21 dec morning, my trip started with a flight from Singapore Changi to Phnom Penh by Jet Star. Landing at Phnom Penh airport, it was a breeze to get an on-landing visa. There were multiple people in a single counter servicing, getting application forms, verifying it, by the time you reach the cashier counter, your visa is magically ready for us to pay 20US$ and collect the passport. Interesting to see that at the immigration counter, all my 10 finger's print were taken. There was also an webcam if they want to take a picture. I guess they didn't use it because I had an on-landing visa with photograph.
Walking out of the airport, SIM cards were available without any registration for 5 USD. I was using the SIM for local calls, couple of international calls and all my iPhone data requirements (emails, maps, online trading, browsing) and still didn't run out at the end of my week-long trip.
Walked out of the airport skipping all prepaid taxis, tuk-tuks and came to the main road. took a tuk-tuk to my hotel and settled for 5 USD (Would have cost 10 USD if i took the prepaid). the hotel was bigger and luxurious than I expected (Sunway) but a bit a
way from all the main attractions (like palace, national museum, riverside streets). It was not a problem for me since I planned to stay only one night and Motos (a simple motor bike which is available everywhere and cheap). Since my stay was only one night, didn't waste anytime and got a Moto to go to The killing fields (Choeung Ek). As one can read in any travel book, this is a place more than 10 km from the city and used by Pol Pot to kill thousands of people who were arrested during his regime in 70s. The moto started with 10 USD (two way) and settled for 7 USD. The entrance fee (5 USD) include a talking guide in many languages. As this site don't have any buildings or structures to visualize how it was in 70s, the talking guide was very useful to imagine how it might have been in the 70s when thousands of innocent lives were killed. The memorial tower still contains most of the original skulls and bones found there.As the Moto was waiting for me, I asked him to drop me at Tuol Sleng museum instead of the hotel. Tuol Sleng was once a school which was conver
ted into a prison by Pol Pot. It was here that all the prisoners were kept, tortured and killed initially. As the volume increases, Choeung Ek was used to transport the prisoners and kill them in masses. This place again looks exactly like a school from the outside but as we walk through the classrooms, we can see all the cots, torturing equipments used. In one of the blocks, the classrooms were further partitioned to accommodate one prisoner per partition. With this museum visit, this day went with knowing all about Pol Pot and also full of sad moments.As it was nearing the night. I stopped my sightseeing for the day and searching for a good Indian restaurant. As I had my iPhone with local SIM, I can use the map and walk to a restaurant which was near the Independence monument. All the main roads were named properly and all the cut roads are named by numbers. So, it was easy to locate cross streets with street numbers. Found the "Dosa corner" and had my Indian dinner shot before returning to the hotel. It was a one dollar Moto ride.
After taking a short break, it was time to explore some night scene. I took a Moto to Naga entertainment world as it was advertised as a big entertainment complex. When I saw it for myself, I realized that it was like a Los Vegas for Cambodia. One big building complex which contains a hotel, hundreds of gambling tables and slot machines in a open layout, a disco club and a KTV. It was free to walk around the tables and slot machines (as opposed to paying 100 SGD to even enter into one of the two casinos in Singapore which is free for tourists). Walked around the casino (no appetite to try) and sit in the club for a beer. Took a tuk-tuk (well it was late at night and so no Motos) and back to hotel.
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