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Published: September 21st 2010
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We started our afternoon tour with a visit to the Genocide Museum (S-21). We had a local guide that was very knowledgeable. The prison had been a school, but was taken over during the Pol Pot regime. During nearly 4 years of the regime 20 000 people were tortured there. It was a very sad place to be. Some of the buildings have been left as they were at the end of the Regime, with the evidence of the horrors so apparent. There was another building with photos of many of the victims as they were brought into the prison. It was hard to look into their eyes.
After we went just outside of the city to the Choeng Ek Killing Fields. This was the place where all the people from S-21 were taken to be killed and buried in mass graves. 9000 bodies have been recovered and the bones are displayed in a monument, stacked in 18 tiers. As we were walking through, we could see shreds of clothing and bone sticking up from the pathway. The rain always washes up new reminders. There was a museum there that wasn't there when Trev was here before. We found that
The Market
One of many it helped us to understand more about what had lead up to the Pol Pot Regime. There was also information about the genocide tribunal trials that started in 2007. The killing field we visited is only one example of fields all around the country. 1.3 million people were killed by the Khmer Rouge, 1.7 million people died of disease and starvation and further millions fled the country to surrounding countries.
On our way back from the Killing Fields Trev got off the bus with most of the group to walk through a public square. I carried on back to the hotel for some quiet time and journal writing. I met up with them at the FCC for drinks on the 3rd floor patio, overlooking the river. We met the rest of the group and went for dinner at a Khmer restaurant. after that it was off to bed, because we needed to be up early to catch the bus.
Love, Court
It was my second time visiting S-21 and the killing fields and it was not easier knowing what we were going to hear and see. It was good to see though that they have brought some
of the people responsible to justice with the trials starting in 2007 and continuing on to today. After the most of the group jumped off the bus onto one of the main squares, it was a sunday so all the local people were out enjoying the weather, they usually have huge speakers blasting music and tons of people dancing (we were a little early so no dancing was going on but the music was already blaring out, every 20 ft a different song some top 40 some traditional). We then found the food carts (awesome street food) we first sampled the bbq cart which had many unidentifiable meets and other things, they all tasted really good. Then onto the insect cart, silk worms, spiders, crickets, snakes, frogs, and more. I sampled a spider leg, it tasted like teriyaki chicken wings, some others in the group sampled almost everything. Then onto the fruit cart where we tried a whole lot of fruits that i cant remember the names of but all were really good. We then went to the FCC and sat around visiting and relaxing, Court got there after one jar of beer (jug back home, it is the local
Angkor brand that is 5% and was happy hour so was half price at 1.50). Then supper and sleep for the early morning.
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Dave
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LOL
Ok you win! Thanks this picture made me smile. Cheers, Dave