Our brief stay in Phnom Penh was all about visiting the S-21 prison and the Killing Fields, in order to learn about Cambodia's very recent & tragic past at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Words really aren't enough to describe how horrified and sad we felt when we visited these places - the human bones, still half-buried clothing and blood-stains made it all very real.
Perhaps one of the most moving things we saw were the endless mugshots of the S-21 'inmates', the last photos taken of so many innocent men, women & children. To see all of this, we felt, was an essential part of understanding Cambodia today, as the effects of the Pol Pot regime are still very tangible; there's barely anyone who hasn't got a sad story to tell about their family's experiences.
However, we don't want to paint a picture of a depressing city or nation of people as this certainly isn't the case. Despite its recent traumas, Phnom Penh (and Cambodia) is full of seemingly happy, and very smiley, people just getting on with their lives and this was great to see first hand.
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