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Published: August 12th 2008
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Skulls
Skulls found in mass graves in phnom penh "Feel this here...."whoa what is that?" "That is a ball bearing from a mine I stepped on". "Can you feel the shrapnel in my arm?" "Right here?"..."OUCH!, yeah there." "Oh my god I'm sorry....it's ok." The shrapnel is quite close to a nerve, if it gets pushed to hard it hurts, but don't worry I'm ok. In total I have stepped on four mines, lost one leg have about 40% vision in both of my eyes due to explosions and bazooka flames. I have been shot eight times and lost many friends and family members during the Khmer Ruege, but I am strong, and I'm hot....it's a hot day today, no?, so which one of you wants to hold the Ak-47?"
This is just one of the crazy conversations and times I had in Cambodia. In total I was there 11 days and visited the majority of 3 cities. I ate some of the best food and drank some of the best smoothies the world has known. Rode in tuk tuks into on coming traffic, rode on the back of "motor transport"(scooter) with bags packed up a jungle road. Swan in the ocean and visited one of the most amazing
traffic laws
The many forms of transportation places and should be considered one of the wonders of the world if it isn't already, Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. Slept in Hammocks. Taken to a bordillo. haggled my way through markets. Dressed like a "local", which means standing out entirely as a tourist. Having a few of the local beers (Angkor), and tried to take in as much of this country as I could. I have traveled a lot as a kid and I'm so lucky for having that chance to go, and my parents have showed my sister and I that seeing and trying new things and meeting new people is what traveling is all about and I love them for that. Now having seeing many different cultures and sights and smells, I will say with out a doubt that Cambodia is one of my favorite places I have been. The people are so friendly, and even when they are trying to drag you into there tuk tuk or into the store, they do it with a smile and never push you too much. The food is delicious, curry's, amok, bbq prawns, fresh fruit smoothies, and they make a damn fine burger for an Asian country. The
instrument of Torture
These are the beds that prisoners were chained to and then tortured or killed. sights and the cities are truly different than most places I have seen, and especially the temples, great chaotic structures that look menacing and spiritual at the same time.
Phnom Penh-
We arrived at the airport to find our hotel folks there with signs and smiles. They took our bags and hurried us down the road towards the hotel. The hotel was nice, clean and even had A/C. That night the driver asked us if we wanted to go to a bar or disco, and since we just arrived we thought not so long and hard and took our first of many tuk tuk rides to a bar a few blocks away. Now I say bar loosely here. You can buy drinks and there is a physical bar, but besides that there are other reason's that this places stays open. He dropped up us of in front of the bar and drove off with a big grin across his face. We sat down at a table outside and we welcomed by a Cambodian "waitress" who was quite friendly. Now Justin and I being fresh of the plane no more than an hour and sitting on a patio of
Tangible reminders
There are still instruments and chains used by the khmer ruege in the rooms. a bar with overly friendly waitresses, didn't quite realize what was happening entirely till we walked inside the bar to get a second beer. There we found 12-14 girls, all looking way to much like trouble heading our way. They grabbed us a sat us at the bar while we had one VERY uncomfortable beer. I remember sitting there looking at Justin and laughing out loud while a "waitress" sat right next to me burning a whole in the side of my head. We drank our beer, paid the tab and left in one of the best awkward silences ever. Outside we started laughing again, and made our way back to the hotel to sound of giggling tuk tuk drivers and hotel clerks.
If you have heard of the Khmer Ruege, you know that seeing what that regime did to it's people, and the scar that it left on generations to come is quite depressing and very real. We spent our first full day visiting such places as "the killing fields" and the S21 jails. The killing fields are a series of mass graves that held everyone from doctors, teachers, politicians, children, and the everyday Cambodian. The genocide happened not
lost
A small village our bus stopped at, she looks as lost as me. to long ago, in fact you can still find articles of clothing left by the victims next to the graves. It is still a deep and painful wound for many that live in Cambodia today, for the simple fact that many of them were alive during this time, and had to witness and live through this atrocious period.
After spending most of the day walking through these places, Justin and I decided to call it a day and headed to a grocery store near by and sample every type of beer that they offered, and headed back to the hotel for a night of beer and comedy's on HBO. If there is one thing that would make us feel better it is beer and King Pin.
The next day we loaded our backpacks on a bus and headed to Siem Reap.
To be continued...
Also sorry for the lack of pictures, I will get them up shortly. Until then use your imagination.
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