S21 Phnom Penh.

 I thought I should give a plug to the Lone Star Saloon & Guesthouse.  A great place to put your head down whilst in Phnom Penh.  That's my tuk tuk from yesterday.  The first thing on today's schedule was to go out to the infamous S21 and see the place that was just like so many other concentration camps around the world.  It's very hard at times not to put my opinion forward about the Khmer Rouge, Rwanda, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan as this bog is probably not the place.

During my 1 hour walk around the previous high school grounds, I got a feeling of sadness for those innocent people who had their lives taken because of their beliefs, class, cultural identity, family links and occupation just to name but a few.

 The above photo is what you see when you enter S21.  The rules were in place at many camps in the country and strictly adhered to at all times. 

 The above photo tells the story of how the school was turned into a torture camp.  I should state that the CIA and American Govt' knew exactly what was going on in Phnom Penh during this time as they had operatives working in the country.

 The above photo discusses the history of the S21.

 I know some people might be thinking, why take photos of people who didn't come home from S21.  I took the photo because these people deserve recognition in this small way for the terrible abuse they suffered. There are many many photos of the above scattered around S21 showing those who never made it out of the school grounds.  

 The bed in the above photo was used in the torture process.  Prisoners were tied down by metal bars and chains and treated in ways you could not imagine.  Unless you belonged to the Khmer Rouge.

 During my walk of S21 I came across one of the guys who survived S21.  He was surrounded by so many people and getting a photograph with him was impossible.  Now this guy is inspirational.

After S21 I then went to the central market to do some shopping.  Now I'm a good shopper and love looking at markets, but this place had nothing that really caught my eye.  I certainly didn't need a t-shirt or pants, and I didn't need a hat saying, 'I love Cambodia'.  I could imagine sitting with my mates at the table of morons in Wollongong wearing that.  I would be excommunicated from the table for ever.

So,  I didn't buy anything and it was now time to head to my next destination, the National Museum of Cambodia.  The National Museum took about 1 hour to go through.  One is not permitted to take photographs within the museum. You'll have to take it from me that there were many figurines of Shiva, Buddha and everyone else from the 7th Century AD to 20 Century AD. It was interesting and certainly worth the 5 dollar entry fee. If you need to know more about it you can go to: http://cambodiamuseum.info/museum_history.html

My tour continued next door to the mighty 'Grand Palace' or 'Royal Palace'.  Now this is a huge centre piece in the capital.  It's enormous with so many temples and Wats you'll spend at least 2 hours seeing everything.

And for a bit of history about the Palace.
The Royal Palace (Khmer: ព្រះបរមរាជាវាំងនៃរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា, Preah Barum Reachea Veang Nei Preah Reacheanachak Kampuchea), in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is a complex of buildings which serves as the royal residence of the king of Cambodia. Its full name in the Khmer language is Preah Barum Reachea Veang Chaktomuk Serei Mongkol (Khmer: ព្រះបរមរាជវាំងចតុមុខសិរីមង្គល). The Kings of Cambodia have occupied it since it was built in 1860's, with a period of absence when the country came into turmoil during and after the reign of the Khmer Rouge.
The palace was constructed after King Norodom relocated the royal capital from Oudong to Phnom Penh in the mid-19th century. It was gradually built atop an old citadel called Banteay Kev. It faces towards the East and is situated at the Western bank of the cross division of the Tonle Sap River and the Mekong River called Chaktomuk (an allusion to Brahma).

It was getting late in the afternoon and time was against me. I'd seen everything I wanted to see and more, thanks to Mr Pov.  I've had a hectic 2 days visiting all the major attractions of the capital.  In the process I met some very special people.  Tomorrow I need to be up nice and early for breakfast, that's 7am, and be ready for my pickup at 7.50 for the bus back to Siem Reap.  I'm sure Len has been missing me.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.