Traipsing...: Destination: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Cambodia… where do I start with you?

It took us a grand total of 40 hours, 4 planes and lots of plane and airport food to get from Bogota, Colombia to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Finally though, we had touched back down in Asia… and man, how all of the smells just brought India back to me! We got picked up in a very stylish tuk-tuk, and made our way through Cambodia’s capital tired as hell, but excited for the upcoming adventures to be had!

Back in the land of the tuk-tuk

I’m ashamed to say that before I visited Cambodia I knew nothing of the country’s history. And so I was shocked (and disgusted) to discover that it was home to one of the worst genocides ever recorded in history in the WORLD. The Khmer Rouge. Now, if you don’t know anything about it, then I strongly suggest that you do a quick read up on Wikipedia (not the most reliable, but at least it gives you in a nutshell what went on). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Rouge. In Phnom Penh there are two very popular tourist sites to visit that were central to the Khmer Rouge reign- the Killing Fields and S-21, Tuol Sleng prison.

The Killing Fields are a fair distance out of the city, and was the site for the murder and disposal of civilians. Over 80 huge pits have been excavated, and hundreds of dead bodies have been found piled on top of one another. These people were murdered by Khmer Rouge soldiers using all kinds of horrific farm tools as to save money on bullets. One of the most disturbing sites was a tree in which babies and young children were swung against (the soldiers holding onto their feet and then swinging their heads into the tree, like a baseball bat) and who were then tossed like garbage into the pit next to the tree. There are still small teeth dotted all around the base of the tree. For that matter, there are still bone fragments, teeth and clothes littered around the entire site. It was a secret place and the odour of the bodies was masked with chemicals that they poured into the pits. In the case that the people in the pits weren’t dead yet (and this was very common), the chemicals would act to finish the deed.

A collection of skulls of the victims at the Killing Fields

In a population of around 7 million people, they estimate that approximately 2 million people were killed during the Khmer Rouge in just under the 4 years that they were in power. Many went to die at the Killing Fields after being tortured at Tuol Sleng, previously Phnom Penh High School. Any educated person- doctors, lawyers and school teachers were singled out due to their educated status, and were tortured and killed so that any chance of rebellion against the Khmer Rouge was minimalized. The people that were lucky enough to survive worked for 12-14 hours a day in the countryside with only rice gruel for food. Many died of starvation, exhaustion, dysentery and other illnesses as no medicine or doctors were available. Families of those killed due to their educated status were also killed as to prevent revenge attacks on the Khmer Rouge.

Formerly Phnom Penh High School

Tuol Sleng, also known as S-21

It was just all so wrong. It was very emotional visit to these places that are such a reminder of the potential evil that some people have inside them. I think one of the things that bothered me the most was the fact that it happened such a short time ago. 1975. 8 years before I was born. My parents were happy and healthy young adults being encouraged to be educated, not being killed because of it. How do these things happen? Why do they happen? It really opens your eyes, and although it wasn’t one of the nicest experiences, it is one that has had the most impact on me emotionally.

This wasn’t just meant to be a post about the Khmer Rouge- we did so many amazing things in Phnom Penh like eating noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner, visiting the Central, Russian and Night markets, marvelling at the Royal Palace, having a zen moment at Wat Phnom, feeding fish at the National Museum, and just generally relaxing and having a good time in between all of the sightseeing. In our experience, the Cambodian people have been so wonderful, always smiling and happy to help you whether it be with directions or where all of the good places to eat are! So all in all, I have only good thing to say about Phnom Penh- I would recommend a trip here on anyone’s itinerary! Next up, we have our trip to Siem Reap, home to the famous Angkor Wat. Being a ruins nerd, you can imagine that I’m pretty excited J.