10 days in Phnom Penh

To be honest, Phnom Penh is a city struggling to rebuild itself after the destructive Khmer Rouge period, and thus does not offer many "typical" places of interest for the normal tourist. Angkor Wat in Siem Reap is definitely more appealing, but still, there are places to see and things to do.

Places to see: Toul Sleng Genocidal Museum, The Killing Fields - not "fun," but memorable; The Royal Palace (try to get a good guide); the National Museum

Things to do: Go for a massage (we went to the "seeing hands" chain, which has blind masseuses) - just US-5 for a 1-hour massage; shop at Central/Russian Market; visit one of the many NGOs and see the work they do; eat at a riverside restaurant; try the coconut ice cream

Quick Tips:

There's no need to change to the local currency before going. US dollars are widely accepted and you get local currency when the locals give you change.

Best Way To Get Around:

Motorcycles are cheap, fast and easily available. You can either rent or just get a ride from the many, many motorcycle taxis around town.

This is a basic guesthouse which is relatively comfortable. Price ranges from US $6 - $12 a night. There is cable TV, but our room had no hot shower. Laundry and travel services available. The guesthouse also runs an internet cafe just across the street. Conveniently located.

These markets are the main places to purchase local products, and products from the region (Vietnam/Thailand) to take home as souvenirs.

Both markets have numerous stalls which sell clothes, kramas (Cambodian scarves), woodcarvings, silver jewellery and other textiles.

The Russian market is smaller and the stalls are cramped and dark. A visit to the markets is like diving into a dingy, dark hole, and on humid days, it is rather suffocating.

The Central market is my preferred choice, as it is brighter, airier, and has wider walking areas. It also has a wider range of products to purchase and has more books. Some people do say that it is also more pricey.

In any case, bargaining is the order of the day. But seeing the state of some of the Cambodians, especially landmine victims who hawk books and postcards for a living, I avoid being mercenary when making a deal.

Toul Sleng Genocidal Museum is the infamous S-21 torture and detention centre used by the Khmer Rouge regime in the late 1970s. Having a Khmer Rouge survivor as a guide made the experience real and helped us understand the period even more intensely. The museum itself is stark - the ground floor of the first building shows panels and panels of black and white portraits of the victims and their captors. The second building shows past instruments of torture. The last building allows visitors to enter the tiny dark cells and is enclosed in barbed wire. Although the exhibits look relatively "clean", closer examination reveals traces of their gruesome past. A visit here is more memorable with some background possibly from one of the many books available on the Khmer Rouge period.

Most people visit the Cheoung Ek killing fields after S-21. This is the place most of the S-21 residents were executed and "buried" - often piled up in shallow graves. One of the largest of the many killing fields located in Cambodia, it is best to engage a guide to navigate you through this "seemingly innocent and peaceful" place but with a sad past.

Note that the ride to the killing fields is very bumpy and there are many flies there. Bring repellent if you are sensitive to flying creatures.

Seeing Hands runs a chain of massage centres where blind masseuses provide massages at reasonable prices. I hear they have centres in other parts of Cambodia and even Laos.

It was my first experience and a fun one. My friend booked the appointment, and we arrived on time. We changed into loose pajama-type tops and bottoms and lay on our assigned table. The place is busy, and the room that I was in had about six to eight beds. My masseuse greeted me in English and my massage experience began. He placed a thin piece of cloth and started in the massage at my head. Mainly using shiatsu methods, the massage was so soothing that I fell asleep halfway. I awoke towards the end and felt rejuvenated. It was a lovely experience for only $4.50. I did it twice on this holiday!