I left Hoi An for Phnom Penh and the dream of Angkor Wat and countless other temples far inland. Phnom Penh really surprised me – a very interesting combination of chic and shabby. Driving from the airport to my hotel,  I spotted BMW, Mercedes and Audi dealerships completely ablaze in Christmas lights. I hadn’t seen any of these in the cities I’ve visited so far. No doubt they’re around, but they were absolutely enormous and very prominently placed in Phnom Penh. I’d assumed that Phnom Penh would be closer to Mandalay than Bangkok, but I was wrong,

Another surprise is that the Cambodian economy is completely dollarized, and cash is king. I hadn’t read that anywhere, and I’ve read plenty about Cambodia. It apparently occurred when the United Nations came into the country after the Cambodian Genocide ended. People became used to using U.S. dollars, and all banks now have USD accounts and wages are paid in our currency. The Cambodian Riel is accepted, but only as an alternative to U.S. dollars. With 4,500 Real to the dollar, a fistful of banknotes might buy a candy bar here.

Roof top dining and cocktails, peering out over skyscrapers wrapped in changing LED light designs, ensued. My friend Jes arrived in Phnom Penh today to join the traveling circus for ten days, and it was really nice to connect with someone I know very well after moving about solo for the past five weeks.

The next morning we visited the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, which chronicled the madness perpetrated upon innocent Cambodian civilians between 1975 and 1979 by Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge henchmen. We’ve all read about the Cambodian genocide and likely seen the movie The Killing Fields. The tale of what Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge visited upon gentle Cambodian men, women and children who did absolutely nothing wrong is of unspeakable evil akin to that of Stalin and Hitler. Of a population of approximately six million at that time, Pol Pot tortured and murdered almost half. Almost three million individuals who were dragged from their homes, tortured and made to confess to crimes they never committed and then brutally murdered for no reason other than blood thirstiness.

Oh my God – how could anyone commit such heinous acts? By what measure and for what reason could man stoop to this level of inhumanity? I will never understand it, but bearing witness in person to one of Pol Pot’s interrogation and torture chambers, a former high school in downtown Phnom Penh, where it is believed that more Cambodian civilians died at his hands than at any other place, was soul searing and incredibly disturbing. Below, photos reflect the darkness that reigned there. I apologize in advance for the graphic nature of these photos, but evil like this must see the light of day so that it does not and cannot ever happen again.

After trying to recover from the chilling experience of the Museum, we took a mellow seven hour bus ride from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, the jumping off point for Angkor Wat and the other astonishing Hindu temples built in the 10th and 11th centuries to honor Gods, gurus, parents, children and others very close to the crown.  That these were conceived and built a thousand or so years ago and are not only still standing, but in many cases in quite good shape, is incredible.

These temples overwhelm the senses. They are magnificent visually, yet they are much more than that. Alone in the jungle, they stand proudly and resolutely, announcing their triumph over time and history. Learning their tales from our guide brought them to life in a way that completely bridged the millennia since since their conception and construction.

Rather than blab more without doing them justice, here’s a look at what we saw and fairly gaped at all day.

Banteay Srai, 15 km north of Angkor Wat and its neighboring temples

Angkor Thum

Preah Khan

West Mebon (Baray)

Prasat Bat Chum

Ta Promh

Angkor Wat

Crazy, really that these were built, and not by slaves but by volunteers, demonstrating their unwavering alliance to and love for their kings. Crazier still that they’re here now. Just really cool.

Off to Sihanoukville tonight and then on to Koh Rhom Sanloem, an island off the Cambodian coast that is said to be as pretty as those off the Thai coast and almost completely undeveloped. No cars, phone service or connectivity, I’m told, and power having arrived in the near past should make it a great stop.