit with the other tourists - there are lots of Chinese here.  Which is a little weird, because we didn't notice any in Vietnam, yet Vietnam is also one of the few communist countries, so I would think they have a close relationship, too??  But maybe not.

I can't take a picture of the expensive buddhas,
but I can take a picture of the ornate door!

We also see some valuable Buddhas while we're here (one made of gold and diamonds, another of jade), but we can't take pictures.  We do discover that the different hand positions give the Buddhas different values - some are for protection, or gaining money, etc.

Having fun at one of the other door/gates.

The previous five kings are cremated and kept in giant carved stone monuments on the palace land. 

Nice gravestone.  It's about 20 ft high.

Close up of some of the monument carvings.  Would it be
wrong to use it as a quilting inspiration?

Naga handrail

For some reason I fall in love with all the naga statues.  I don't know why - I don't particularly like snakes.  But I think they look very impressive and regal.  The legend has it that the naga protected Buddha while he was meditating during a heavy rainfall and flood.  The naga used his cobra heads to cover him from the rain and his long tail to lift him over the water.  Sounds like a useful friend to have!


There are decorative gardens at the palace.  I like the palm tree fan.

A fan this size would keep you cool on a hot day!

We're excited to see a banyan tree in bloom!  Must take selfie with it!

Yay!  The rain stopped, too.

Steve, protected by the naga.

Our next stop is Wat Phnom, a pagoda founded by the "grandmother" queen in the 14th century.  Similar to the temples and shrines of Japan, it seems to be a place people will stop in for a few minutes on their way to work or lunch.

Lotus blossoms for purchase as offerings.

Offerings left at a statue

Buddha at Wat Phnom - I can take a picture of this one!

Most people are praying, leaving offerings, or lighting incense (or some combination of all three).  The building is full of Buddhas and statues.  In a way it reminds me of the saints at a Catholic church.  But then there's this guy, sitting in front of the Buddha and reading the newspaper.

If he's reading a religious article, does that make it okay?

Wat Phnom is at the top of a large hill, and there are also other buildings and pagodas located here.  I like the fun statues that are displayed on the grounds.  Around the bottom of the hill the area has been made into a park.  Only foreigners have to pay to see the pagoda ($1/person) - it's free for Cambodians.

Lion?  Dragon?  Either way,
where can I get one?

Pretty park views

The monk doesn't really look impressed with the offering.

After visiting the pagoda, we finally get to be up close and personal with some monks!  Not really, but our tour company does arrange for us to make a donation to a monastery and we are able to ask questions.  The monks are not supposed to touch women, but they are allowed to accept offerings from them (in other countries, they're not even allowed to do that).  Just to keep things safe, I tell Steve I'll hold the camera and he can do the offering.  We receive a blessing in return.

Lunchtime...obviously the dog is not fed from the table.

Unlike with Catholic monks, the men do not normally serve for life.  Generally every male becomes a monk at some point, usually in their teenage years, but most serve a year or less.  They have to follow the five precepts for monastic asceticism: prohibiting eating after noon, participating in any entertainment (singing, dancing, and watching movies or television), using any personal adornments, sleeping on a luxurious bed, and handling money. In addition, a monk also is expected to be celibate. Furthermore, monks supposedly avoid all involvement in political affairs.  All food, etc is donated to them, which people do in order to gain merit.  However, I do see monks sitting with cellphones!  

serving lunch

It's interesting to see women are involved with the monastery, preparing and serving the food (I saw men serving, too).  There are also numerous dogs and cats running around.  Maybe they get the leftovers?

We go off to have our own lunch at one of the restaurants in town.  We decide we really like Cambodian food! The spices are a blend of Thai and Vietnamese, which makes sense since Cambodia is between the two countries.  For protein they eat mainly pork and chicken, but it's similar to Bali (and the US) - it's lean.  Japan likes a lot of fat in their meat, and I end up cutting off most of what I'm served. Vietnam also uses all parts of the animal like in Japan - so you might want to ask (or maybe not!) what part of the animal you're eating.  Cambodia seems to have the "usual" animal parts - like chicken breast and thigh - to eat.

Genocide Museum

After lunch we make stops at what are probably the most well known (but not in a good way) parts of the capital.  First is The Genocide Museum, at what had previously been a security prison and interrogation center during the Khmer Rouge regime in 1975-1979 (and had been a high school before that).  Estimates are 17,000-20,000 people were held and later killed from this location. Only seven people are known to have survived from the prison, generally because they had skills that the captors found useful (repairing machinery, an artist, etc).  There are graphic photos and displays of the torture that occurred.  

After the Cambodian Civil War, the Khmer Rouge regime, led by Pol Pot, arrested and eventually executed almost everyone suspected of connections with the former government or with foreign governments, as well as professionals and intellectuals.  It's calculated that the Khmer Rouge killed about 25% of the Cambodian population, their own people, during the four years they were in power. 

Killing Field

Eventually, they ran out of places to bury the people near the prison, so they drove them about ten miles to the "Killing Field."  Normally the prisoners were told they were getting ready to be released, so they would be calm during travel.  To save on ammunition, they were often killed by poison, spades, or sharpened sticks.  Babies and children were also killed along with their parents, the rationale being they could not grow up to take revenge for the deaths in their families.  At times the prisoners were required to dig their own graves, and since they were already weak, they weren't very deep.  

A picture Steve took of the ground at the Killing Fields.
  Teeth are scattered on the surface of the ground.

Though the bodies have been taken from the site, there are still teeth, bones, and clothing regularly making their way to the surface, even forty years later.  As we walk around, several times we see teeth or bones on the ground.  These are treated with respect, and an officer of the memorial will collect them for burial.

A commemorative stupa at the site displays the skulls of the victims. It's several stories high, and documents (if known) male or female, age and how the person was killed.

Each row is about 100 sq feet, and it goes up several stories.

Visiting both sites is difficult, but I feel it's necessary to be a witness.  There's more I could say but I don't feel like this is the appropriate venue for it.