We were a little concerned when a little minibus came to pick us up from our hotel and really hoped this was just the shuttle to take us to a bigger bus! Sadly, it wasn't and we were about to spend the next 5 hours on a tiny, cramped minibus packed full of people and luggage! Although the bus was pretty new, in very nice condition and only seated 12 people it really wasn't as glamorous as we'd expected. It would be ok if you just had 12 people on it but not 12 people with lots of luggage. This was called the VIP bus and we quickly decided that, rather than standing for Very Important People, it probably actually meant Very Impatient People as the driver went at a speed that would challenge the land speed record and had absolutely no interest in the needs or rights of the other road users, just beeping his horn and ploughing straight through the traffic! It's always a bit of a concern when the usually laid back locals start putting on their seat belts, so we made sure we were buckled up! I expect people would pay good money for a ride like this at theme parks as it very much felt like that was what it was zooming past everyone and then slamming on the brakes. Despite these worries, we did, of course, make it to the capital city safely and made our way to our hotel to check in.
 
We had booked 4 nights in a hotel quite a way out of the action for 2 main reasons: it had the best reviews for our budget and we figured it would be quieter than being near all the clubs and restaurants . Our first impressions, however, were not great and we were soon debating whether we had made the right decision! The room we were given was pretty small and smelt quite stale but breaking point came when Matt went to have a shower and discovered there was no hot water! Now, we aren't adverse to a cold shower (we soon got used to it on Gili T!) but we were paying for a hot shower so we weren't impressed! The hotel staff were lovely and quickly moved us to another room which did have hot water but explained that, as the new room was a triple, we would need to move again in the morning when a double room became available! So in 4 nights, we tried out 3 different rooms!!! Our final room wasn't without it's issues though, as the power cut out two nights running for about 15 minutes! We were able to see the funny side but it was a little annoying as both times, I had just got out of the shower and was suddenly thrust into darkness!!
 
As we didn't have long here, we had spent the bus journey from Battambang researching what there was to see and do and coming up with an itinerary so we could fit as much in as possible . So, in our 3 days we visited:
 
A Shooting range: After visiting the one in Honolulu, Matt was very keen to have another go at shooting some guns so we popped along to a shooting range near the airport. It was immediately evident that this wasn't quite as professional or safety conscious as the Hawaiian one as the guns were all laid out on the floor and wall as you walked in and no personal details or questions were asked! It was nowhere near as cheap as we had heard so Matt only chose 2 guns to try: AK-47 and K-57. Matt had been excited as at these ones you can fire rocket launchers and throw grenades but they wanted $400 so that was out of the question. After paying, we were led into a long, narrow room with a random table and chair at one end and the remains of some coconuts at the other! The coconuts didn't seem so bizarre when the man in charge asked Matt how many he would like to buy as his target! He settled on 5 for each gun so the man quickly set them up and gave us both ear protectors. He then told Matt to sit at the table as that was where he would fire the AK-47 from . It felt very odd seeing him sat there at a table with a gun in his hand; the two just don't really go together! Once he had finished firing that one, he moved to the floor where the K-57 was set up. This was more as I'd imagined and, as it's an automatic, there were soon pieces of coconut flying everywhere with some even catching fire! It was all over very quickly and although Matt said he enjoyed it, he hadn't thought it was as good as the Hawaiian one as the gun selection wasn't as good without spending a fortune and the instructor wasn't very informative! Although the big gun was a bit expensive, just those 2 guns cost the same as the whole package he had in Hawaii so I think we may have been ripped off!
 
The S-21 Prison: In 1975 the Khmer Rouge came into power and within days the whole of Phnom Penh had been turned into a ghost town as he ordered everyone to go and work in the fields. The Tuol Svay Prey High School was then taken over by Pol Pot's security forces and turned into a prison known as Security Prison 21 (S-21) . This quickly became the largest centre of detention and torture in the country as his loyal troops arrested anyone who was considered a threat to his regime. Most of these people were completely innocent and were usually just people with good jobs like lawyers, doctors or anyone with money. Lots of the prisoners here either died from the savage beatings and torture methods or from hunger and disease. Those that did somehow survive were then taken to the killing fields. Some of the worst torture techniques included electrocution, the whip, drowning in boxes of water or hanging by their feet from the gallows so they could be beaten unconscious then dipped in stinking stagnant water to bring them round just to be beaten again. Nowadays, it has been turned into the Tuol Sleng Museum and displays copies of the meticulous records kept by the Khmer Rouge leaders, including the photographs taken of each prisoner on arrival with their number board and many horrific images of prisoners after their torture and as they died, as well as the instruments of torture used on them . When the Vietnamese army liberated Phnom Penh in early 1979, there were only seven prisoners still alive in the prison. Fourteen others had been tortured to death as the Vietnamese forces were closing in on the city. Photographs of their gruesome deaths are on display in the rooms where their decomposing corpses were found. Their graves are now nearby in the courtyard where, in happier times, children would have played.
 
The Killing fields: Between 1975 and 1978 about 17,000 men, women, children and infants who had been detained and tortured at S-21 were transported to the extermination camp of Choeung Ek. After being blindfolded and bound then crammed into transport trucks they were mostly bludgeoned to death with a variety of weapons to avoid wasting precious bullets as they cost so much. This meant most of them had their head or neck smashed with sticks, axes or metal rods or they would cut their throats with the jagged leaves of the nearby palm trees. They were then thrown into mass graves and had chemicals poured on to cover the smell so even the ones that had survived the beating would now die from the chemicals . The remains of 8985 people, many of whom were still bound and blindfolded, were exhumed in 1980 from some of the mass graves in this one-time longan orchard. One of the pits contained 166 headless corpses believed to be former members of the Khmer Rouge who may of been killed for treachery or not following orders, while another contained the bodies of over 500 women and children. All of the women's bodies were found naked and most of them were believed to have been raped before they were killed. Next to this mass grave, is a large tree which was used to kill the babies and children by swinging them by their ankles and smashing their heads against the tree. It was just unbelievable as we were surrounded by the sunken holes in the ground which were the old mass graves. In many places it is still possible to see fragments of human bone and bits of cloth as you walk around the area as the rain still continues to bring them to the surface. Although they have dug up nearly 9000 bodies there are still many mass graves that they have left alone so it was an eerie feeling to know many unidentifiable bodies were laying close to where we were walking . The Memorial Stupa, which was erected in 1988, houses more than 8,000 skulls, arranged by sex and age so they could put the remains to rest and let people pay their respects. This may seem like an incredibly blunt account of what we learned but there's no way to sugar coat what happened here, it's simply horrific! It may have been easier to hear if this had all happened hundreds of years ago but the fact that mankind was capable of these atrocities against fellow innocent men and women just a mere 40 years ago is unthinkable! Many of the people we have met during our time in Cambodia were alive during this time, witnessed it all first hand, lost loved ones and have to live with the after effects. That thought truly breaks my heart. Still to this day, some of the leaders, guards and soldiers who inflicted all the punishment are locked in court trials as they face charges for crimes against humanity and genocide even though they are elderly people now. 
 
The Central market & Russian market: These are 2 huge shopping areas which you can literally get lost in! Every alleyway in these mazes reveals a new type of treasure: clothes, toiletries, shoes, handbags, tools, stationery, food, artwork, handicrafts, jewellery, electrical appliances ... The list is endless! It really is lovely to just walk up and down the aisles and see what random items are available. Most of the items sold are copies and therefore lack quality but the sales people certainly make up for that in personality! We are suckers for places like this and left with our arms overflowing with paintings, tiger balm, magnets, postcards and a hat! Part of the fun is negotiating a price, although it always seems to end in the seller's favour but we were very happy with our purchases and still at a fraction of the price you'd pay in markets back home!
 
Wat Phnom: According to the legend, the first pagoda on this site was erected in 1373 to house four statues of Buddha deposited here by the waters of the Mekong River and discovered by Madame Penh. Today, many people visit to pray for good luck and success in exams or business affairs, so the main temple is full of offerings (mostly garlands of flowers and bunches of bananas!) which people have delivered when their prayers have been answered . The main entrance is rather impressive, although we entered from the wrong side so didn't see it until we were already at the top, as it is made up of a grand staircase guarded by lions and naga (the snake with 9 heads) as balustrades.
 
Wat Ounalom: We had spotted this impressive looking building as we walked along the riverside on our first night but didn't know what it was. After doing our research, we learned that it is, in fact, the headquarters of Cambodian Buddhism. Having been founded in 1443, it now comprises of 44 different structures within the compound walls. It took quite a battering during the Pol Pot era but has now returned to its former glory and now the head of the country's Buddhist brotherhood lives here, along with a number of monks. We enjoyed having a look around the compound and inside the main building which contains statues of some of the former patriarchs of Buddhism.
 
The Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda: Maybe it's because we have visited so many beautiful buildings during our travels or maybe it's because we were feeling hot and bothered when we arrived but we were pretty disappointed by the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda! It didn't start off well as we were told we had to pay $6 .50 each to enter, then watched as a Cambodian lady handed over $1 and received 4 tickets! As usual they have a different rate for tourists! Then, of course, I had to cover up: the signs said this had to be past your knees and past your elbows, so I had come prepared wearing trousers and with a cardigan so I was boiling hot. I was quite annoyed then to see people walking about in short skirts or shorts and wearing vest tops?!?! I kept my cardigan on out of respect so hopefully at least Buddha noticed and appreciated the gesture?! Being the official residence of King Sihamoni, parts of the massive compound are closed to the public and the parts that are open, like the stunning throne room and banquet hall, can only be viewed from the doorway and photography is prohibited! The Silver Pagoda is sold very well in the Lonely Planet guide but let me tell you it's the biggest con of all. For a start, it isn't actually silver, in fact it's named that in honour of the 5000 or so silver tiles that cover the floor (sounds alright I hear you say!) - well they tell you there's that many but it turns out they have covered nearly the entire floor in rugs 'to protect them!' Huh??? That's like us having a brilliant new laminate flooring at home then putting the old carpet back on top of it to 'protect it' . Well they certainly don't tell you this before you pay to come in. You can see (but not photograph) about 40 of them at the entrance as they've cordoned that area off and left those uncovered but they are held together by Sellotape and not looking very silver at all so it's not particularly impressive! For what it was worth, they may as well have thrown a load of silver cutlery sets on the floor in a big pile for us to take pictures. Sorry for the rant but it just seemed like the whole trip was a bit stupid and pointless. The only thing in its defence, is that the whole area is a very beautifully decorated and is well looked after so it was nice just seeing the gardens and the building but we didn't stay too long as it was extremely hot and we were both very tired. 
 
The Riverside: We spent a lot of time walking along the riverside and tried out many of the bars and restaurants. 3pm was a particularly exciting time as that was when happy hour started, meaning you could get a draft beer for 50 cents and cocktails from $2 . It was lovely to sit and watch the world go by. This is, of course, one of the busiest streets in the city and one afternoon we sat and counted 110 motorbikes (including tuk tuks) go past us in just one minute! This works out at over 13,000 in the 2 hours we sat there drinking. Crazy! As it's so busy, it's also the ideal place for people to try and get you to part with some cash and it was impossible to sit there for more than 5 minutes before children starting coming up selling bracelets, books and T-shirts, or mothers with naked babies in their arms and disabled people came asking for money or food! It really made it very difficult to enjoy your drink or meal as you felt so guilty as people are so poor here. We did meet a few lovely kids though, our favourite little saleswoman was, without doubt, a 10 year old girl named Pon. She may have only been 10 but she had all the chat as she was very pushy and incredibly rude but absolutely hilarious and totally adorable! She basically forced us into buying things from her in between informing us she is going to be a lawyer when she's older! Her English was excellent and she loved playing games with us as she beat Matt at scissor-paper-stones and posed for a photo! Apparently she gets to go home if she makes $10 a night, even though its probably a complete lie we gave her $5 for a T-shirt, 5 bracelets and some nail clippers?! She was a right little madam but that just made her more endearing and will certainly stand in her favour should she manage to fulfil her dreams of going to law school! Or at least just sticking with school at all. 
 
When the time came to leave Phnom Penh, we certainly felt ready to move on. Throughout this trip, we have always said we aren't fans of big cities and this one has the added pitfall of being the poorest we've visited so it comes with an air of sadness and desperation mixed with the crazy hustle and bustle. I'm very glad we came and experienced it though as we saw places which will leave a permanent impression and met people who, despite everything they have endured and the disgusting situations they live in, still remain positive and friendly. Both of which serve to remind me just how lucky I am to live the life I do and make me appreciate the opportunities I have available to me.