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Published: January 5th 2007
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A Miserable inside!!!
view from outside of one of the cells used to torture Cambodians before being sent to the Killin Fields!! Current Mood: Shocked and disturbed
This day was a difficult one to say the least!! after going to sort out Hannahs flights for the day and doing the typical old bank withdrawals we went back to our accomidation to book a tour to the locations of The Killing fields and S21 (former Khymer rouge Prison) now the Kyhmer rouge genocide museum!! Not that it was a tour to say the least but with transportation to and from the sights i guess this warrants the 'TOUR' title you see everywhere as part of a top three things to see in Phnom Penh!!
The lonely planet quotes the field as being a 'striking contrast of cambodia today to its dark abys of a recent past'. This quote maybe based on the experience that you will recieve when walking through the grounds listening to the sound of children playing in the school, birds singing and the hustle of tourism whilst catching your feet on bits of clothing peering from the ground!! its overwhelming to the heart and sickening to the gut!! The contrast is heartbreaking!!
On arrival to the fields the first thing noticable is a really well preserved setting that
The Children of the Khymer
made to take part in the killing of hundreds of thousands of Cambodians!! on face value is a very pretty place!! It holds a grand white chuch like building with plentyful space surrounding with weeving pathways fronting a picture perfect lake!! This however , amongst the weeving pathways and on the front of this lake is where many of the atrocities took place in one of the worst Genocidal hapnings known to the last 500 years!!
Approximately 17,000 men women and children were killed in this area and the great white church like building i mentioned earlier is home to the remains (floor to ceiling) of many that were lost in this great conflict! to whitness such a site really has made me appreciate how safe i was at home when growing up attending various schools and clubs that we take for granted!! Walking across weeving pathways that delighniate the areas where nearly 130 mass graves were excavated, Tripping on clothing, spotting bits of bone and r eading scripts of the actions performed by the Khmer rouge really does leave you with fellings of upset and confusion!!
Soo feeling a little bit sickened we head back to the Tuk tuk for our transportation to the museum but not before seeing the
RIP
the worst thing ive ever saw tourist centre seling t-shirts stating 'I have been to the killing fields' which was so out of place i figured its time to leave!! Sorry for not pointing those out Han i just though you wouldnt wanna know!!
So on the Tuk tuk we try to come to terms with what we have just saw in attempts to prepare for the unknown of whats to come but in arriving at Toul sleng pretty quickly i felt a little disorientated!!!
$2 dollar fee entrance as with the fields we enter the site to begin reading into the background information on what is to see and what happened within the grounds!! Not feeling to hot after reading the inscription at the opening of the site we moved further in to explor some of the worst things i feel ive ever saw!!
Toul Sleng consists of two buildings both three floors high and between 8 and 15 Rooms across, Building A acting as Museum to the public and Building B untouched!!
Building A is planned out with open plan rooms with adjoining doors where by you find your self fluttering at no great pace through corridors of Picture frames
all holding images of Children, Women and Men in Mug shot form faced by other pictures of the dead, torture and baracaded windows with a view of Palm trees and a courtyard!! The Mix of Horror and beauty is really off putting!! Building A also was used the same way in which building B was used but now acts as the picture gallery of Toul sleng!!
If Building A wasnt enough for you ( and even though not wanting to) you find yourself wandering towards Building B to see what is beyond the eary looking doorways and Bar secured windows!! I feel its necesarry to leave it at we must thank our lucky stars children at home in most parts can attend schools and when older look back to how easy life was for them and the fun that they had whilst there!!! We must remember that before the Khymer Rouge took control this building was a school that many children should have the pleasure of looking back at with a smile rather than the traumatised memories now thought of by those who experienced or lost people to the Atrocity in the 70's!
Rooms filled with rusted away
Beds, a black and white image of a vicious act taking place and blood stained floors reall; y isnt the type of thing i want to talk on about for hours!!!
Han and i left for a relaxing night out to take our minds from what we just saw!! ive blogged them seperately as i felt it not necessary to display pictures of fun times with some of the horrible images you will see within this post!!! i hope i havnt offended anybody by this blogg!!
Miss you all at home and really wish you all my love!!!
email me really soon guys i would love to hear from you all!!
Love from a Brummy!!!
Niki xxxx
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mom
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hi you two i have read all your stories and they are great, pics are brill, im glad hanna is with u, ave to go now its taken me an hour to type this,kieran, ash, dani, harry send loads of luv and double that from me xxx jason doesnt do mush so sends luv ha ha take care xxx mom xxx kisses from nan xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx