Phnom Penh, Cambodia

NOTE: The following pictures are a bit graphic, but it is a real reminder of how a government treated its own people. It is important not to forget the atrocities, but to understand them, so that this type of leader or government does not rise again.



Cambodia's capital city, Phnom Phen, has varying facets. It is dazzling but dirty, and has a tragic past but optimistic future.

The city has a number of dazzling temples.



It also had a number of dirty ghettos.



The National Museum contains many Khmer artifacts. Some from the temples that we had seen earlier this week.



As we traveled through Cambodia we really enjoyed talking to the people. They are filled with energy and life. It was pleasant to see all the smiles as we went about. With a very rough history behind them they look toward the future. They are extremely sincere and warm.

Everywhere we go we see creative ways of transport. It is amazing how everyday life for some can be such a novelty for others.





One of the most tragic parts of the Cambodian History was the Pol Pot regime. His reign of terror, 1975-1979, ruthlessly imposed a form of Maoist Communism onto the people resulting in a massive genocide. It is difficult to summarize the magnitude of the atrocities Pol Pot committed against his own people in an attempt to rebuild the once great Khmer empire.

Here is an excerpt from The Peace Pledge Union's website just to get you started.

"All political and civil rights were abolished. Children were taken from their parents and placed in separate forced labour camps. Factories, schools and universities were shut down; so were hospitals. Lawyers, doctors, teachers, engineers, scientists and professional people in any field (including the army) were murdered, together with their extended families. Religion was banned, all leading Buddhist monks were killed and almost all temples destroyed. Music and radio sets were also banned. It was possible for people to be shot simply for knowing a foreign language, wearing glasses, laughing, or crying. One Khmer slogan ran 'To spare you is no profit, to destroy you is no loss."

One of the prisons in which the educated were held and tortured can be visited today. It is known as S21 or Tuol Sleng. It was formerly a high school.



The old classrooms are pretty grizzly. The floor stained from blood, and the beds in which prisoners were strapped to and tortured still remain. Visiting places like this isn't always pleasant.








The guards were required to meticulously keep records of all the prisoners and treatments, just as the Nazis did. It is horrifying to review.



People were hung upside down and beat until unconscious, their heads were then dunked into vats of water so that they would regain consciousness only to resume the treatment. The regime forced people to admit that they were conspirators or had committed crimes against the party. The regime needed "evidence", which they extruded from the torture victims, why the






Photos of torture victims.



One thing that we were told to look for was the generation gap in the population. An estimated total of 1.7 million people were killed during a period which lasted about four years, this being about 20% of the population. Today as you ride down the streets in a Tuk Tuk it becomes strangely obvious that there is a generation of people who are missing. Individuals around the age of 40 to 50 are fewer and further between.





From the city we took a ride out to what is known as the killing fields. The Tuk Tuk rides can be a be a mixture of the pleasant and repugnant as the small three wheeled buggy is open to the street on either side with a canvas covering. This allows you to take in all the smells and sounds first hand. No AC here. Along the way we had magnificent views of rice fields, the aroma of street vendors food, sounds of children playing, and plenty of dust to dull all of the senses.

The equivalent of a general store:

A gas station and tire shop:


Bananas for sale:


Countryside homes:



Houses on stilts above rice paddies. Although scenic, it is quite sad to see the poverty.



We arrived at the killing fields which were situated a ways out of the city. This is where the prisoners from S21 prison were brought when they were tired of housing them. Many other civilians including women and children were also brutally brought, killed, and then dumped in mass graves at this location. Today a monument has been constructed which houses remains of the victims.



The skulls are stacked in layers.



Records reveal that often the execution was done by primitive tools in order to save ammunition. People were bound, blindfolded, and then beat to death.





A photo of the mass graves in the S21 museum.


The remains. Craters amongst trees.


Being that 1979 was not that long ago, remains continue to come to the surface as each rain causes the ground to settle. Clothes can be seen which have not yet fully decomposed, and bone fragments and teeth are scattered about. The reality of it all is very overwhelming when experienced first hand.


Clothes cling to the wall of the sunken pits. Research and excavations show that many were naked when buried.








We returned to the city after a moving afternoon. Visiting these parts of Cambodia was something that we really wanted to do. I believe the experience will stick with us for a while.



Next stop....Vietnam.

The Temples of Angkor Wat: Seam Reap, Cambodia

We left Cambodia by bus and made a hectic border crossing. A tour agency "helped" us acquire our visas and we moved from station to station and bus to bus. When all was said and done we realized that we had paid a little more than if we had done it ourselves, but at the same time it was nice to have someone pointing us to the next desk, checkpoint, or office.

Seam Reap was the Cambodian destination. The legendary, 12th century temples of the Khmer empire, the goal. We arrived late at our guest house and booked a Tuk Tuk ride for the following morning. Sunrise is a coveted time to be at Angkor Wat.



The massive towers, resembling lotus buds, an important icon in Asian culture, were silhouetted in as the sun rose.



The turnout for the sunrise was surprising. There were many jockeying for the perfect spot in the early dawn. Cambodian kids running about getting people coffee and hot chocolate, and selling the option to sit in a plastic chair. About a half an hour after the sun came up the place cleared out as everyone left for breakfast. Chels and I stuck around and enjoyed the enormous complex almost all to ourselves.


When approaching the enormous city of Angkor Wat, you must cross a huge moat on a stone causeway. The city sat on its island with a 2 mile wall surrounding it. Passing through a large gate in the wall you are faced with the grand temple which once towered over the surrounding city.



The access to the ruins is amazing. There are very few restricted areas which you cannot explore.



The below is a view from the Temple tower, looking back toward the gated wall and the moat.



The enormity of the ruins are hard to capture in one frame. As we travel, I don't have the software to stitch pictures and create panoramas. Possibly a fish eye lens will come in the future.



The monks in Cambodia, Thailand, and as we saw later Vietnam, all wear orange robes. They are very easy to spot. They provide a splash of contrasting color to the scenery.


The carvings in the granite walls were numerous. It is amazing that they have survived so many years and remained so intricate. They depicted dances, fashion, relationships, wars, and more.



The Khmer empire's key to feed the masses was the production of rice. They held water in massive reservoirs that the peasants dug by hand. They still hold water to this day, although the rice fields have long been overgrown by the surrounding jungle.


Locals washing their livestock and the children swimming.





Chelsie and I borrowed bikes from our guest house and rode about 30 kilometers around the surrounding area. It was a beautiful ride even though it was hot.


First on the loop were the overgrown jungle temples. We wandered about the ruins of Ta Prohm, the location where Tomb Raider was filmed.



Massive faces stared down in all directions.



Twists and turns allow visitors to wander as if in a maze, passageways, windows, and doors all around.



Some trees, which once dominated, have been pruned back to help preserve the stonework. Large trees twist their roots around large blocks pushing them apart, adding character, mood, and mysticism to the surroundings.





We stopped for lunch. This young one was enjoying her rice.


These guys had made hats from banana leaves and were parading about like little warriors.



This young lady was helping mom clean up.













Inside some remaining rooms and passageways there are pieces of Buddha still lingering. Sadly, many of the statues were destroyed or stolen.









Children, whose parents are vendors, wandered about and played in the ruins. Many children also followed you around pleading for you to buy postcards, jewelery, and other trinkets from them.










The following day Chels and I hired a Tuk Tuk driver to show us some of the more remote ruins.



One of the most fascinating projects that some archaeologists have taken on is reconstructing some of the crumbled ruins. The blocks are numbered, measured and entered into computer programs to more easily solve the puzzle. The complex architecture is then reconstructed.



Pieces, pieces, pieces waiting for someone to put them back together. Different countries around the world sponsor teams to tackle reconstruction projects.




A large gate into the city.





Guards lining a bridge, watching for intruders.




Whew, that was just the start of the ruins and just a few of the photos.
Well stop there and move on.

We stayed at the Golden Mango bed and breakfast. It was a family run operation with moms, dads, brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncles all helping out. Excellent service, wonderful stay.




When checking in I was told that there was a duck pond in the back that I could see if I had time. One evening when we came back, I poked my head out the back door to find a wall. Strange duck pond I thought. I climbed the steps to find a walkway with over 80 crocodiles below. Some duck pond. We found out it was a side business.