Not even one generation ago, Pol Pot & the Khmer Rouge rose to power. In the years of 1975-1979 about 2 million people lost their lives – about 20% of the country’s population. It was one of the worst human tragedies of the last century. Pol Pot showed no mercy and went against his own people; doctors, teachers, intellectuals and city dwellers. The people who lived in cities and towns – some 3 million – were driven out to work in the countryside (it only took 3 days for Phnom Penh to become a ghost town). They were labelled “depositees,” and were given very short rations with the intention of starving them to death.

When Vietnamese forces invaded Cambodia, Pol Pot fled to the Thai border, where he would hide out. He was arrested in 1997 and died during house arrest in 1998 – it was not a painful death for him…

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum was a former high school, which was used as the Security Prison 21 (S-21). Out of the 17.000 people who died there, only 7 survived. 14 others had been tortured to death as the Vietnamese were closing in on the city. Their graves have been placed inside the courtyard.

A visit to Tuol Sleng is a depressing experience. It’s clearly nothing for the faint-hearted, because there’s something about the sheer ordinariness of the place that make it even more horrific; the setting right in the city, the simple school buildings, the grassy & flowery area in the courtyard, ousted beds, instruments of torture and most of all, wall after wall of B & W portraits of men, woman and children conjure an image of humanity at its worst.

Admission:
$2.00 per person
Open everyday from 8.00am – 5.00pm

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The Killing Fields.

The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek are located about 15 kilometers outside of Phnom Penh. It was a place where more than 17.000 civilians were killed and buried in mass graves. Many of them were transported here after detention and torture at the S21 prison. In the center of the area lies a 17-story glass stupa which houses 8.000 skulls, bones and cloth exhumed from the mass graves. Again, this place is nothing for the faint hearted, since you’ll be walking on paths with visible cloths & bones, as well as disturbing photographs.

Admission:
$5.00 per person (including a headset) + $15.00 per tuk tuk
Open everyday from 8.00am – 5.00pm

Stupa in the center of the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Human skulls at the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Mass grave at the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Mass grave at the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

This is the kind of history you don’t learn about in school (at least I didn’t). WWI & WWII, as well as the Vietnam War are on the agenda in almost every textbook, but the history of little Cambodia is left out most of the times. Yet it’s not even slightly less relevant!

The reason why I find Cambodia’s history so heartbreaking is because its people are one of the friendliest you’ll ever come across and imagining that someone would want to erase them, leaves me speechless.

“Let history not repeat itself.“ A statement most people would sign immediately. Still, it’s a wish one can send to Santa Clause, because reality looks a lot different…

There are people who were really unlucky, who unwittingly stepped on a hidden danger – a landmine. Even nowadays not all areas in Cambodia and Laos are cleared of landmines. It’s a long and dangerous process and it will take another 10 to 20 years to declare Cambodia UXO (unexploded ordnance) free.

The sad truth is, that even today about 250 people step on such a device each year. Very often the victims are children who play in the fields, while not realizing that hidden dangers lure beneath them. In many cases, one dies right on the spot because the next hospital is far away and often there’s a lack of proper infrastructure to treat such traumas. If your survives such incident, the scars stay forever; a lost leg is the most common injury. In most cases, these people are no longer capable of taking on a job or continue the work they had. Therefore, you’ll see many people with bad disabilities begging in the streets, in front of market entrances, hotels or restaurants.

We’ve come across many landmine victims during our travels through Cambodia. The country and its people have faced many unbearable situations, which gives us the chills when thinking about it … There’s one story that still sticks as if we heard it yesterday: During our first visit back in 2006, we drove up to Angkor Wat with a local taxi driver. He showed us the area and knew a lot about the countries history. He told us about the time when the Khmer Rouge rose to power and the genocide of approx. 2 million Cambodians took its course. His entire family was slaughtered during the Pol Pot regime as well … What’s the appropriate way to react if someone tells you a horror story like that? He said it in a way as if he had made peace with history. After all, what else could he do? Still, the scars on the outside might heal but it will take more than one lifetime to forget …

Human skulls at the Killing Fields just outside of the capital city, Phnom Penh..

The landmines in Cambodia were placed by different factions clashed during the Civil War in Cambodia in the 1970s. They were placed in the whole territory of the country. Cambodia has some 40.000 amputees, which is one of the highest rates in the world.

Founded in 1997 by ex-child soldier Aki Ra, the Landmine Museum in Siam Reap tells the story of his rise from a 10 year old fighter in the Khmer Rouge to his present place as an internationally recognized hero.

Even today there are still about 200 landmine victims every year. Very often the victims are children who are playing in the fields while not being aware of the hidden danger that lures anywhere in this otherwise beautiful country.

The Museum tells the story of landmines in Cambodia and the country’s continuing efforts to rid itself of the aftermath of over 35 years of warfare. Here you can see landmines up close, find out how they work and how you can help Cambodia and the rest of the world in the on-going efforts of clearing these weapons from the face of the earth.

If you’ve ever been to Phnom Penh you most likely visited the Central Market Phsar Thom They. It’s a famous art Deco landmark in the center of the city built by a French architect around 1935. A few years ago now, the market underwent a major renovation and now gleams with new shine.

Opposite the market is a rather … lets just say unimpressive high rise building (for Phnom Penh standards) which houses some quite un-stylish shops. If you take the escalator to the top floor, you’ll find a Chinese restaurant with a huge terrace. There you have a fantastic view over the city. Especially if you have a zoom lens, you can take great pictures from the life down in the streets. Whether it’s spying on people on their balconies and rooftops or watching the vendors at the market stalls … So take the time for an unique and rare overview of this city.

We got another nice view down to Phnom Phen’s hustle and bustle at the “Good Luck Hotel” on Monivong Boulevard. We just arrived back from out motorbike trip through Cambodia and returned the bikes at the nearby rental shop “Lucky Motors”. When checking in, we didn’t expect anything special – we were totally exhausted and ready to crash in our room but then the sign “Rooftop Pool” in the escalator made us curious …

The pool was really great; really cold water, which was totally refreshing and the view was stunning from up there. We spent hours watching the traffic go by, which included several nearly misses on that busy traffic corner. So if you ever come to Phnom Penh, the “Good Luck Hotel” is a great budget choice (25 -30 US $ per night) with spacious rooms and a nice pool.

Phnom Penh’s iconic Central market building in the front; Phnom Penh’s highest skyscraper – Vattanac Capital Tower – in the back.

Phnom Penh might not have a flashy skyline, but this doesn’t make the view any less impressive.

The Central Market in Phnom Penh is definitely a must see for every visitor! It’s one of our favourite wet markets in Southeast Asia.

A fully loaded motorbike with bananas on the way to the Central Market in Phnom Penh.

Apart from the highest skyscraper, Phnom Penh’s skyline hasn’t really changed that much since 2009.

The price for a car (especially if it’s a 4×4 truck, with which you can go off road) can often be very costly and not affordable for a single traveller. To go by bicycle is a great way to see a country but you need time to go around. So these were the thoughts when I decided to drive around Cambodia by motorbike…

Getting A Motorbike.

As you may already know, I am female and 56 years of age. The guys at “Lucky Motors” on Monivong Boulevard in Pnomh Penh looked a bit surprised when my sister Andrea (54) and I came in to check out their bikes ;) The decision, which bike to get, was easy: We rented 2 Honda 125 ccm. They’re easy to handle & the locals use the same type of bikes, so in case of a breakdown they’re going to be easy to repair or to get spare parts in any village.

The Maier Sisters in Phnom Penh.

The price was around 10 US $ per day. You have to pay in advance and leave your passport with the rental agency. So bring some copies if somebody wants it (banks, hotel, etc.). Nobody checked anything from us, nobody stopped us and nobody wanted any bribes…so that part was pretty relaxing for us.

Getting Out Of The City.

My worries where with something else…The drive out of the city of Phnom Penh made me quite nervous the night before we set out. Well, all of my “fears” evaporated instantly when the first meters with the bike were against the one-way system in front of the rental shop (suggested by the rental company). Anyway, off we went, still a bit cautious until we got over the bridge out of the city. There’s so much traffic, but you adjust easily.

Day in day out, thousands of motorbikes, cars, trucks and walkers cross the bridge out of Phnom Penh.

This bridge is the “lifeline” of Phnom Penh, therefore it has to be expanded.

An old woman on her way from the local market in Phnom Penh.

It seems like there are as many motorbikes in Phnom Penh as people who live there.

What To Bring.

One really important thing is to bring (and then wear) is a helmet. Both of us brought one from home (and all of my friends signed it for good luck which was nice) but you can buy cheap helmets in Phnom Penh as well. You should also use gloves so your hands don’t get sticky. Bring long straps for the luggage, and if you intend to go off-road, a big strong plastic bag is a must – this will keep the dust off. Be prepared to be covered in dust at the end of the day!

Now that’s what I call “off-road”.

Sleeping.

For the worst case scenarios bring a hammock; we had to use our hammocks quite a few times, when no guest-house was around. Sometimes set up our hammocks in peoples gardens, who allowed us to sleep there. We even camped in monasteries, where the monks permitted us to spend the night; and well, one time we slept right in the bush. Sleeping outside can be very cold, so have a blanket ready. Overall it was an interesting and positive experience.

One of our sleeping locations during our motorbiking trip through Cambodia.

Further North.

We drove all the way along the Mekong river up north and then turned to the road to Banlung. They told us that the road’s going to be new in some months (or years); until now it’s still the old red soil road which is very (very!) dusty. During the wet season every thing’s going to be covered in mud, don’t know what’s better…Expect to make not more than 100 km distance per day, biking is tiring when driving on potholed dusty roads.

Seeing something gets pretty hard on these dusty roads up North in Cambodia.

And back south again on the “Death Highway”.

After a few days in Banlung, making daytrips north to the Laos border region and exploring the area towards Vietnam, we set out south to the track that is called “death highway”. It’s mainly a small road, that winds its way south to Sen Monorem with very few people along the way. Occasionally there’s somebody whom you could ask for direction, but they always only point south. So, for this section bring enough water, food supplies and petrol!

Andrea on her way down the “death highway” in the North of Cambodia.

During the dry season it’s a very sandy track with lots of deep rifts, so some fitness helps a lot. It’s doable though, even without using these off-road 250 or 400 ccm machines. The locals drive with the little Hondas as well, so you should be fine. During the rainy season things look a bit different; this road can turn into a nightmare and only very athletic, experienced bikers should ride this section. You will have to shift through lot of mud and traversing the full creeks will need raft building skills above average.

Resume.

All in all, we drove about 1400 km in 14 days. We didn’t want to rough it up, so we never drove faster than 65km/h and waited every 10km if one of us was a bit behind. We also had the bike serviced twice (oil change and washing). We always filled up the tank when it was half empty, just in case. Petrol for motorbikes is widely available in Cambodia. I can really tell you, going along the small roads in Cambodia is lot of fun; up the Mekong river you get to see villages that are rarely visited by tourists…So, did we enjoy the trip? Hell yeah! Next stop will either be Laos or Sumatra…also by bike of course ;)

Motorbiking through Cambodia was fun & one hell of an adventure!

If you have any more questions about the route, the equipment, places to stay or anything else, send us your questions; we’d be happy to help you with your plans.