We've only been here for there days, but Cambodia has already treated us to an unforgettable educational visit. We spent our first few days in the capital city of Phnom Penh. The area more aimed toward tourists was very integrated with local shops, schools, and services. It is definitely less developed here than in any of the other countries we visited, with many of the roads still unpaved, and most of the buildings having very simple structure.
We spent an entire day learning about the genocide that occurred here in the late 1970s under the Khmer Rouge communist regime, killing over 1.7 million people. We visited the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, just outside the city, where seventeen thousand people were executed. Mass graves, where up to 160 people were buried together, were still clearly marked. Prisoners were told they were going to a new house, but were brought on trucks to the killing fields and killed the same night. There was a memorial tower displaying hundreds of skulls looking right back out at you. It was quite shocking to see the skulls, bones, and clothing left behind from such a tragic and historic crime, but also a good reminder of how lucky we are to live with so much freedom. We also visited the Tuol Sleng museum, formerly the prison that housed the detainees, including children, until they were taken to one of the killing fields. The museum is mostly filled with pictures of the prisoners, with some of the rooms still set up with the tiny prison cells. Of the thousands of prisoners, only seven survived. These seven were mostly kept alive because of their skills, such as painting and repairing machinery, that were of use to the Khmer Rouge. We were lucky enough to meet one of them, a man now in his seventies who still comes to the museum to help raise awareness to what happened.
We went to the Royal Palace, a stunning collection of houses, throne halls, gardens, and a remarkable pagoda, built in the 1860s for the King of Cambodia. The King has relatively low power now, but is still an important symbolic figure to Cambodian people.
We have a few more days left in Cambodia, which will be spent in Siem Reap! More pictures soon, we promise.