After two weeks of traveling Beijing and Japan I landed in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. I’d heard some not so great reviews of the city before arriving, but I have to admit that I really enjoyed my time here more than I thought I would.

I imagine the largest draw that brings people to Phnom Penh is the eye-opening look into the country’s history. While I had a couple of extra days in the city to relax by the pool at my hostel, the reason I was really there was to tour the Killing Fields, per the recommendation of some friends who had recently visited Cambodia.

Phnom Penh is an interesting city that leads you to feel many different ways within the span of a few minutes. The streets are filled with French colonial architecture and offer a glimpse into the life that must have filled the city decades ago, but then you turn the corner and are confronted with poverty and deteriorating infrastructure , turn the corner again and there are beautiful new buildings being built showing the city’s recent economic growth. Meanwhile, there are cars and scooters zipping down streets, and every step you take someone is offering a tuk tuk ride or a souvenir of some sort. It is a lot to take in at once.

While the city can feel a bit overwhelming at times the people of Cambodia were some of the kindest I’ve met offering smiles and greeting of, “hello” or “good evening”. Lots of restaurants filled the street as well as shops with handmade goods to buy. There is a sense of hopefulness throughout the city that is truly awe-inspiring.

{LEARNING ABOUT CAMBODIA}

In visiting Phnom Penh I knew at some point I’d have a heavier day of learning more about the country’s history. I spent the night before my tours watching the movie Angelina Jolie produced a few years back, Frist They Killed My Father, trying to prepare for the stories I’d hear about the following day. Actually, I spent the previous two nights watching that movie. It got to be too much the first night and I ended up having to take a break in the middle.

I woke up the next morning anxious about how the rest of the day would leave me feeling. We first stopped at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Amongst reading the stories of survivors of the Khmer Rogue regime, and seeing what the living conditions were like for the prisoners, I have to say that upon stepping back what I personally found the most upsetting was the idea that before the building was a prison it was a school. And a beautiful school at that.

The idea that one day children would have been learning and thinking about their successful futures to come and the next thing they knew they were in labor camps or training as child soldiers. It’s chilling. And then turning that school into a torturous prison, punishing their most intelligent and dynamic citizens. It’s a really hard reality to swallow.

After the S21 Museum we took a drive through the countryside on our way to the Killing Fields. I braced myself again as I was handed my audio tour and prepared to enter the grounds. I pushed play on my headset not knowing how much I truly wanted to hear the stories it was about to tell me.

Without going in to too many depressing details, it was a day that opened my eyes and my heart and gave me such a greater perspective of the country I was visiting. It also made me feel such an immense amount of respect for the people of Cambodia. You would be hard pressed to find someone who isn’t still affected by that time in history, yet they are joyful, hopeful, and hardworking. To see how robust the city has grown to become in such a short amount of time is incredible.

On a lighter note the next day was spent visiting the Royal Palace. It was beautiful!  One of the most beautiful palaces I’ve visited, along with the Grand Palace in Bangkok. It was wonderful getting to explore some of the grounds and peek inside some of the grand buildings. And it was nice to end the trip on a happy note.

While visiting Phnom Penh wasn’t particularly easy, it has become one of the places I’m most grateful to have visited. Before my trip I admittedly didn’t know very much about Cambodia, but after learning about their history, it will be impossible to forget. If you ever have a chance to travel to this country, I’d highly recommend a visit to its capital. If Cambodia isn’t in your future, I’d still recommend taking some time to learn more about the country and it’s people.

Following Phnom Penh I was off to Siem Reap, which offered an entirely different view of the country. Stay tuned.

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