moving'. We decided to travel via bus down to Phnom Penh. Luckily the roads were mostly paved and the ride only took six hours. Not too bad. Luckily we were smart enought to call ahead and book a guesthouse in PP and they in turn offered to pick us up at the bus station. This was very good for us since we arrived to a screaming mob of tuk tuk drivers fighting for our business and being held off by security men. A fast scramble for our bags and we eventually found our new driver, Rotha, screaming our name from the back of the crowd. We hurried into the tuk tuk and were off to Okay Guesthouse. (Okay turned out to be 'okay'. Fine rooms but a gigantic
television in the common area with non-stop english language movies really zapped the ambiance. Also, largest spiders we've EVER seen.)Once at Okay we made some travel arrangements and checked in with fam. Everything was good so we headed out to the highly recommended Foreign Correspondents Club. Worth every penny. The FCC sits along the Tong Le Sap River and has a beautiful open balcony with plush chairs and good food. It was 'the spot' for foreign correspondents to hang out while in Cambodia covering the war. We had a great time and were shocked to discover that our driver, Rotha, actually FOUND us there (we used another driver to get there - big no no). We headed back to Okay and found a quiet corner away from American Pie 2 to hang 
out before sitting back to watch the heavy rain and then called it a day.
out before sitting back to watch the heavy rain and then called it a day. The next day, we met Rotha bright and early to get started on our sight seeing around Phnom Penh. As many of you know, Cambodia suffered through an atrocious genocide during the rule of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge during the late seventies. There are many sights around town documenting the history of what went on here. We first took a drive out of town to the Killing Fields where you can see mass graves dug by KR soldiers as well as other sobbering relics. Next we went to the Teul Sleng Museum.
This was once a high school before the KR turned it into a prison used for torturing suspects. The building has been minorly altered since it was discovered after the KR left and is an intense reminder of the severity of the KR's destruction. Both museums were important to see but made for a very intense day.
This was once a high school before the KR turned it into a prison used for torturing suspects. The building has been minorly altered since it was discovered after the KR left and is an intense reminder of the severity of the KR's destruction. Both museums were important to see but made for a very intense day. We spent a lot of the rest of the day hanging out with our driver, Rotha. He spoke great English and was a great guy. Rotha is 35 and was able to share a lot of local insight into life in Cambodia during the KR. Though we've been 
unable to confirm its accuracy, the stat shared between travelers we've encountered is that 40% of Cambodia's population is under 15 years old, thus, making Rotha's stories all the more important. We had an excellent trip with him and are planning to stay in touch!
unable to confirm its accuracy, the stat shared between travelers we've encountered is that 40% of Cambodia's population is under 15 years old, thus, making Rotha's stories all the more important. We had an excellent trip with him and are planning to stay in touch! We didn't plan to spend much time in Pnom Phen and since we had seen much of what we wanted to we decided to make arrangements to travel on to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the next day. On such a late notice the early bus to HCMC was full so we were forced to take a mid-day bus. This was 
unfortunate since it would mean we would lose a full day traveling and we would arrive at night which Jaci hates. Later that night at the guesthouse, however, we were lucky enough to find an Irish couple who were in the same situation so we all agreed to stick together. (Enter Aislin and Oisin who would be our travel buddies for the next week or so.) We spent the rest of the evening at the guesthouse getting to know our new travel buddies and eventually made for the room to pack our bags.
unfortunate since it would mean we would lose a full day traveling and we would arrive at night which Jaci hates. Later that night at the guesthouse, however, we were lucky enough to find an Irish couple who were in the same situation so we all agreed to stick together. (Enter Aislin and Oisin who would be our travel buddies for the next week or so.) We spent the rest of the evening at the guesthouse getting to know our new travel buddies and eventually made for the room to pack our bags. Cambodia was such a wonderful experience. We met incredible people, had great food, saw historic masterpieces and made new friends. Not too bad.
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