We get up and head over to Enso Cafe again as we’re meeting our lovely German friend for brunch

From here, we investigate an online ride to where we’re off to but are able to barter with some locals outside to get a ride instead

It’s about 35 minutes with the local traffic to reach Choeung Ek Genocidal Center, also known as the Killing Field

It’s $6 to go in and get an audio guide that allows you to take in the history of this place at your own pace

The guide takes you around the grounds and explains that that initial point of the Khmer Rouge invading the city was 17th April 1975

Trucks of blindfolded people were taken to this location as a security centre, which was a charade for torture and murder of those who were considered a potential threat to the new power

The grounds have pits with thatched roofs which show where mass graves had been discovered: one had 166 headless soldiers, another had around 450 people and there was also 100 found of women and children

There were also holes all around the grounds for other pits of bodies – we’re told that every several months more remnants of those killed here rise up to the surface of the ground and are collected and put somewhere to hope their souls can rest

There is a tree known as the “magic tree” which was used to hold music speakers which played very loud music to drown out the sounds of screams to not raise any suspicion with alive prisoners

Another tree by the children’s mass grave was found in 1979, when the Khmer Rouge were forced out, with blood, brains and bone on it

There’s also a room displaying some photographic evidence of the time as well as of those who were in charge and brought to some sort of justice back in 2007

Finally, the undeniable focal point of the area is the tall stupa created to honour those lost here – it has 13 levels with over 9,000 skulls and the big bones of the skeletons, as there just wasn’t enough room to show them all

We digest all of this information on the ride back to the city where we’re dropped off outside the Royal Palace of Cambodia (see the featured image)

With it being so hot, we decide to head to a nearby place for a cold drink and grab a nice view of the palace, at Frangipani Royal Skybar

After a little breather, we separate with our friend and head to look at the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Monument, in Wat Botum Park, and then the Statue of His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk and the Independence Monument

Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom is important in Cambodia’s history as he’s known as the father king of Cambodia having freed them from French rule back in 1949

From here, we pop by Koki Kitchen to get a couple of gelato before cooling off in the pool with a couple of happy hour cocktails

As it gets dark, we get ready and make our way to Onederz Phnom Penh where our friend is staying for some dinner

She’s met a friend in the hostel so we enjoy dinner and play some Swedish Snap before getting back to the hotel for the night