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Well, 6 hours after I left Ho Chi Minh City I thought my bum was going to fall off, but luckily the bus journey was over and I was in Phnom Penn, capital of Cambodia. My plan here was only to stay a couple of days and move on to Siem Reap for a couple of days. Because I wanted to catch up with Barry and Chris I didn't really have time to explore anything else within Cambodia, which was a shame......but that's the way things go sometimes. So I checked into a lakeside hostel and organised to go to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. For those of you who have no knowledge of Cambodia, here's a wee bit of info.
Pol Pot was leader of the Khmer Rouge, a communist guerilla force. From 1975-78, when he seized power in Cambodia, he basically made people work in the fields all the time and banned all institutions, religion and signs of education. They even tried to destroy their own national treasures, such as Angkor Wat. If you didn't work hard enough, wore a tie, wore glasses, were caught praying or just not liked, you were killed. If you complained about being starving or that you missed your loved ones (who were forcibly taken away) you were killed. If you were too old, too young, too weak to work in the fields, you were killed. In fact, it was pretty hard to stay alive. Many Khmer Rouge people were killed themselves because their bosses suspected they were sympathisers. In total around 2 million people were killed in the Genocide through torture, starvation or execution (about 30% of the population). If that's not sickening enough, it turns out that America was supporting the Khmer Rouge though all of this, simply because they were against the Vietnamese. In the end, it was the Vietnamese who mecifully invaded Cambodia and put an end to Pol Pot's regime, forcing him into hiding, despite still recieving millions of dollars in aid from America. Can you tell that I hate American policies? Not the people mind....just the Government.
Anyways...I think for most people this would be a truely depressing place. What i found a little strange though was that I felt absolutley nothing when I was there. It's such a strange place to go to. I don't know how I am supposed to acted...but I just felt nothing...as if the whole thing numbed me to any emotions. The only thing I felt afterwards was anger that the Americans could support this kind of regime, purely out of hatred for the Vietnamese. There were also little kids running around begging for money...or offering themselves for a photo in return or a dollar. It's impossible to escape these kids...they are everywhere. Cambodia is really the first country I have been to where the poverty has been so evident. In Vietnam there were street kids every now and then. In cambodia they are everywhere. It's hard having to turn them down all the time....I simply couldn't afford to give everybody any money...so I hardly gave out any at all.
After I had been to the Killing Fields I went to Tuol Sleng, the interogation and detention centre in Phnom Penn, also known as S21. If you were taken here, you ended up dead, or taken to the killing fields, where you ended up dead. Not a cheery thought. Of the 14.5 thousand people who entered here, only 7 people survived. One of those men later painted images of what went on in there, and they are on display in the jail now. I have included most of them in my photo album....beware, it makes grim viewing.
With time against me I made my way up to Siem Reap, which is near to where the temples of Angkor are. This is a cool city with markets and a more traditional feel to the place than the hustle and bustle of Phnom Penn. I organised myself a tut tut for the following 2 days so I could see the temples. I had no idea that these temples even existed before I left to travel. They are truely some of the best examples of mans achievments from 1000 years ago. Some of the temples such as Angkor Wat (the biggest and most popular), Bayon and Banteay Srei have the most incredible stone carvings that must have taken decades to complete. It's something that has to be seen to believed I reckon. I manged to spend around 8 hours each day, exploring the temples, examining the carvings and at times, just sitting down and imagining life 1000 years ago when people lived here and the temples were in use. I even got out of bed at 5am on the second day so I could see Angkor Wat at sunrise....not bad eh? Me up at 5am...far out!
My Tut Tut driver was very patient, but then he was getting paid $27 dollars for the 2 days...which is heaps where he comes from. Plus, I noticed he made no attempt whatsoever to go for his wallet when we had lunch together....I'll pay then, shall I? He was alright though.
I guess my whirlwind visit of Cambodia didn't really give me time to fully understand and explore the country....I was only there 5 days total. But at least I learned a few things, and feel so much more grateful for what I have. Seeing men and children with missing legs because of stray landmines makes me glad I have my legs for one thing. Statistics show that 40 people a week lose a leg, for the past 20 years. Fresh running water, food and a roof over my head are also things that we take or granted, but so many people have to do without. Between the temples of Angkor and the reign of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia has some of the best and worst examples of the visions and abilities of man.
The only downside to the temples of Angkor was that I just couldn't understand why anybody would want to tear down and destroy these national treasures, as Pol Pot tried to do. Seeing the 1000 year old temples damaged and statues with heads missing because of the regime only fuelled my disbelief as to what happended only 30 years ago, and how the western world stood by and let it happen......or in some cases, assisted it! Thank goodness the Vietnamese decided enough was enough and put an end to the genocide. Is a communist Vietnam really that bad? I don't think so.
The next day I was off to Thailand to meet my mates and I was right looking forward to seeing them again because for the past 10 days I had been moving so quickly I didn't have time to make any real friends along the way. But off I went on the national highway, which was about as bad a road as you can imagine. In fact, it wasn't even a road, it was a muddy track full of potholes. My bum was rejoicing when I got to Thailand where, as if by magic, all roads became tarmac....Hallelujah!
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