After my trip to the islands, I was making my way back up through Cambodia and the next stop was Phnom Penh, the Capital. I landed in Phnom Penh and spent my first night here but if I’m being completely honest, the only part of it that I was outside of my hotel was to go to the 7/11 across the road where I went to grab some noodles and drink before absolutely crashing out because the jetlag was killing me off when I first arrived. After an hour and a half boat trip, and four hour bus ride (we changed our mind last minute as it was significantly shorter than the train), we had finally got back here and first off, it was time for dinner and by then, I was ready to sleep, but I was ready to begin exploring here the following day.

My visit here now was more meaningful and I had some bits planned to do. After saying goodbye to some of the group I’d travelled up with (always emotional), first up on my list of visits for today was S21 Toul Sleng Prison Museum, which was heartbreaking, but also so worth visiting. You could explore the grounds as well as the prisons itself and see the cells (which were so tiny), and the chains which were still attached to the floor in each one. We also saw some of hte instruments of torture which were used, as well as some of the skulls of victims to the regime. Their were pictures of the victims everywhere on display, including children, and as much as it was really sad to be there, I’m so glad I went to be able to learn more about the quite recent history of Cambodia. A really poignant moment was being able to speak to two of the men who were held as prisoners at S21 and are able to tell their story now.

From here, we got a TukTuk to Choeung Ek Genocide Centre, which is just outside of Phnom Penh city centre. Again, heartbreaking to see but well worth the visit whilst here. This was slightly more peaceful as it’s been transformed into a garden and nature conservation area,

We then found a shopping mall to cool down (it was sooo hot today and we had literally spent the whole day outside by this point), we grabbed an iced tea and headed back to the main centre. We got back to the hostel and met up with a few other travellers which was great (one of my fave parts about travelling is meeting new people) and we finished up the night meeting up with another traveller at Phnom Penh Night Market, we had a wander round and explore and let me tell you it was insane, and apparently the night markets in Thailand are even better so I’m well excited to get the chance to explore those too. We grabbed some dinner and headed back to the hostel, but not before we got hit by a torrential rain storm though, so by the time we got back, we were soaked from head to toe and I was absolutely ready for my bed at this point.

Following day we headed to the Cambodian Royal Palace, which was stunning. The architecture was mesmorising and I really did just stand there for a hot minute like wowww. It was so many bright and beautiful colours and really did take us back. We then walked along the Mekong riverfront until we found a place to grab a coffee and work out a plan for the rest of our day.

We then did a trip to Silk Island which was super cool. It was a really insane experience from start to finish, we flagged down a TukTuk driver as it was quite far away and tricky to navigate, and he began the journey. There are some little islands in the middle of the Mekong River in Phnom Penh which are only crossable by boat, so the TukTuk literally drove onto this boat, we did a trip which was around 5mins max and then continued onto the island. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the most wonderful Khmer man who took us on a tour around the Silk Community so we could learn how it is made, from start to finish. He taught us about the silk worms and how they cocoon and turn into butterflies and mate to reproduce, and we got to see the silk worms, the cocoons and the silk being processed and spun, and even got to try spinning ourselves! We saw some lovely owmen who were also weaving silk scarves which were honestly in the most beautiful patterns. The process is incredibly long but so fascinating to see, and get the chance to try some of it out for ourselves.

After exploring Silk Island we headed back to the mainland and grabbed some dinner at a really nice restaurant (definitely not backpacker vibes!) but met a lovely older group who were travelling so we had a conversation with them for a while before jumping back in our TukTuk (our driver was insane) and headed to watch some Muay Thai / Kun-Khmer Boxing. It was being broadcast on TV so it was a really cool experience to be a part of. We got to the TV studios and paid for our tickets, which were only $1, and got taken to our seats which we thought would be somewhere in out int the middle of nowehere given the price, but they were ringside! What the hell! We managed to watch five fights are part of some kind of championships which are happening at the minute and it was increedible.

This was the most insane experience and when we got there we also bumped into some other travellers we’d met the night before at the night market, so we enjoyed the experience with them and then we all headed back to our hostel for a drag show that was on there and that’s where the night got messy! There was karaoke and all sorts and of course, in typical ‘me’ fashion, I got up on the table multiple times to dance and sing the night away with all of these incredible individuals that were also travelling in the hostel, completely forgetting the fact that I hadn’t picked my washing up, hadn’t packed my bag, and had an eight hour travel day the following day!

I managed to squeeze so much into just two days in Phnom Penh but we’re nearing the end of my time in Cambodia now, as my visa is expiring soon! Now I’m off to my last stop in this country, Siem Reap, which I am really excited about! I’ve got a six hour bus journey ahead of me to get here. See you there, Mads x