Post Shutdown Getaway to Cambodia

It was not so long to wait for this trip from the the date we purchased the tickets. Zaira was so giddy for a holiday when my life was so messed up with the shutdown work load. Nevertheless,for my best travelmate's sake, I navigated for the airline website and found ones to Siem Reap. And I thought "why not?"

We arrived at Siem Reap, a quite quiet airport , considering an international airport, but I could feel the soothing holiday awaited us for the next few days on land of Cambodia.
Here we go!

We were brought straight to the apartment where we stayed to drop the luggage and proceed with our first tour.

Siem Reap is well known with its historical temples that scattered around the city. So we were brought to the temples to get the feeling and familiarization of the Siem Reap attractions.

The next attraction we went was to Beng Mealea, whereby our in-situ tour guide brought us touring the temple area like nobody's business.I can't believe that the tour around the temple made us sweating whole body! It was truly physical challenge, indeed.

Towards the end of the day, we went to an isolated lake village, Tonle Sap. It was a serene trip but the immersing ourselves into the life of the local, it was very pitiful.

Due to poverty, the local who are mostly poor fishermen live on stilt house. We saw it when they use the same source of water to wash, cook and even ...errr.. to poo.!

And next day in Siem Reap, we went to Angkor Thom and Angkor Watt.

Mission accomplished.!

I lost count of how many temples that we visited by the time we were brought to Angkor Wat. Some says we went to second Umrah. Keji kan? hahha

We were done with Siem Reap, and ready to leave to Pnom Penh. So we visited muslim restaurant for the final time, have our lunch packed and we ready to take off. The restaurant is situated in a muslim village whereby we can easily find the the only mosque in the city.

                                                                

 

Initially our plan was to hop on a bus to Pnom Penh, but when the tour guide offered us a handsome rate to bring us all around Siem Reap and Pnom Penh, we considered ourselves as lucky!

We had light, free and easy round the Pnom Penh city. It was obvious that the kids were everywhere little less than homeless kids. When we interrogated them over Tutti Frutti, they told us they went to school,but the school ends at 11am and they went to the city to sell the bangle to the tourists.

We did some shopping before leaving to our last destination in Pnom Penh at Russian Market.

Our last destinations were to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum where the torture by Khmer Rouge took place.

Honestly, I could feel the chill through my bone as I walked and read the history on the wall. 

The last place was to Choeung Ek, the killing field to the victims after they were being tortured at the Tuol Sleng Museum.

Each visitor was given audio aid with few selection of languages. This way made us can wander at each check point of the killing field freely while listening to the story telling via the headphone. It was very helpful and effective way immersing ourselves into the history of Khmer Rouge cruelty at its best.

We took the tour for about one hour and half, and as we reached the last check point, I found myself like I experienced the nightmare by myself.