Phnom Penh

Two days ago I visited the main sites in Phnom Penh. I started with the Genocide museum, as it was just opposite my guesthouse (see picture of my nice and comfy room there). The buildings were under the regime of the Khmer Rouge a secret prison and torture centre where thousands of people got tortured and then after having been brought outside town (to the so called "killing fields") were killed. Before it had been a school which they transformed into small and larger cells (see picture) and "interrogation rooms". A very interesting photo exhibition showed the faces and stories of victims and of those working there for the Khmer Rouge. It was particularly interesting how those working there justified it. But compared to most others, they had at least the courage to have their photograph made and say a few words on the matter. A lot of the photos were scratched with comments in Khmer (see picture), particularly of those saying that they did not regret anything and actually there were several of them. As in other countries, which had overcome a terror regime, the "big bosses" seemed to have got away whereas the smaller figures, at least some of them , ended up in jail.

It was quite a heavy experience, but necessary in order to better understand what had happened in this country.

In the afternoon, I visited the National Museum where a lot of the main statues and reliefs of the temples of Angkor had been brought to. Beautiful with a very nice inner garden (see picture)! The French had however chopped off some of the heads of the statues and still display them in the Musee Guimet in Paris.. I also visited the Royal Palace (seepicture), which has a temple with a floor made of several thousands of silver tiles weighing 1 kg each ! On top of it a life-sized Buddha statue made of gold (90 kg) with more than 1300 diamonds on it !!! I wonder why I am official in the European Commission and not King of Cambodia !! ;-) Actually, as I was told, the current king is gay and not yet married. Perhaps I should give it a try ?? ;-) On this topic I read in the Lonely Planet that, quite surprisingly, already around 30 years ago, the former king of Camobodia introduced equal rights for gay people, including same sex marriages !! Whereas in Europe, America and the rest of the world, at that time, we were still in the dark Middle Ages on that issue..

In the evening, I went out !! A very nice local bar, with only few tourists, and then I joined several locals when they proposed to go to a club: "the Heart of Darkness" - what a name !! ;-) The place was packed with young Cambodians and some expats and tourists. The atmosphere was great and the music good (much better than in most places in Brussels actually ...). The only thing I strongly disliked was the behaviour of some of the Western man there behaving as what they were: sex tourists just after the local women. Quite disgusting to see that, but at least no minors were involved.. Sex tourism is a growing problem in Cambodia whereas Laos is dealing with this quite well it seems. Nevertheless, only a very little minority of the people were there for this and I had lots of fun dancing and talking... I think I only went to bed at 4 in the morning. ;-)