A palace, a prison, a pachyderm, and a pub

We got up at about 8:30, but took our time getting out. After rising early and trekking Angkor the past couple of days, and getting up early to bus it to Phnom Penh yesterday, we wanted to take it easy.

Our first destination was the Royal Palace, mainly because it's just across the street. Unfortunately, sleeves are required, which meant Lada would have to change before we could enter. So we decided to come back later. We tuktuked over to what Lonely Planet referred to as a Russian market, passing the Independence Monument along the way.

The market was awesome, full of stalls crammed together, each jam-packed with all kinds of goods. I was most impressed by the used hardware section, where bins full of greasy hinges and gears begged to be organized. I also enjoyed the meat section, as the merchants were proudly displaying their very fresh and very raw cuts. The produce section was also a hit, and Lada and I scored some rambutan.

From there, we headed to Tuol Sleng. Originally Chao Ponhea Yat High School, the structure was converted by the Khmer Rouge to a prison and interrogation center. For the better part of four years, prisoners were tortured and questioned in what were once classrooms. The torture chambers are still on display, with iron bed frames which are presumably the same ones prisoners were chained to for electrocution. These are supplemented by photographs of prisoners lying in the same beds. Tuol Sleng was the largest such center in Democratic Kampuchea.

The Khmer Rouge's programs of forced labor and extermination camps resulted in the deaths of somewhere between 1.4 million to 2.2 million people. Despite widespread reports of genocide, Democratic Kampuchea retained its seat in the United Nations. Some Western nations went so far as to praise its government, which was led by Pol Pot. In the end, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam ousted them from power.

More than a little sick to our stomachs, we milled around outside the museum for a while, searching for our appetites. Finding them, we headed to a nearby restaurant. After a lunch that would have been tasty under different circumstances, we headed to Wat Phnom.

Wat Phnom means "hill temple" and is a pagoda named for Chi Penh. In the fourteenth century, Penh found five statues of the Buddha, and a temple was built to house them. (Incidentally, Phnom Penh itself is named for the same lady.)

The temple itself was pretty, but the park around it was crowded with beggars. We made our way around and stumbled upon a man and his elephant. He let us feed her bananas, which made for a nice photo.

From there we went to "Friends," a cafe staffed by teachers and students. Conversation ranged from the flies mating at our table to the subject of poo.

After that, we headed back to the hostel, changed into appropriate clothes, and tried the Royal Palace again. It was pretty impressive. Dating only from the late 19th century--the Khmer had their capital around Angkor for most of their history--the palace architecture reflects Khmer as well as some European influences, owing to Cambodia's being part of the French Protectorate.

Finishing our tour of the palace, we wanted to relax somewhere and check our email, so we headed across the street from the guest house. For some reason, I wanted very badly to go to Laos. We're right next door to it, after all. Anyway, we headed back to the guest house and chilled in our rooms as a storm rolled in.

For dinner, we headed up along the Tonle Sap looking for a tasty-looking restaurant. We got tired of walking and decided just to take a tuk-tuk. A few minutes' ride later, we found something promising: the Green Vespa Pub. Offering British fare, like pies, fish and chips, and single-malt Scotch, it made for an interesting escape from Cambodian food. It was also pretty pricey by local standards: my ham sandwich and fries ran me about $10.

After dinner, Augie and I got into a pretty lengthy discussion about free market economics and capitalism in general. (More on that in a separate post, though.) We decided to walk back home from the pub, and began moseying back. Every single tuktuk asked us if we wanted a ride, always avoiding addressing Lada.

We ducked into a club for a break in the trip. We got an appetizer and some drinks, and Augie and Lada danced salsa. Man, I wish I'd kept up with it after college.

After a couple of drinks, we continued the walk back home. We got back at 11, but not before stopping at a night market on the way home.