Last October 25, I courageously flew to Vietnam without any plans of taking a touristy vacation. I just wanted to do some soul-searching by locking away myself in a hotel room and from time to time get lost around the streets of Saigon, but when I arrived in Than Son Nhat Airport at 1 AM of October 26, my confidence was drained by the thought that the taxi driver might rip me off of my money since I don't know the address of the hotel I wanted to stay in (I never booked a hotel). So I approached two women (mother and daughter tandem) and asked whether they'll take a taxi. They said they're travelling together with another lady who used to work in Cambodia and that they intend to go to Pnom Penh (Cambodia's capital). They invited me to go with them. Maybe it's the mother's kind face that prompted me to say, "Yes." I was also encouraged when I remember a colleague who told me that if there's one country that he would like to visit, it would be Cambodia because of its rich history. Also, I wanted a bit of thrill in my adventure so meeting these strangers I knew was something that will give me a taste of it.
Ate Noemi, Ate Luz, and moi
My bus ticket
Sapaco bus liner
It was a six-hour drive from Saigon to Pnom Penh and I spent them all by sleeping and chatting with Ate Noemi.
We stopped at the immigration to have our passports stamped
The immigration office
I don't know what this tower is for
We stopped over for lunch and I had this sumptuous meal
When we arrived in Pnom Penh, Ate Noemi arranged a tuk tuk (their mode of transportation) that will tour us around the city. We're lucky to have a tuk tuk driver who can speak fluent English.
Before saying our goodbyes and thank you's to Ate Noemi
No smiling and laughing allowed here
Clothes of the dead victims of Pol Pot
This school became a torture room
One of the victims and survivors of Khmer Rouge
This was our first stop, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and to be honest it made me depressed
Their King died so we couldn't get near the palace
I forgot the name of this tower
A monk being interviewed
Another unknown landmark
Barbequed fruits
Museum (Ugh, I'm so forgetful)
A souvenir photo outside the museum
This kid selling some souvenirs is so smart
The famous lok lak on top right
Savin Nouch, our tuk tuk driver
Pnom Penh, The Charming City
To be honest, I wasn't charmed by the city because the thought of all the victims of Pol Pot's atrocities made me really sad. In fact, that night in the hotel room, I couldn't sleep at all. I felt that the dead's spirits are still roaming around the museum making the visitors imagine the tortures that they had to go through. I think what made my travel to Pnom Penh memorable is the fact that we have the best tuk tuk driver in town. Please visit this site if you're interested to go to Cambodia in the future: http://besttuktuk.blogspot.com/
Savin has been such a good tourist guide.
Lucky you've met good people in your trip. :)
ReplyDeleteI guess memories of war will really drain you out emotionally. Good thing you didn't cry. I'll probably have my turn when I visit Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
I wonder if people in Hiroshima were genetically affected by the bomb. Agent Orange (a kind of pesticide sprayed by the Americans) in Vietnam caused genetic mutations to the soldiers' children. Photos in Vietnam War Museum showed that these children are well-loved by their parents even with their disabilities which made it more uplifting for viewers. It was in stark contrast with the photos I saw in Cambodia.
ReplyDeleteDo blog about your Hiroshima/Nagasaki trip!