Cambodia
Phnom Penh - Crystal Blue Boutique Hotel, Riverside Hotel, Hai Liang Ming Zhu Hotel- 14/2 > 27/02

This beautiful capital is known for its diverse architecture, from the ancient and French colonial times to its more recent violent history. Before the war in the seventies against the Khmer Rouge, Phnom Penh was called the ‘Paris of the East’ and the ’Pearl of Asia’. Very interesting!

- I visited the Tuol Sleng S-21 Genocide Museum, the secret center of nearly 200 execution camps in Cambodia used by the Khmer Rouge in the 1960s and 70s to detain and torture their enemies. Up to 20,000 people were imprisoned at this camp, with only 12 confirmed survivors. Altogether it’s estimated they killed up to 3 million people, which was 25% of Cambodia’s population at the time. I walked around this museum and saw some pretty horrific sites, such as torture cells, methods and weapons, living conditions including famine, and the faces of too many prisoners.
Read more here - How two men survived a prison where 12,000 were killed - BBC News
- As an advocate of “How it’s made”, hearing about silk farms grabbed my attention. Silk comes from the commercially bred caterpillar of the domesticated silk moth. The caterpillar spins a silk cocoon that is then processed to produce silk fibre. Check the images below!
- The large structure near the bottom of this page is the ‘Preah Thineang Chan Chhaya’, also known as the Royal Palace. This structure stood beautifully at the end of a grass park, such a spectacular sight with the sun setting behind it. Did I bring my camera? oh yes!

- The first night here my phone was pickpocketed right in front of my eyes, thankfully I noticed, confronted the person, and got my phone back!
- A week later an ATM gave me a fake 100-dollar banknote. I didn’t realize until later so, unfortunately, couldn’t report it, nightmare!

- I drank many coffees whilst trying to plan ahead on what to do after Siem Reap and Ko Rong here in Cambodia. The plan was to visit Vietnam, but having recently travelled to similar countries; Laos and Cambodia, I feel Vietnam will be too alike. I can always come back at a later stage.
- As the travel bug wears off; the thought to change things up again is becoming desirable. I’m talking about Tokyo, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan.. I shall finish this coffee and have a think.