Skeletons of the past….

Hello every one. I will start by giving you a brief summary of yesterday before I get to todays events. We started the day as normal, early buffet breakfast at the hotel. Then we boarded a bus and set out for the Cambodian Border en route to our destination of Phnom Penh. It was a great drive with various different country sides and the occasional rest stops. The Vietnam\Cambodia immigration office leaves something to be desired but you just have to be patient until your visa is processed etc. We also had to scan out fingerprints and take a body temperature check before entry in to Cambodia. Interesting policies to say the least. We all made it thru with minimal hassle and with a new passport stamp to add to the collection!
The Cambodian countryside is vastly different from Vietnam. It is very flat and scattered with tiny villages. Unfortunately there is a problem with garbage strewn across the highway ditches and pretty much every where else.
We arrived in Phnom Penh approx 3:30 and checked in to our hotel. We then relaxed for a bit and then enjoyed a cyclo tour of the city and a group dinner. Great ending to the day.
Today was a mixed bag of activities. We started the day by visiting the Genocide Killing Fields. An emotional experience to say the least. The very moment you step off that bus and see those gates, you know the evil that once took place there. We visit the various mass graves, torture sites and a display where many of the genocide victims skulls and random bones are on display. A very sad place indeed. From there, we went to the Genocide museum which is where the prisoners were held captive during the Genocide from 1975 to 1979. It was here that they were tortured and eventually sent to the killing fields to be murdered. It truly is a very sad story. A dark time in Cambodia’s past for sure.
Once we finished with the guided part of our day, we had the afternoons to our selves. Yohan, Katie, Rob and I decided to go for a nice lunch along the river banks and then took  in the royal palace. What a spectacular palace it was, such beautiful architecture and Asian themes. I took a lot of pics there but currently having an issue with them. Hopefully I can get them figured out soon so I share the pics with you.
Once returning from the Palace, Yohan and I headed off to the market where we both bargained on prices and picked up a few things we wanted.
6:30 the whole gang met in the hotel lobby and we piled in a bunch of tuk tuks and headed off to have dinner with a traditional Cambodian family in their home. We made one little stop along the way where we visited a little school room and chatted with the kids and let them practice their english on us. It was very rewarding watching them get very excited about having us there.
From there we met with our dinner hosts and settled in to a nice home cooked meal. We all sat on the floor and engaged in dinner conversation. It was a great meal and a fantastic experience. After enjoying their company, we headed back to the hotel and retired for the night. It was as long, extremely hot and memorable day. I really need to cut this off now as I have fallen asleep a dozen times trying to write it. That would explain my lack of descriptive detail.
hope you enjoyed it anyway, I am off to bed, we are heading to Siem Reap tomorrow morning. Good night and talk to you soon!