Cambodia - Part 1 Phnom Penh (March 2016)

In March 2016, Ted and I took our first big trip together. We spent 2 weeks traveling around Cambodia and it was amazing!We traveled from the capital of Phnom Penh to Battabang to Siem Reap to the northeast countryside in Banlung. We ate some great food, explored the ruins of many ancient temples, learned about Cambodia's history, and explored waterfalls on the dirt roads of the countryside. 

Here's a map of our 2 week tour: 
Part 1: Phnom Penh
Upon arriving in the city, we experienced a bit of a culture shock with the hustle and bustle of the city life. So different from our quiet home in Sanur!

Since Cambodia was a French colony until 1953, we went searching for some delicious French food! We wondered around the city a bit by foot and then hired a tuk tuk driver. We explored the National Museum, Royal palace, the night market, and some temples around the city. 






















 We watched a beautiful arts performance that showcased various dances throughout Cambodia's history. The performance was by Cambodian Living Arts which is a non-profit organization dedicated to the transformation of Cambodia. They are trying to keep the history and traditions alive. Here's the website if you want to learn more: www.cambodianlivingarts.org

The placement and movement of the feet and hands was absolutely beautiful to watch! 







We also explored the darker side of Cambodia's past by visiting the Genocide Museum and one of the Killing Fields.  It was a somber experience and at times too overwhelming to comprehend, but I'm glad we went. The Genocide Museum was one of the former Khmer prisons that was formerly a high school. To learn that people were being held capture, tortured and killed in a building that used to be a school was horrifying. The Killing Fields where Pol Pot's regime took over a million people to be killed from 1975 to 1979 proved to be even harder to bear as we learned of all the women and children who were killed there. At times it was too much and I had to turn off the audio tour headset and walk away. 




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