We left Siem Reap on a high note after a good night in the traditional Cambodian bars of "Angkor What?" and "Temple Bar"...!?...although it did mean we had been awake for 24 hours from 4am to 4am - not ideal prep for a 7 hour bus journey. We struggled through it, with Max's health deteriorating, we met a couple of lads from London doing the same trip as us, and arrived in PP, the capital of Cambodia, at about 7pm on Wednesday.
Probably the most uncomfortably hot and humid place in the world, at this time of year. Coupled with the fact that its a big polluted and dirty city that is too poor to afford airconditioning in its hostels, it made this stop a little bit hellish...and to make things better, we decided to go and visit remnants of genocide while we were here...
We went to the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek on Thursday followed by Prison 21. This is from Wikipedia, explains what its all about...
The Killing Fields were a number of sites in Cambodia where large numbers of people were killed and buried by the totalitarian communist Khmer Rouge regime, during its rule of the country from 1975 to 1979, immediately following the end of the Vietnam War.
At least 200,000 people were executed by the Khmer Rouge (while estimates of the total number of deaths resulting from Khmer Rouge policies, including disease and starvation, range from 1.4 to 2.2 million out of a population of around 7 million).In 1979, Vietnam invaded and toppled the Khmer Rouge regime, which was officially called Democratic Kampuchea.
The Khmer Rouge judicial process, for minor or political crimes, began with a warning from the Angkar, the government of Cambodia under the regime. People receiving more than two warnings were sent for "re-education", which meant near-certain death. People were often encouraged to confess to Angkar their "pre-revolutionary lifestyles and crimes" (which usually included some kind of free-market activity, or having had contact with a foreign source, such as a US missionary, or international relief or government agency, or contact with any foreigner or with the outside world at all), being told that Angkar would forgive them and "wipe the slate clean". This meant being taken away to a place such as Tuol Sleng or Choeung Ek for torture and/or execution.
The executed were buried in mass graves. In order to save ammunition, the executions were often carried out using hammers, axe handles, spades or sharpened bamboo sticks. Some victims were required to dig their own graves; their weakness often meant that they were unable to dig very deep. The soldiers who carried out the executions were mostly young men or women from peasant families.
Needless to say it was horrible morning to be honest, as you walk around there are leg bones and arms bones sticking out of the ground, bits of clothing strewn across the paths and teeth dotted on the floor. Every time the monsoons come, more bones come out from the ground and nearby river. Our guide had lost some of his family too, making it even more harrowing.
Anyway, trying to forget about all this and cheer up a bit, we decided that going to a shooting range was a little inappropriate. Max and I went to the vietnamese embassy to get visas, which they did on the spot for $35 (only 15 days in vietnam though), and then we decided to get back, sit on the windy deck of our hotel, overlooking the lake, and sink a few suds. A massive storm ended that idea, so Max and I decided to try and find some nightlife. Adam and Will, who i think will be with us for a while now, stayed back.
After a night time tour of the city in a tuk-tuk, we resigned ourselves to the fact that we are travelling in low season and nowhere is going to have a buzzing nightlife like we perhaps expected. Everywhere was dead by 11pm, apart from the citys best club, Heart of Darkness, which is supposed to be the rich kids hangout,. I think that it was predominantly full of prostitutes so we had a couple of beers and left.
Next day, we get the bus to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City, and begin a couple of weeks working from south to north vietnam...
sunday night here and nice piece of roast lamb in the oven!
hope the food out there is as appetising! (mom says not to make you feel homesick!)
some amazing pictures on your blog...its been very hot and humid here recently, but not as bad as you're dealing with.
hope max is feeling o.k....you mentioned his deteriorating health....hope you looked after him.
have a great time in vietnam...enjoy the sights, sounds and smells, and keep us all entertained with your "adventures".....take care both of you....love m & d