Somewhere in our itinerary we noted that the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is a must-visit in Phnom Penh and hence it was after much deliberation that we decided to do it on this day, before the arrival of the new year! Do go early before the tour buses arrive. Also, I highly advise against a heavy meal before going, because my food didn't sit very well in my tummy during the entire museum visit.
After some photographing, I switched to sepia/B&W mode as the heavy atmosphere weighed upon me so much that color just seems wrong. You can see a building covered with barbed wires, ex-classrooms divided into several prison cells, lots of photographs of victims (before and after torture), pictorial representations of this unfortunate period, torture tools and so on. Even as I write, the mood is sombre. Shan't say more, but I think it's worth being there just to know how much the people went through and how humans can be so cruel to its own kind. It's sick, but it's real.
So anyway, at least we were done with this on the last day of 2011. Other than the museum there's also the Killing Fields (~30mins out of city center) where the actual executions took place. We thought that the museum sufficed and that there was no need to see more skulls. So we left. Just nearby sits a nice cafe called Boddhi Tree Umma, which also doubles up as a guesthouse. Nice juices/smoothies, salads and finger food. Good to chill and collect your thoughts right after the museum visit.
Thereafter we headed to the Central Market for some shopping. Starting prices seem to be much higher than at the night market, so be sure to know how much to bargain for! They sell anything from household items to replica watches. Concluded that this place is more for look-see than anything else..
For our NYE's dinner we chose a relatively upmarket restaurant called Malis but food there was very average. They score on their lighting and ambience though. So all in all it was ok. ~US$100 for 3 persons incl. a bottle of wine. Went for drinks at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) which was quite packed as everybody was awaiting the countdown. Decided to go back to our hotel and popped our own champagne when the clock struck 12! What a way to welcome 2012 :)
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