Capital, truly capital

The last week Justin and I have been capital hopping with our new friends Jaylene (not brown haired, from Calgary) and Travis, (from San Jose, yes we mourned the Sharks loss together.) We left Siem Reap and took a mid morning bus down to Phnom Penh. PP I have decided is my favourite city that we have seen so far. Which is not surprising since it is in my favourite country so far. Well India is still tops but considering we were only in Cambodia a week and a half it made quite an impression. And Phnom Penh is amazing. It is so easy to get around and the city is strikingly beautiful. There is a beautiful promenade along the convergence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers and it is easy to see why it is considered the loveliest of the former French colonial cities in Southeast Asia. Justin and I spent our first evening in Phnom Penh strolling around near the waterfront, and had a cocktail at the famous Foriegn Correspondents Club, which overlooks the bustling street and river front below. And then we planned on having a quiet dinner before heading back to the Okay Guesthouse for a well deserved sleep.

Well that plan got scrapped the minute we found out there was a Saturday night drag show in town. So we convinced Jay and Trav to come with us and hightailed it over there for perhaps the most laughable drag show in all of SE Asia. And that is saying something because they have all been bad. (Good bad that is.) I have always been a true believer that only mediocrity is to be scoffed at. Anything truly, devestatingly bad is usually very entertaining. And this was certainly entertaining. And at certain moments also very confusing. Gender confusing that is. Some of those drag queens are not really drag queens anymore, at least if their skimpy outfits are to be believed. Frankly, I am not sure I can support drag shows which don't feature actual drag queens. Although I suppose the trannies deserve the spotlight too. As a side note I think now would be an advantageous time to give a word of warning to any straight man traveling in Asia - ladyboys are everywhere and they will get you! Anyway the night turned out to be a real blast. And I ended up sleeping at Jay and Travis's place after a whirlwind and confusing depature in which I was purposefully seperated from my travel companion.

The next day after we tracked Justin down, the four of us decided to hire a tuk tuk for the day to take us around to all the sights in town. We ended up hiring the sweetest man, Lin, who unfortunately doesn't have facebook or even an email account otherwise I would highly recommend him to any and all travelers passing through PP. He even let us all take turns driving the tuk tuk. Yes! Amazing I know. (It was totally my idea.) We had a great morning seeing some of the sights around town. And in the afternoon, before having him drop us at the Hotel Cambodiana for a pool session we arranged to have Lin pick us up early the next morning to take us to the killing fields and S21, the former Khmer Rouge prison.

Since we planned to get out to the killing fields by 7am we all turned in early that night. I woke with an ominous feeling, which I suppose is not a surprise given that we had a full day of genocide on the agenda. And in that regard the killing fields and S21 did not disappoint. There isn't really much to say that can convey how devastating the sights and information we garnered was; but suffice it to say I felt nauseous throughout and needed a stiff drink when all was seen and done. It was a heavy day and one that will be with me forever.

We only spent three days in Phnom Penh but even in that small amount of time I felt profoundly moved by the people, and history of both the capital and the country at large. Cambodians are, in my humble opinion, the nicest and most open people in Southeast Asia, and considering everything that happened there under the Khmer Rouge and as a result of the US war in Vietnam it is truly amazing to see their resilience and grace. From the beauty of Angkor Wat and Siem Reap to the palaces and promenade of Phnom Penh my only regret is that we couldn't stay in Cambodia longer. But alas we had a date with Saigon and off we went....

Also, again program note about spelling. I can't check it here so you will just have to suffer through. And don't laugh at me too much because I am sensitive.

O and I almost forgot I totally ate a cricket! Not as bad as you might think kind of like a crunchy, salty chip.