Cheoung Ek Genocidal Museum - Pnhom Penh travel log

Should you pass by Pnhom Penh on your way to Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) you must not pass on the chance to visit this museum.The location is an easy 15 to 20 min ride in a tuktuk in an isolated part of the town.

Entrance fee is $2/person.

In the middle of the sprawling land lies a stupa for the dead. We gave a small amount of donation and the person in charge gave us incense to offer to the dead.

I was dragging my feet to see the burial grounds. It was spine tingling and creepy at the same time. We were out of words.

And we were horrified by the fact that there is a certain tree where babies/kids are bashed up against with until they die.

It was truly an experience to treasure. Seeing how these people suffered and died in the hands of their fellow Cambodians makes me and the rest of us lucky.

On towards the fun part now. We went to visit the other museums around Pnhom Penh before heading back to Saigon again.

 Ican't smile anymore coz it's so freaking hot.

One last stopover is the Russian Market to do what else? shopping!!

This market sells cheap souveinir shirts - 5 pcs for $ 5. And the quality is so good that i bought too many. There are many surplus abercrombie, old navy, lacoste, ralph lauren shirts for so much less the price in a retail store. But beware of fakes. The surplus are all original for export but they cut off the tag. Who cares? they're still super cheap.

We also bought tons of north face and kipling bags (10 for me, 10 for erick, and 10 for jojo)

We don't know where or when we will be needing the loot but we just bought anyway. The North Face bags cost us around $ 5 - $ 8 each . Although it's not original but it can pass.

After shopping, we decided to eat heavy lunch before going back to Saigon. We ate inside the market and ordered food fit for a platoon which cost us a mere $10!!

 Khmer food is nothing to rave about. The dishes are simple but tasty. But i so love their waffle with fresh coconut sandwiched inside it. Very yummy and cheap.

These are the faces of happy stuffed people.

Well, our journey in Phnom Penh ends here. This is the bus station where we will board our bus and endure a 6 hour ride going back to Saigon. While waiting for our bus, their office offers us free usage of the internet.

In Saigon, we will fly to Singapore to visit Universal Studios! Can't wait...

Phnom Penh finally!!!

After 6 hours on the road we finally arrived in Phnom Penh City Cambodia. One thing that i've noticed instantly is the luxury cars plying its streets. Compared to Saigon where cars are scarce (except for the taxis) here in PP you will see so many Lexus, BMW and the likes. Considering this is a third world country.

We are intending to stay overnight in PP and soon as we checked into our guesthouse we asked our guide (cum tuktuk driver) to bring us to S-21 Tuol Sleung Museum.

Before anything else, this is the room we got at Koffee Korner  guesthouse Phnom Penh Cambodia. The owner is a Malaysian. He gave the triple sharing room for $ 18/night. Room is quite big and with a balcony overlooking Russian Market. We were satisfied with the room but the toilet is so small but cannot complain with the rate we got.

Now on to Tuol Sleng Museum (Genocide Museum). . . I will not elaborate on how i felt that day but surely my heart is filled with grief and sadness. On the walls of the building there are reminders posted on the wall that smiling and laughing is not allowed to show respect for the victims.No need for reminders.

The tour left us astounded, flabbergasted, dumbfounded, and speechless. The interior of the buildings are somewhat creepy and i can feel the hairs at my nape stand on end. The air was damp and cold inside the cells or was it my imagination? All i can offer is a prayer for the restless souls of the victims .


On a brighter note, we went to Phnom Penh's newly renovated Central Market to see what souveinirs we can bring home.

See the yellow big domed structure? That's the Central Market of Phnom Penh. You may buy anything under the sun in this market. There is a wet section where they sell seafood , pork, beef, vegetables, insects . The dry section sells fake designer bags (lots of them), beauty products such as face creams , hair colorant, soap,shampoo etc. The Cambodians are very keen on beautifying themselves so there is one floor full of beauty products !

I was able to buy face cream for $5 for my mom and she swears by it! Too bad, wasn't able to hoard LOL!

 Jewelries such as gold, silver, titanium etc are plentiful in this market. Just haggle , haggle, haggle.

All kinds of preserved fruits.

After a day of walking and sightseeing the boys wouldn't pass up on sampling the local beer. They actually had to try 2 local beer brand! And we heard that pizza in Phnom Penh is something to die for.
We found out that it is not ( you will not die after eating it. hahahaha)

Angkor Beer from Cambodia.

Beer Lao from Laos.

We ordered the best pizza HAPPY HERB PIZZA RESTAURANT can offer to match the beer. Sorry but i forgot its flavor. Just ask them. This restaurant is located overlooking the Tonle Sap River. Just ask your tuktuk driver to bring you there.





TIP 1: It is best to hire a tuktuk driver for the whole day. It would cost you $ 15 for whole day tour. Just agree on to the rate before you start the tour.

TIP 2: Do not bother to exchange your usd. Almost all establishments will  accept your usd.

TIP 3: Don't forget to haggle .

TIP 4: Wear very comfortable clothes for it can be very hot in this country.

TIP 5: The locals do not understand even the simplest of english language so pls be patient with them.


We will be visiting the museums and the Cheoung EK Genocidal Center tomorrow. Come and follow us.