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Meeting Chum Mey
About a 40 minute Tuk-Tuk ride got us to the site of the "Killing Fields" Choung Ek. You take a audio tour around the site. For those of you that may not know Choung Ek is one of 300 locations that the Khmer Rouge sent people to be executed. Somewhere between 1-3 million people lost their lives in one of these fields between 1977-1979. Most of the original site was torn down by local people who used the materials to build themselves shelter. 75% of the remains at this site were dug up on discovering them after the Khmer Rouge were defeated, the other 25% has been left untouched. It's hard to imagine those events, but also unbelievable that it happened in my lifetime.
A Stupa houses the remains of the people who were killed, that contains clothes, skulls, teeth and other bones over 17 levels. You see cracked skulls from where these people were executed with cheap objects like hammers and farmers tools. There is also a tree which baby's heads were smashed against before being tossed into mass graves.
You can't say the experience of being at the fields is enjoyable, but very eye opening and a reminder about all those people who are going through these types of events today.
Next up was the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (S21 Prison). These buildings were part of a school before being closed under the Khmer Rouge (they closed all schools, hospitals and tried to return people back to hard labour in the fields). The classrooms were converted to small cells where people would be shackled and beaten, forced into writing false confessions and then sent off to the fields.
Part of the TV program I previously mentioned was a visit to these museums. They showed a survivor of the prison, Chum Mey who sits outside one of the blocks and sells books about his story. He is the director of an association for the victims of the genocide. Inside the museum they mark his former cell. He survived as the KR realised he was a mechanic and they needed someone who could fix the typewriters they used at the prison. We didn't really speak to him, he said hello and handed us a copy of the book to take a look at, good to see someone you've heard about though.
I had another variation of a Cambodian curry for lunch. Not sure what the differences were from the others ones I tried, tasted more basil though! For dinner "Spicy River Fish", which was some kind of filleted fish with Lemongrass, Basil and maybe some Soy or Oyster sauce. There has been a lack of noodles on this trip, I'm often finding they are covered in Egg so I'm trying to avoid them!
Bowls of rice; 26
Tuk-tuk rides; 21
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