Our healthy and hearty breakfast consist of jam with butter and bread of 3 kinds namely multi-grain, soft roll and a small baguette. For drinks, there's a cup of passionfruit juice (so exotic!) and a choice of coffee and tea. To share, the hotel gave us a plate of fruits - watermelon, pineapple, bananas and pomelo.
I think i never ate a breakfast so 'healthy' before because usually when im on a trip, my breakfast is usually bacon, sausages and scrambled eggs. This is quite a 'bland' one but nonetheless after a few mornings of eating this fare, wj and I quite enjoyed it!
0830: Choeung Ek Killing Fields
we hired a driver from the hotel for this trip as the Killing fields is on the outskirts of the city.
Choeung Ek Memorial (The Killing Fields)
(15 km southwest of Phnom Penh - Take Monireth 8.5 km past the bridge at Street 271) From April 17, 1975 until January 7, 1979, the ultra-Communist Khmer Rouge (i.e. Red Khmer) regime, led by Pol Pot, controlled the whole of Cambodia. Under the Khmer Rouge regime the country was known as ‘Democratic Kampuchea.’ During the short reign of the Khmer Rouge, between one million and two and a half million Cambodians perished, some killed outright, others dying from disease, malnutrition, neglect and mistreatment. Many of the dead ended up in various ‘killing fields’ that can be found scattered across the country. The killing fields were essentially ad hoc places of execution and dumping grounds for dead bodies. The memorial at Choeung Ek just outside Phnom Penh was an orchard and a Chinese cemetery prior to 1975. During the Khmer Rouge regime it became one of the killing fields - this particular killing field is the site of the brutal executions of more than 17,000 men, women and children, most of whom first suffered through interrogation, torture and deprivation in the S-21 Prison (Toul Sleng) in Phnom Penh. Choeung Ek is now a group of mass graves and a memorial stupa containing thousands of skulls. It’s about a 20-40 minute drive from the center of Phnom Penh. There are guides available at the site, and a small souvenir shop. For sake of historical context, combine your trip to Choeung Ek with a visit to Toul Sleng Genocide Museum.
Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21)
(Corner of Street 113 & Street 350 - $2.00 - Open everyday, including holidays, 8AM-5PM - Closed for lunch)
Prior to 1975, Toul Sleng was a high school. When the Khmer Rouge came to power it was converted into the S-21 prison and interrogation facility. Inmates were systematically tortured, sometimes over a period of months, to extract confessions, after which they were executed at the killing fields of Choeung Ek. S-21 processed over 17,000 people, seven of whom survived. The building now serves as a museum, a memorial and a testament to the madness of the Khmer Rouge regime. Much has been left in the state it was when the Khmer Rouge abandoned it in January 1979. The prison kept extensive records, leaving thousands of photos of their victims, many of which are on display. Paintings of torture at the prison by Vann Nath, a survivor of Toul Sleng, are also on display. The museum’s famous and controversial ‘skull map’ is no longer on display.
me: took about 45mins to cover 3 floors of 3 blocks, there’s the Killing fields screening time at 10am and 3pm daily. The paintings on the walls were too gruesome for viewing. It was quite painful for me actually. The worst part came when we were at Building B where they exhibited rows and rows of black and white photographs of the victims. It was just staring at your face. I didnt walked into the rooms but walked along the corridor. It was too 'real' for me.
JAVA CAFE AND GALLERY
Address: 56 E1 Sihanouk Boulevard (Near to Independence Monument) Opening: 7am – 7pm Tuesday to sunday The veranda at Java is a delightful place to sip a cool drink or enjoy a coffee in one of Phnom Penh's more refined establishments. The cafe is particularly busy at lunch when staff from the nearby offices of international organizations such as UNESCO stream in to enjoy tasty European-style light meals and sandwiches. Nice selections of salads, sandwiches made to order on homemade bread, fajitas, lots of veggie dishes and all-day breakfasts including omelettes, pancakes, French toast, muesli and more. Coffee is available in a number of international flavors including a regional Laos Highland/Mocha blend. Changing art and photo exhibitions by local artists add a creative touch to the otherwise simple coffee and cream color scheme of this renovated 1930s villa. Indoor gallery seating and airy balcony seating overlooking the green park and the Independence Monument. WiFi Hotspot. Try: The passion fruit smoothie (US$2.75) has to be one of Phnom Penh’s best non-alcoholic beverages.
ME: vegetarian sandwich $3.75 + cafe latte $2.50
WJ: Sun-dried tomato Roast Chicken $4.75 + tonic water $1.50
this place is really hidden! think they already have a stream of regular customers which explains why they needn't any signboards to their 'secret' entrance. But it's really a sanctury when u see it cos it's so green , shady and cool. And the weather out there is so scorching hot! It just feels so welcoming!
me...doodling and jotting down our experiences while waiting for our food to arrive.
above: wj's roast chicken sandwich. And the salt and pepper bottles were soooo tiny!
that's my sandwich and coffee! YUM!
the bar counter....arched walls. nice.
me checking out the Phnom Penh local guide....behind me is a series of self protrait paintings.
*chomp chomp* and ahren is looking at me eating!
more paintings featured that month on the walls of Java Cafe. They change the paintings periodically.
this is the building behind the cafe where there's a hidden seamstress shop...so we went up the spiral stairs to check it out!
as the Independence Monument is pretty close to Java Cafe, so that makes it the next stop to visit! And along the way, we saw some pretty colourful kites stuck on a motorbike for sale.
Independence Monument
(At the intersection of Norodom and Sihanouk)
The Independence Monument (Vimean Ekareach) was inaugurated in November 9, 1962 to celebrate Cambodia’s independence from foreign rule. Renowned Cambodian architect, Vann Molyvann was the architect of the monument. The Independence Monument now also serves as a monument to Cambodia’s war dead. It is the site of colorful celebrations and services on holidays such as Independence Day and Constitution Day.
after taking a few pictures of the Independence Monument, we took a tuktuk across the road to Central Market!
Central Market (Psah Thmei)
This unique, art-deco building is a Phnom Penh landmark. Prior to 1935 the area was a swamp/lake that received the runoff during the rainy season. The lake was drained and the market constructed in 1935-37. Wet season flooding in the area around the market of the market is a vestige of the old lake. The entrance to the market is lined with souvenir merchants hawking everything from T-shirts and postcards to silver curios and kramas. Inside is a dazzling display of jewels and gold. Electronic goods, stationery, secondhand clothes and flowers are also in ample supply. (Phsar Thmei means ‘New Market’, but ‘Central Market’ has caught on in English.)
it was so hot that i had to wear wj's fishing hat to keep the rays away!
Inside the Dome of the Central Market; an innovative, monumental art-deco structure in the centreof Phnom Penh. Ventilation is a key-factor here where the four arms(which forms the 'X' shape) stand on columns without walls. Some restoration works are being done at the moment but it's still functioning as a market on a whole and opened to public.
it's pretty hot in here and everyone is just fanning herself.
me, weaving through the market crowd.
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