It’s weird to think that I’ve actually been to the Cambodian capital twice. As fate would have it, both visits would prove to be fleeting. The first time, back in December 2015, my travel buddy Wonderboy and I were just passing through on our way to the beach city of Sihanoukville.

With just a few days at our disposal, we decided to concentrate on the city’s essential albeit incredibly depressing genocide sights. Certainly not fun by any stretch of the imagination. But definitely experiences that’ll live with me forever.

My second visit came in September 2020. Sladja and I were at the end of our nine month Cambodian adventure, hence we’d only come to Phnom Penh to catch our flight to Turkey. This time I had four days to try and make a dent in the city sights.

However, Sladja hadn’t seen Tuol Sleng, nor indeed the Choeung Ek Killing Fields. Thus I found myself revisiting both sites. Somehow, it was an even more sombre experience the second time around. Mainly due to the fact that COVID-19 ensured we had both places all to ourselves.

With the clock rapidly running down on our taxi to the airport, we urgently set about mopping up as many of Phnom Penh’s highlights as we could. Not the way I like to travel, but hey, sometimes circumstances dictate the pace.

To get the full story on my time in the Cambodian capital, why not visit Phnom Penh through my articles on:

Central Market

National Museum of Cambodia

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Choeung Ek Killing Fields

Wat Phnom Temple

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