I was so excited to leave Vietnam and get another country under my belt – Cambodia. I’d heard so many wonderful stories about the people, the landscape and fantastic temples. Vietnam had been so much fun – but it was time to leave and experience more new places and cultures.

I originally planned to spend one night in the capital – Phnom Penh – as many people I’d spoken to said there was really nothing amazing to see (“it’s just another Asian capital” one person said) and I was warned by multiple people that it wasn’t the safest of cities either. Overall I was keen to get there but also eager to get straight on another bus and head off to the other main attractions in Cambodia.

However, this changed when I met a fellow backpacker in Da Lat, who told me that visiting The Killing Fields in Phnom Penh is an absolute must. The way he described the atrocities committed against the Cambodian people got me choked up, and I hadn’t even heard the worst parts yet. I decided to book two nights, that way getting a full day to visit The Killing Fields – subsequently heading south toward Sihanoukville, ready to party for my 24th birthday!

First Impressions

Upon arrival in Phnom Penh, I took my first Tuk Tuk of Cambodia to my accommodation (#10 Lakeside Guesthouse), it was getting dark already so I paid $4 for the 20-minute journey, during which I didn’t see too much of the city. My guesthouse was down an alley full of little shops and other homestays which I didn’t mind. I felt out of the hustle and bustle and there was a real community vibe – children were playing football in the street and everyone was sat outside their respective shops having an evening tea and chat.

After checking in the first thing a member of staff asked me was: are you going to The Killing Fields? He wanted to charge my boyfriend and me $15 each to take us around for the day. I knew straight away I was being had, as I’d spoken to people who had gotten a driver to take them for as little as $4 each. As not to offend, we told him we were still deciding and that we were not sure if we would even go. I was hungry at this point so I ordered a Khmer curry (basically Thai green curry) which tasted like feet and cost me $3 (when you can eat amazing street food in Vietnam for 75c a pop, the cheapskate in me came out).

Is This Place For Me?

The next day I woke up late and getting out of the room was a struggle, as it was almost 40 degrees. I walked down the road to a coffee shop and had some breakfast (at this point I was already craving somewhere that didn’t smell and had working air con), and wondered how we’d get to The Killing Fields. We decided on a tuk-tuk outside the coffee shop and managed to haggle the price down to $7 each to take us there and back.

Driving through the city was painful. The smell was awful and the pollution was disgraceful (seriously guys, we’re killing this planet). The roads were overpopulated with scooters, tuk-tuks, and cars – all in very bad nick – spouting out toxic fumes, descending on the city like some sort of hot, inescapable blanket. I spent most of the 45-minute ride with my t-shirt over my mouth and nose. If the fumes from the road weren’t enough we would go through neighbourhoods which would alternate between smelling like rotten eggs, silage, and gone off meat. I was starting to feel a little sick at this point.

The Killing Fields

Aside from the dirtiness of the city I was more than impressed with The Killing Fields. Upon arrival, you pay $6 for entry and a headset which takes you around the memorial site telling you about the history, the atrocities, and giving you personal accounts from survivors. Everything is quiet which really gives you the chance to reflect in between information. My respect for Phnom Penh as a city did grow when I realised it was ransacked and then deserted during the rampages of the Khmer Rouge. In the grand scheme of things this happened not that long ago, and for the city, and the people to have overcome an atrocity like that deserves all the respect in the world.

My thoughts on visiting Phnom Penh are subjective, of course. You may come here and love the community vibe, the street food, and the unpretentious people. You’d have to come here and experience it for yourself to fully understand my thoughts and to form your own. My only advice to make your time more comfortable – spend a little more on accommodation and get yourself a room with air-con (during the summer – the smog and pollution tend to make the city hotter and the air thicker), shop around in order to get the best deal for The Killing Fields, and most of all stay safe and be cautious of your surroundings (it is a city after all).

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