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Hi Everyone,
I arrived in Cambodia from Bangkok and immediately had one of those 'travelling' experiences, a girl who had sat in the same row as me on the plane had arrived without enough money for the Entrance Visa, we got chatting, I loaned her the $US and she gave me Euro's in return, nothing remarkable in that I hear you say, well no there wasn't but we then shared a taxi which Chris had already arranged and travelled into Phnom Penh together. The ride, only about 17K, took nearly 2 and a bit hours, it was chaos and I was so lucky to have hitched a lift and shared the ride. We got on well and that was the start of the next few weeks during which time we travelled everywhere together.
I stayed in a differnt place on the first night and I wanted to do a few differnet things to Chris so apart from eating out we did follow our separate agendas, I visited the Killing Fields and Pol Pots prison of torture, both of which were very chilling. People had said to me that they would not go and see such sights but I felt I had to, for several reasons really, I still find it difficult to accept that such inhumane acts can be carried out in cold blood by anyone, and also I wanted to show my respect for the people who had died and for those who continue to live their lives with the memory of such events.
The site of the mass graves is a lot smaller than I had imagined however there are still numerous graves still unearthed and the victims are left in peace. The whole area has a very strange and chilling feel, you know you are in the midst of something very very horrific, you can feel it. Bones break the surface of paths, clothes appear planted into the soil, all washed up by rain and errosion. Certiain points have been marked such as a tree where the K.R. killed babies infront of their Mothers, a tree where they hung loud speakers to drown out the terrifying screams of the dying in order that others awaited an unknown fate only to be led to the same site and then slaughtered. The memorial houses 7000 skulls and dozens of items of clothing, they stand in memory to all the other victims bodies who have not been recovered and will never be identified leaving families torn in grief of the unknown but with the knowledge that relatives met with the inevitable. it is a very moving place to be.
The Prison is even worse because the detail of what happened there is documented, photos of all the vicitm are mounted on boards, trying to read the expressions on their faces is very hard. Some obviously knew what was to become of them, some looked quite naive and innocent, some show complete contempt and when I saw such expressions I just kept thinking 'Good on You'. Real bravery in the face of a completely hopeless situation. The acts carried out by Boy Soldiers are beyond description and are well documented elsewhere, suffice it to say that I am glad I went if only to strengthen myself. People were openly shocked by what they saw and many were in tears at the sight of torture equipment and photos of it being used knowing that no-one survived this, it was their end.
It is very noticeable that the general population is of quite a young age and the legacy will take another generation to overcome in anyway at all, however, the Cambodian people remain some of the friendliest and good humoured people I have yet to meet. I know you get hassled for taxis, drugs, trips, cigarettes and books but these people have come a long way in such a short time, and in anycase if you stop and talk with some of them you find them to be genuine, polite and helpful.
Chris and I moved onto other accommodation, she had a penthouse room and I had a lowly second floor room in which to be really ill with food poisoning whilst unfortunately having to listen to an Aussie and his Cambodian girlfriend going for it as if it was their last breath!! Really not a nice thing to happen especially as this was the day before both C & I were booked onto a boat which was going to take 5 hours to Sien Reip in the North. By the morning I was dead beat, I had not slept, not the Aussis fault, I had been really ill all night (no need for details) and felt like you know what.
We got on the boat and sat inside, this only lasted for a short time as I needed fresh air, once up top the air made me feel drowsy and so I fell asleep, in the sun, with no protection!! We arrived at Sien Reip with me looking like a well done lobster but I was feeling better. For the next week I was not a pretty sight as my face peeled twice (some people pay a lot for that you know!) We had booked ahead and an awaiting taxi took us to the accommodation. The next few days were taken up with Sokea, our driver, taking us all over the area, to all the Temples and into town in the evenings and even waiting for us to take us back again, he was an absolute Star and deserved every bit of the tip we gave him at the end. It is a really good way to get around, you can 'hire' a driver and then you have him or her at your disposal for the complete period of your stay. We asked his advice as to the best way to see the Temples and in which order and followed this to the T, he was not wrong and obviously had the necessary experience to advise us well. I could go on about which Temple we saw and what it was like but in the end I would become quite boring, they are all fabulous in their own right, the area is over 30 Acres so I know you do not want to hear about all of it. Suffice it to say that everything people say about the Site is true, it is awe inspiring, it is incredible, it is magnicent, it is simply amazing and something I am glad I have not missed.
It is also hard work, hot, and very rewarding, we were harranged everywhere we went by young children selling books of every description, it is hard to say NO all of the time and they are just literally trying to make ends meet, we did however have one very rewarding experience. A young girl who spoke good English approached us selling the usual books, she had a different attitude and I decided straight away that I would buy a book from her. We walked to the side of the Lake at Ankor and sat down talking to her, of course she wanted to sell the book but she must have known that we would buy because she sat there chatting easily to us for some time, she could have caught a dozen tourists and sold more books but she was genuinely interested and talkative. She had left school at 14 because her family could not afford to keep her there, she had worked selling books and scarves ever since and she was now 20, Her languages were staggering and the method she applied to learn them was ingenious she was quite remarkable and probably represents a good proportion of young people who are naturally bright and intelligent but have had their education cut short due to ecomonic reasons beyond their control. I bought the book for twice what I knew it was worth, but I put some money in her pocket and good luck to her for that.
After three solid days of tripping around Sien Reip we were exhausted and the planned trip to the seaside could not come soon enough, we were off to Sienhouk Ville - by bus - Fools!!
I'll fill you in next time,
Take care,
Chris
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