It was a complete mix of emotions in Phnom Penh mixing celebrating the Cambodian ancestors day holiday then visiting the killing fields and s-21 torture prison but let's start from the beginning.
Our first full day in Phnom Penh (PP) was spent at the killing fields and torture prison. Both myself and Kinga were shocked at what we were learning. I have a vague recollection of the name Pol Pot but before now I couldn't have told you who he was. If you don't know he was the leader of the Khamer Rouge, communist party that came into power in 1975. Between then and 1978 he set about killing as many people as he could and did a pretty good job of it. It is estimated that somewhere between 2-3 million Cambodians were slaughtered in 3 years. What is stunning and hard to believe they were all his people, is they weren't killed over religion or land, they were killed if they had an education or if they wore glasses or even said something against the government. But they wouldn't stop there, they would kill your whole family, wife, kids, aunts and uncles so there would be no one left with a vendetta. One of his quotes "to keep you is no gain, to lose you is no loss". The killing fields is one of many sites of mass graves, the prisinors had to dig their own grave and were then buried alive as to not waste any bullets.
Leaving the killing fields feeling incredibly somber we then cheered ourselves up by going to a torture prison. S-21 is an old school that was turned into a prison when Pol Pot closed down all the schools in Cambodia a day after taking control. It is simply incredible what 1 mans vision can do, the school has been left much the same and it is an incredible Erie sensation you get walking around. Most people were lied to about where they were being taken and would end up here, being tortured to give a false confession of something or other, steeling rice from the state for example, before their final stop the killing fields. Around 40,000 people went to that prison, only 7 people came out of it alive, horrific stuff.
On the way between the two the mood was slightly lifted by a torrential downpour where the roads were turned into rivers and riding in a tuk tuk is no the best way to stay dry. Every car that went past soaked us that little bit more!
The following day was slightly easier, we wandered down for a relaxing stroll along the riverside area. I think it must be their main tourist area as it looks impeccable compared to the area we were staying in. Here was also the focal point of the Ancestors Day public holiday. It is an opportunity for people to pay their respects to the dead. It is an interesting celebration, follow this link if you want to read more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pchum_Ben
The evening was rounded off back at the hostel with a pool party, we met some nice people and over indulged in some gratuitous drinking, sometimes you have to!
I guess that's it for today's history lesson, so. Far all is well, no vomiting or dodgy belly, no arguing, all going surprisingly well. The border crossing from Cambodia to Vietnam was a completely different experience, easy and seamless. We had a quick walk around Ho Chi Minh (formally Saigon) and it is crazy out there, still feeling a little delicate from the pool party we ended up running away from the madness back to our room. Now time to catch up on some much needed sleep!
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