A Day in Phnom Penh

We spent a day exploring Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, on Monday, January 26. We were able to see inside the Throne Room, plus wander around many buildings with Khmer roofs and decorative guildings. Other areas had pyramid-shaped elaborate tombs for members of the royal family. Along the walls of the palace compound were many murals or paintings, showing stories from Buddhist mythology.

Our next stop was Wat Ounalom, the headquarters of Buddhism in Cambodia. Is is also famous for containing a shrine, among its many buildings, that contains an eyebrow-hair of Buddha. Alan and I ventured to this stupa, where we were welcomed by an elderly gentleman took us inside. He gave us incense sticks to light and place before the altar. He also blessed us (I think) by splashing water into our right hand which we were then directed to wipe on our faces. This may have all been a hilarious joke, who knows.

In the afternoon, we went to the Tuol Sleng Museum, formerly Security Prison 21 (S-21) under Pol Pot's security forces (1975-1979). According to our Lonely Planet guide, it was the largest centre of detention and torture in all of Cambodia. At the height of its activity, some 100 victims were killed every day. Upon arrival, we watched a documentary film of conversations between former prisoners and former guards, telling about treatment of prisoners, levels of torture, taking prisoners to the Killing Fields. While the discourse was incredibly civil, the former captive, understandably, put many questions to the guards to the point of "What made you think this was okay?".  

The Khmer Rouge kept thorough documentation of the prisoners, and documented their "confession" as well. Many walls of the museum were covered with photographs of the people who suffered in this place.