The Artist Guesthouse right near the National Museum was a great central choice. The museum was particularly interesting after having visited Angkor as a lot of its contents are from the temples.
After a happy hour drink at the Foreign Correspondence Club (FCC), a colonial landmark, and a French-influenced scrumptious dinner at Friends, (one of a few training centres for disadvantaged youth) we were drawn by the sound of jazz eminating from a beautiful but decrepit colonial mansion:
Top: jazz! Bottom: for the love of learning – keen students of archetecture and urbanism at the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA) .
We did two tours. One self guided of archetectural highlights and commonlights of the city.
Clockwise from top left: privately owned villa; cinema from the’60s (only one still operating); former American Embassy; beautiful central market; and, four-story 60’s apartment buildings with another floor or two added ad hoc by owners!
A second tour was organized by Khmer Architecture (KA) Tours which walked a small group of us around to view mid century buildings some built by a renowned Cambodian architect Vann Molyvann.
Contrast: The Throne Room of the Royal Palace; and, the White Block.
The White Block was originally built to house athletes for the 1963 Southeast Asian summer games. The games were moved due to civil unrest. Note:the White Block is white no more.
While we decided to take a pass on a visit to the infamous killing fields outside of the city, we did go to the Toul Sleng Genocide museum, an interrogation centre, better known as S21. From 1975 to 1979 twenty thousand mainly professionals, students and monks and past officials suffered indescribably here at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Only 6 who entered this former high school’s doors lived to tell their story. Now in his early 80s Chum Mey is one of the last. Over 1.7 million Cambodians were killed by the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979, about 25% of the country’s population at the time.
S21 (Toul Sleng Genocide Museum) and Chum Mey, promoting his book, Survivor.
Two books we purchased for island reading (see post to follow) in addition to Mr. Mey’s were First They Killed My Father a first hand account by Loung Ung; and Cambodia’s Curse by Joel Brinkley….both excellent reads to begin to get a sense of this lovely country’s horrendous recent history and continued challenges, of particular note: widespread corruption, and lack of women’s rights.
On a happier note:
A final French-influenced, scrumptious dinner at trendy Metro in Phnom Penh.
Kerry Travels 