Day 6 - Phnom Penh - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

The main reason why I decided to stop in Phnom Penh is because I wanted to visit the Genocide Museum of Tuol Sleng.
During the 3 years between 1975 and 1978, the Democratic Kampuchea (modern Cambodia) was ruled with terror, oppression and insane brutality by Pol Pot and his ‘Khmer Rouge’. Tuol Sleng was sadly famous for being considered a sort of concentration camp (originally the building was an elementary school) where the ‘enemies of the state’(mostly innocent people without distinction between men, women and children) where interrogated, tortured and eventually killed. Officially, at least 11000 prisoners have been killed without taking into account the missing people and the children. An approximate guess for these ones is of about 20000.

My guest house was very close to the hotel, so I left my bag in the lobby and walked to the museum. As I expected, the museum was very interesting and obviously also very crude and straight forward in delivering the message of its atrocities. Thousands of pictures of all the inmates throughout the 3 years are exposed next to the tools of tortures inside the same original rooms.
After approx 1 hour, I left the museum with a selfish feeling of relief leaving a place that was still screaming all its anguish and suffering; I took a tuk tuk to go briefly to the Central Market of the city, famous for its jewellery. Hundreds of different desks selling gold, silver and precious stones with incredibly well elaborated forms and decorations. The market was very interesting but, even for a place like Phnom Penh, the prices were quite high. I managed to buy a little ring though, for the very affordable amount of 12$.
I went back to the hotel where the bus came to pick me up after 30 minutes.
Next destination Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, informally still known as Saigon.

The bus ride was very long, approximately 7 hours. At the frontier travellers are welcomed by a huge building in perfect socialist style and red flags all over. Annoyed guards check passports and bags but the process is fairly smooth. I arrived in Saigon and as always I chose the hotel close to the bus stop, and fortunately once again it was a brilliant choice. The guest house is very central, with friendly Vietnamese women as hosts. My room is actually very high and I can see the sparking lights of the city all around. I had a quick meal and went to bed soon after. The day after, my only full day in Saigon, was already packed with lots of stuff to see and to do, so I decided to be disciplined and trying to go to bed not too late so that I could have been up quite early in the morning.
Saigon is another place full of histories and great and tragic stories. I am thrilled of being here and tomorrow is going to be a very nice and interesting day. I have planned since a while to visit the War Museum and to taste the famous Vietnamese coffee and to discover all the different markets that the city has to offer.
Going for a nice fresh shower and a good sleep now...
TWIMO!