Losing the will for long travel days we've spent the past two weeks with a slower pace through southern Laos, Cambodia and Thailand and much of that time on islands and beaches.
Our first stop was Don Det river island in Southern Laos on the Mekong
Kratie, Cambodia
Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital city
After reading some Cambodian history to prepare ourselves we visited the Tuol Sleng Museum- a former high school that was turned into a security prison and torture facility during the mid to late 70s under the Khmer Rouge communist regime. After a chaotic WWII and bombings during the Vietnam war, the Khmer Rouge era claimed approx 2 million lives. 20,000 people were held at Tuol Sleng prior to being executed...
... needless to say the Cambodian people have dealt with a tremendous amount of war, violence and loss in relatively recent history. The museum is a difficult place to visit as it holds back very little, if any, of the details of what went on here. We are amazed at the strength of the Cambodian people and are thankful for their kindness to us during our visit.
Moving out of the city we stopped for two nights on the coast in Sihanoukville and then moved to more remote beaches Koh Thmei island
After short stays in Chi Phat village and Koh Kong on our way to the Thai border, we're now on Koh Chang island in southeast Thailand... We plan to enjoy the island for a week before heading back to Bangkok.
Our first stop was Don Det river island in Southern Laos on the Mekong
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| Mmm noodle soup... delicious and cheap |
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| 17 is not the most people we've packed into a mini-van on this trip (in Tanzania we had a matatu ride with 23 other lucky people) but with baggage it was pretty tight crossing into Cambodia. |
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| endangered Irrawaddy river dolphins in the Mekong River |
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| The geckos here are really cool looking and huge at about a foot long. |
Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital city
After reading some Cambodian history to prepare ourselves we visited the Tuol Sleng Museum- a former high school that was turned into a security prison and torture facility during the mid to late 70s under the Khmer Rouge communist regime. After a chaotic WWII and bombings during the Vietnam war, the Khmer Rouge era claimed approx 2 million lives. 20,000 people were held at Tuol Sleng prior to being executed...
... needless to say the Cambodian people have dealt with a tremendous amount of war, violence and loss in relatively recent history. The museum is a difficult place to visit as it holds back very little, if any, of the details of what went on here. We are amazed at the strength of the Cambodian people and are thankful for their kindness to us during our visit.
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| Royal Palace |
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| National Museum |
After short stays in Chi Phat village and Koh Kong on our way to the Thai border, we're now on Koh Chang island in southeast Thailand... We plan to enjoy the island for a week before heading back to Bangkok.
Cambodia and its people are definitely amazing. I don't think I'll ever forget the feelings I felt walking through Tuol Sleng.
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