Day 55-56 Phnom Penh (Cambodia)

We were prepared for a big day as we crossed from Laos into Cambodia. After a long wait at the Cambodian boarder we crossed the bumpy countryside to Kratie where we enjoyed 1 nights stop over. The next morning at 6.30am we boarded a van with 13 other people for our journey to Phnom Penh. It was absolutely unbelievable how many people they could squeeze onto transport, Mike was pure entertainment for some of the Cambodians who thought it was hallirous how his legs wouldn't fit behind the seats (he ended up having to sit on the bags). Upon arriving in the chaotic and messy Cambodian capital we were spotted by a few "tourist spotters" on motorbikes who followed the van until it stopped. I was a little panicked when 10 men started banging on the windows and yelling at us all before the van stopped...sitting on the bags had its pros as we had a quick escape route out the back doors. I was actually pleasantly surprised once we got out, most of the yelling was directed at the locals in our van and we were generally treated with a "don't scare the white people too much" attitude. The first tuk tuk driver that approached us took us to our guest house for $2, my fists and wrists ached afterwards from hanging on so tight. Our days in Phnom Pehn were mostly educational, Cambodia has a horrific past history something we had very little knowledge of. We visited the S21 prison and learnt about the evil Pol Pot and Khmer Rouge, I'm not going to go into any detail about that. It actually left us wanting to know more and helped us understand why Cambodia is like it is today. The poverty and homelessness was to say the least distressing, but these people are so friendly and gentle. There sense of humour is fantastic and they smile no matter what, they are beautiful. We made sure we spent quite a bit of time at good cause dining restaurants and shops like "Friends". This place takes in older street children, gives them accommodation and trains them in hospitality, the food is amazing and the kids even better. Phnom Penh full of narrow dusty streets, food vendors and markets, tuk tuk drivers approach you on every corner as dirty children drag plastic bags in search of cans along the road, the huge riverfront park is full of people exercising, and practicing martial art as huge pictures of the king and queen hang over them, the smell of fish and noodle soup fills the air as motorbikes whizz past. This city was a culture shock and history lesson it left us wanting to learn more and see more. However a feeling of immense helplessness that has developed and the word "big softie" that the beggars and children see on my forehead is going to cause a few more tears.