Cambodia: The Killing Fields and S-21

Today was a long day of sightseeing in Phnom Penh, complete with a depressing tutorial on the Khmer Rouge Regime, several near-death experiences on bicycle through town, and dancing until (almost) dawn.

Erin and I awoke to a dreary, gray morning. As I was looking out our window during my morning stretch and yawn session, I disgustedly discovered what happens to the contents of our toilet after we flush. As previously mentioned, our guesthouse sits on stilts over a large lake in the center of town...let's just say that I understand just how the water gets that strange, murky green color!

After a hearty breakfast, Erin, our new Swedish friend Nicholas, and I rented bicycles and began the hair-raising 15 km ride to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. The peddle through Phnom Penh's all-day motorbike rush-hour is not for the faint of heart, and even the locals gawked at us for our bravery/stupidity. Once we got out of town and the traffic began to clear, the ride became a bit more pleasant, even though we now had to contend with potholes, livestock, and massive clouds of dust.

Finally, sweaty, dirty, and exhausted, we arrived at the Killing Fields. This was the site of the extermination and burial of 17,000 men, women, and children who were tortured and detained at Tuol Sleng Prison during the Khmer Rouge Genocide from 1975 to 1978. Upon entering the site, we circled the Memorial Stupa, which houses, behind glass panels, more than 8,000 human skulls that were exhumed from the fields. We then slowly wandered through the grounds, which contain large holes, former mass graves, and bits of clothing.

After paying our respects to the thousands of innocent people that died here not so long ago, we hopped back on our bicycles and headed north to our next destination: Tuol Sleng Prison. Of course, the day can never go without a hitch, as I discovered by running over a nail, popping my rear tire. Luckily, a bicycle repair shop was nearby, and soon I was back on the road, peddling my little heart out. However, within thirty seconds of leaving the shop, my tire was flat again. Upon further inspection, we found two more holes in my tire. Finally, one hour, a new innertube, and $3 later, we were all once again on our way.

We reached Tuol Sleng Prison, also known as S-21, just in time to watch an hour-long French documentary on the terrors of the Khmer Rouge Genocide. It was a sorrowful tale of war-torn lovers and the tragedies the Cambodians were forced to suffer at the evil hands of Pol Pot. After the film, we prowled the depressing prison, which was formerly a school in the early 1970s. A few of the rooms housed large glass cases that exhibited "mug shots"of many of the thousands of unfortunate prisoners who would later be killed and buried at Choeung Ek. These photos showed the frightened faces of men, women, elderly, and sadly, even babies. (Out of the nearly 20,000 prisoners that were detained at S-21, only twelve managed to survive.) After continuing through numerous small cells and large group containment rooms, we finally got back on our bikes just as the sun was setting.

The ride back to our lakeside guesthouse was much shorter in distance this time, but certainly more frightening in the blackness of dusk. After gutsily maneuvering through erratic rows of roaring motorbikes, hefty automobiles, and exhaust, Erin, Nicholas, and I managed to make it home and into our respective showers safe and sound. After cleaning off the numerous layers of sweat and grime, we all joined a Swedish couple we had met in Laos for dinner.

After dinner, all five of us hailed a tuk-tuk and made our way to the recommended "Heart of Darkness" dance club, which was as seedy a place as it sounds. (I later learned that someone was shot and killed there just a few months ago!) The clientele was mostly dirty old western men, young Cambodian prostitutes and lady boys, and the music was terrible, but we made the most of it and had a great time. Finally, around 5:00 am (and after managing to tear Nicholas away from a crazy, clingy Cambodian girl without too much incident), we climbed into a tuk-tuk and went home.

Today Erin and I are excited about trading in Phnom Penh for the beaches of southern Cambodia!