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Hello!
As I sit on a bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap through Cambodia I'm listening to the first album I ever bought! Hear'say, Popstars has to be one of the cheesiest albums ever made but I know every word haha!
Two girls i'm sat next to at the back of the bus are loving it too and Martin is sat a few rows in front dying after he had a heavy night last night!
As I start to write this blog I urge you to be prepared for graphic content. I have seen some horrendous things over the last 24 hours but I feel I need to record it. I also would like you to take time to find a loved one and share a hug after reading this... Something many people of Cambodia have been denied the chance to do!
Cambodia so far has been very chilled and we have enjoyed good food, a nice hostel room and a relaxed few days. It has also been a very emotional and difficult few days as we have seen and visited some inhumane places.
After enjoying our hostel pool and a local restaurant, which was incredible, Martin and I both decided to get our hair cut! We went to a Korean Hairdressers and let the guy do his thing! He actually did a good job and although it's rather short I was happy! On our first night we had a few drinks in the bar and then went to a local club... After a while I managed to sneak off to speak to Tara and her brothers for the first time which was great!
Yesterday was our day of exploring Phnom Penh and I guess it was a day we had to be mentally prepared for. Just as we were leaving on our Tuk Tuk tour we were joined by a really nice Spanish guy called Roberto, who actually teaches at Dubai International Academy!
Our first stop was the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek, the formar orchard and mass grave of victims of Khmar Rouge. Between 1975 and 1979 over 3 Million innocent people were brutally murdered and the stories I listened to on the audio tour were horrific! As I walked around the site I could see clearly bone fragments sticking out of the ground and from time to time a piece of clothing or rag would catch my eye too! It really was a horrible sight and it only got worse the more I walked around! The most difficult part for me was seeing what is known as the killing tree. When the whole site was found in 1979 this tree was covered in blood, brain and hair and next to it was a mass grave of women and children. It is thought that children were murdered by having their heads smashed against the very tree next to which I was stood before being flung into the mass grave. I find it barbaric that this was allowed to happen only 10-15 years before I was born! Now, in the centre of the site stands a Stupa, a big monument, in which 9000 skulls and bones are preserved! You can see directly these bones and the cracks in the skulls indicate how the victims were killed. This was another difficult sight to see but as it was a modern yet beautiful memorial I found it difficult to believe it was real!
After the Killing Field visit we made our way back to the city centre but our day of terror wasn't over. Our next stop was the infamous prison used by the Khmar Rouge known as S-21! I was mortified on arrival to see that it was actually a school that had been converted into a prison by the Khmar Rouge, even using climbing frames for their torture!
The tour of the prison was extremely graphic and I will never forget some on the images I saw. The classrooms had even converted into cells and it's difficult to put into words the paintings and images I saw of the torture techniques used here. I don't feel I can actually write down in detail much about it as words simply cannot explain the inhumane acts!
Sorry I don't want to write any more about it.
Last night we went back to the same restaurant we have been to on the first day for dinner. We then joined the pub crawl and played beer pong before heading out. I made it to the second bar before calling it a night and going home to pack my bag and get some sleep. I was drained after an emotional day and went to bed feeling thankful and blessed to have had such a beautiful and fortunate upbringing and life to date.
Today we had an early start to get the 6 hour bus to Siem Reap. The journey wasn't too bad though and I enjoyed listening to cheesy music and looking at one of the flattest landscapes I think I have ever seen! Tomorrow is another early start as we are booked on a tour to Angkor Wat at sunrise!
We're in a lovely little hotel recommended by a friend in Dubai and have a free massage booked in for when we return from the tour tomorrow.
Now though I'm going to upload this blog, quickly upload some pictures and then get ready to go for food and some drinks.
I'm sorry to have been so graphic in this blog but as always I want to remember in years to come what I have experienced.
Bye for now xx
- comments
Ali Wow! Sounds like a rough one - what a sad sad thing
Zoe Sending virtual hugs My Lovely x x <3
Jane Hampson 'Mans inhumanity to man' ... You are a joy Tom and we love you so very much ... Loads of love and hugs , Mum xx
Gran Well you've certainly made me cry reading this Blog Tom . And how lovely it is to have such a kind and caring Grandson like you . All grandparents would be proud of you . Hugs ! Gran x
FG Nothing more depressing than witnessing Man's inhumanity to Man. We should all count our blessings as you have. Big hugs. X