Phnom Penh

Did I spell that right?

Took the bus to Phnom Penh the very next morning. It was an ok ride, about 6 hours through countryside. Lots and lots of wooden houses on stilts, water buffaloes in the field, coconut trees, mud. I really loved it - can't explain why! (I shouldn't be telling you this, but I kept thinking about landmines - we didn't see any, of course - and half expecting some water buffalo in the distance to suddenly go "boompf" and go flying into the air. Nope, didn't happen.)

In Phnom Penh my uncle met up with some missionaries. We stayed at the guest room of a school the missionaries run. They were super nice and took us around town. We visited a Korean church - service in Khmer (oops, that was in Siem Reap not PP), Central Market - ate some bugs, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum - super depressing and scary. Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is housed in the actual S-21 prison used by the Khmer Rouge. The actual building. The actual cells. The actual wooden beams where they strung people up. It was pretty wrenching, as you can imagine.

Cambodians <3 hammocks

Markets in Cambodia are these amazing, filthy, colourful places. There are the "tourist sections" with the clothes and trinkets, and the "locals section" where they sell meat and vegetables. Swarms and swarms of flies surround the food... they must have stomachs of steel, these Cambodians.


Mmm..

Bug degustation menu:
1. Cricket - crunchy, with a hint of bug aroma. Light and delish.
2. Silkworm larva - al dente on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. Totally gross.
3. Ginormous spider - surprisingly sweet! Perhaps coated with... something sweet.

Actually I only ate a spider leg cos I was pathetic and all bugged-out by then. I gave the woman at the stall US$1 for the bugs I sampled and she proceeded to doggy bag more bugs for me! I was like: noooo!