11.6.09
This morning we woke up at 615, collected our stuff and checked out of our room and went to breakfast. When we were down at breakfast, it was then that I realized that we had left our passports in the safe in the room. I ran back to the check in counter and they let us get back into the room.
Our first stop of the day was at the Genocide Museum, which is a bit heavy at 700 in the morning. The Genocide Museum is located in an old high school that the Pol Pot regime used as a torture center. People would stay there for a maximum of 6 months and then they were sent to the killing fields. They were tourtured for information before they were sent to the killing fields where they were executed by being hit on the head with a club. Also, if there was a family involved, they would kill the children in front of the parents, then the wife and then kill the husband. They wanted to inflict as much pain as possible, both physically and emotionally. In total, 1.7 million people were killed with 15,000 coming from the camp we were at. Out of those 15,000 there were only 7 survivors. 4 have since died of natural causes, but there are still 3 alive. While we were walking through the archives, an older man approached us. It turns out that he was one of those 7 survivors. He came over to speak with us and answer our questions with Sun acting as translator. It was incredible. He told us his story and it was gut wrenching what he went through. His whole family was killed right in front of him. We asked how he could stand to come back to a place where he was tortured. He said that he has made peace with it because his torturers are being brought to justice in court. Also, he wants to come back and tell people like us his story so we can go back and tell others.
It amazes me that all of this happened in the mid 1970s. Sun’s family was relocated from the city into the rural area, where they were forced to work in a field. One day, his mother just didn’t come back. He was 2 years old. It is amazing because hardly anyone in the states has ever heard of it. Sun said that everyone has lost someone in the Pol Pot regime. It is so much more raw than the Holocaust. It is almost worse. Yes, Hitler killed a lot more people, but at least he didn’t torture them by pulling out their fingernails and then pouring alcohol on it. Yes, people endured hard labor camps, but from what I have read they were at least able to walk around. Here they were chained into the cells. It is crazy how the survivor just wanted to talk about it.
We left the museum and went to the actual killing fields. There were these mass graves. One had 450 bodies in it. Sun was telling us that how when they kill people, they kill them in brutal ways. After seeing some of the graves, we saw the only thing I know to call it is The Tree. This is a tree where they would hold toddlers by their ankles and bash them into the tree until they died. All of this was done in front of the parents. They also club people rather than shoot them because they want people to suffer and it would have been a waste of a bullet.
They had a memorial set up on the grounds. It was basically this tall tower and they had taken all the skulls that they had found in the mass graves and assembled them. This has caused quite a bit of controversy within the Cambodian culture. Cambodians believe that the body must be cremated in order for the soul to move on. People want to come and collect their loved ones remains and with DNA testing they have been able to identify some, but it is a very long process.
We boarded the bus and it was pretty quiet. It is all a little intense and a lot to take in before lunch. It was just hard to process because by The Tree there was a little boy and little girl just running around and playing and laughing. It was just really spooky. It was way more intense then going to Auschwitz.
Our next stop was the Russian Market. It is called the Russian Market because apparently that is where a lot of Russian people used to shop back in the day, but now they are all gone and it is just a market. We didn’t have a lot of time there, but I bought a couple of silver bracelets and a little Buddha that I am treating as my thimble from Cambodia. One small note about Cambodia is that their economy and currency is so unstable that they use US dollars. Even when you go to the ATM you get US Dollars out rather than Cambodian Riel. The market was crazy though. It was very cramped compared to the Ben Than market.
We went to lunch. I managed to swipe some awesome green chopsticks. My lunch again consisted mainly of rice, but there were a few dishes that were good. The restaurant had these crazy fish that were HUGE! And they looked really grumpy.
We made it to the airport about an hour before our flight to Siem Reap. We had to say goodbye to Sun ☹. He was such an awesome guide. He ranks right up there with John, Sam, and Jamal. But he helped get us checked into our flight and then we said goodbye.
Our flight was on a baby plane again and I sat next to Dr. Strenecky. He read the paper and I read my book and 40 minutes later we were in Siem Reap. We met our new tour guide, who was not as cool as Sun and went to our new hotel. It was much nicer than the one before. There is mahogany wood everywhere, we have a balcony and flat panel TV. There is a peek-a-boo window from the bed to the bathroom. It is so nice. We had some time to kill so we relaxed and watched CSI: New York.
We all met in the lobby at 1630 to go to Angkor Wat. Wat means temple and Angkor is the town. So it is like the town’s temple. Angkor Wat is around 800 years old. It was awesome. I didn’t realize how big it is. Mackenzie and I barely got into to it before it was time to go. We went right at sunset so the lighting was perfect. We only had 45 minutes, but we are going back tomorrow morning at sunrise. But the temple itself is made out of large stone blocks. And there are all these intricate hallways and rooms and worship sites. It was pretty incredible.
After leaving Angkor Wat, we went to dinner. It was in this huge open-air pavilion and was a buffet dinner. The dinner was pretty good and had a wide variety of food. I had some sweet and sour pork, fried rice and spring rolls. The only down side was that the pork had bones in it so that was hard to maneuver.
After dinner, we were treated to a cultural dance show. We had a perfect seat right up front. It was really interesting. They had really elaborate costumes. The dancers are known for being able to bend their hands backward where the tips of their fingers touch their arms. It is the weirdest looking thing ever. They also move really deliberately and slowly and it was pretty neat to watch. One of the dances they did had to do with a boy and the girl in the rice fields and their flirtation. It is just really cool to think that even though I had no idea what they are saying in their language, everyone in the audience clearly understood what was going on in the story.
We hopped back on the bus and it dropped us back off at the night market. It was pretty neat. One thing that I wasn’t expecting was Dr. Fish massage. They have these kiddy pool looking things full of fish. You pay for a Dr. Fish massage and you stick your feet into the pool and then these fish attack your feet and pretty much eat the dead skin off your feet. The little fish looked like minnows and they literally swarmed your feet. It was the most bizarre scene and sensation. I didn’t get one on my feet, but I did put my hand in. I didn’t really like the idea of sticking my feet into this pool on the side of street in Cambodia with hundreds of fish and dirty water, especially when I have a cut on my foot. That is just an infection waiting to happen.
We wondered around the market and I bought a couple of things, well actually a lot of things, but I didn’t spend more than $30. I love Southeast Asia and their prices. The market was really intense compared to the ones in Vietnam. They people actually grab you and pull you back to their stalls. And all they can say is “Madam! T-shirt! Very Pretty! Good price!” It is really annoying. Mackenzie, Kaitlyn, and I grabbed a Tuk Tuk back to the hotel. A tuk tuk is a mix between an auto and a cyclo. It is a motorbike with a seat on the back, but it is two seats that face each other and you can usually fit about 4 people in one. They are much more comfortable than autos, though. I love the tuk tuks. Our driver was really nice and we were able to bargain down out price. Mackenzie loved our driver so much that she got his business card and a picture with him.
We crashed once we got back to the hotel because we have to be up so early for the sunrise at Angkor Wat tomorrow morning.