Phnom Penh - Days in the Cambodian heat

We had a five-day get away from the big city atmosphere in Hong Kong and spent them in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. The difference between the two countries is pretty big, and the heat that hit us as soon as we arrived in Phnom Penh was definately notable. 

We had booked a nice place near the Mekong river, and the view from our balcony was not bad at all.

S21 and Killing Fields

Cambodia's recent history is not the brightes one, marked by the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975-79. We spent a day at the S21 and Killing Field's, and learning about the things that took place in these two places was tough. The torture, interogations and mass killings by the Khmer Rouge regime was unbelievable. Walking through S21 is something I believe everybody should do, it marks you, and I hope this can be a way for us to never forget it and for it NEVER EVER to happen again!

The graves of the last 12 people who were killed at S21

A school was turned into a torture center, and it was not the only one in the country. They all had numbers instead of names. This one was S21.

In memory of the people who were tortured and killed here

The stupa at the Killing Fields in memory of the people who were killed at these fields

National museum

The museum itself was not that interesting to me, mostly because I am not a big sculpture and sculpture history fan, but the building was amazing with all its details. 

Silk Island

We took a day to go to the Silk Island, it was a small trip to go to the island, an hour or so on the Mekong River:

Arriving at the island we had a small drive to go out to one of the silk farms, and we had the chance to see some of the typical houses. 

The farm itself was not so big, but we had a walk through and they told us how they make the silk and later how to work it. It looked simple, but that is an art in itself, to make it look simple when it is not at all like that. 

Final product

The old man is always happy when on a boat.

The last day in Phnom Penh

The last day we went to see the king's palace. It was the hottest day of them all, and exactly then we also decided to go wander the streets of the city. I couldn't even really enjoy it because of the humid heat.

Thanks for now Cambodia, I would love to come back another time and explore more. Next stop - Back to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong - 1st round

After a very long flight and with a 13 hour time difference from Mexico to Hong Kong, the family is now gathered for a family vacation. First stop: Hong Kong, where my sister is doing at semester at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. I arrived pretty late, so we just found a place to eat and took the first family photo, we all look a bit funny, it was a hazzle to get the picture done.

The next day we spent a couple of hours walking around in the city, getting to know it a little bit. Luckily Berdie is a very good guide, and she showed us around some of the nice places. 

Every time you look up, it looks more or less like this. All the buildings are super high.

Putting out things to dry everywhere

Scaffolding made from bamboo, a common thing to see.

Second day, we climbed Lion's Rock. It was tough, and not making the jetlag any better. But the view from the top was definately worth it. 

Up and up and up

That is a happy sis

That was the view from the top.

Third day, Berdie had some things to do at the university, so we went to see a Thousand Monks Monastry. Again it was up and up and up, but this time we had golden monks on each sides to make the climb a little more interesting. 

The old man next to the monks

The top was worth the climb!

With the ladies

The last day before heading off for Cambodia, we went to see the university. Berdie showed us around on the huge campus, and then she and a friend, Klara, made us dinner. 

A great way to say goodbye to Hong Kong for now, we are coming back in a couple of days.