Cambodia is the last country I visited on my current tour through S.E. Asia. Time got the better of me so when I finally arrived I barely had a week to spend between the two main cities of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. However, the limited time I spent there was enough to leave quite an impression that has evoked a lot of thought. I’ve decided to post my impressions of Cambodia in two parts along with events of my travels while there.
If you want to visit a country searching for an identity I recommend Cambodia. I guess that’s what happens when a governmental regime exterminates all those who are educated, business minded, creative, not of a pure ethnic religious background, and/or suspected in anyway of disagreeing with how things are being run.
Cambodia experienced a horrible genocide from 1975 to 1979. Under Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge frighteningly large numbers of innocent people were rounded up and sent to work camps, prisons, and/or executed. The idea was to start the country anew by ridding it of people who were seen as a threat against forming a truly pure Khmer society. If you weren’t seen as pure Khmer death was imminent. Sound familiar? Pol Pot carried out horrid acts of terror amidst his own people for four years until the Vietnamese ran him out in 1979.
By time Pol Pot was dethroned an estimated 2 to 3 million people were dead. A definitive number has yet to emerge as mass graves are still being found. Some graves contain 10’s of thousands of victims. The country was left utterly devastated mentally, socially and economically. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge in their attempt to create some kind of sick pure society destroyed anything and everything Cambodia had prior to Pol Pots reign.
Today Cambodia is on the up and up but it still has a long way to go. Cambodia has been described as a nation overcoming post traumatic stress disorder with a skewed moral compass. The people are a mixed bag of personalities but for the most part nice, friendly, and hard working. However, there’s something missing that’s hard to describe. There seems to be an element of confusion similar to what you might see in a young person trying to find them self. Perhaps it’s because everything seems to be run by people in their teens and twenties. Tourism is really growing and Cambodians are happily taking advantage of the opportunity to make money off of tourist. Things are changing quickly and business is very competitive. Overall, I like the Cambodian people and can’t help but feel a heavy heart for all they have been through.
Deb and I entered the country by boat via the Mekong River from Vietnam with a group of backpackers. The 2 day journey was set up through a local tour operator and everything went fine as we were shuttled from bus to boat to floating hotel to boat to bus. No problems with the border crossing. One thing I’ve learned on this trip is if there is any chance of a problem crossing a border, arrange to cross with a tour group or something of the like. A single westerner or two is much more likely to run into a border scam as opposed to a group of 10 or 20 crossing with a tour group.
Our first stop in Cambodia was Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh is a bustling community of contrasts. It’s a third world city full of new Lexus SUVs, Land Rovers, and Four Runners amidst a sea of motorbikes and motorbike Tuk Tuks which look a bit like a motorcycle pulling a chariot cart. There are plenty of touts from Tuk Tuk drivers and people selling things but unlike other countries they usually take no for an answer the first time. Those who are more persistent do it in a fun loving way so the hassle too isn’t too bad.
Phnom Penh is now seeing a lot of outside investors trying to get in early as the country continues to sort itself out. I’m not really sure who is running the country. I assume there’s some sort of communist government but I’d say foreign capitalist and nongovernmental organizations are pulling all the strings. The upside is that building is happening, infrastructure is taking hold, and rising tourism is pumping the good 'ol American Dollar into the economy. It’s quite odd going to an ATM in Cambodia and having it spit out U.S. Dollars. The dollar is king in Cambodia. Everything over a dollar is dealt in dollars. Everything under a dollar is dealt in the Cambodian currency of Riel. There are no coins and no one wants them. The downside to the upswing is I’m not sure just how much the Cambodian people are actually benefitting from it all. For example, I was shocked to find out that Japan owns the Killing Fields near Phnom Penh where foreign tourist pay $2 each to visit with just a small percentage of the earnings going to a Cambodian black hole known as the finance ministry. I also heard a story about a Korean company that has built hotels and runs Korean tours using only Korean run buses, accommodation etc. In other words some foreign companies may be reaping large profits out of Cambodia by taking advantage of loose trade regulations etc.,. I also suspect corruption is widespread if not the norm.
When Deb and I first arrived we checked into a family run accomodation on the Phnom Penh water front that we dubbed as the Hobbit Hotel. Ten bucks got us a small but clean windowless room with two beds and air con. The low ceilings and yellow painted walls gave the room a wacky feel. Not to mention the short steep steps that led to a narrow hall leading towards the room door. It really was like stepping through the looking glass. When either one of us sat while the other stood the person standing looked oddly disproportionate and large. The size and dimension of the room played tricks on visual perception like a carnival fun house. Turning on the TV and watching a Will Farrell movie after drinking 3 fifty cent mugs of beer just added to bizarreness of it all. It was one of those quirky wonderful kind of places that backpacker travelers like myself love to find.
Our main objective in Phnom Penh was to visit the S-21 genocide museum and the Killing Fields. For me it somehow felt like a chance to pay my respects to humanity. I’d like to say that I wanted to visit in order to make some sort of sense of it all but I knew that would be impossible.
On the recommendation of a friend we chose to visit S-21 first. S-21 was originally a high school that was turned into Pol Pots most notorious prison killing facility. 18,000 passed through its grounds with only few captives making it out alive. There are a number of rooms with a single metal bed and a photograph of a tortured dead victim as it was found when the Vietnamese liberated the prison. That’s the way the tour starts and it’s pretty much all downhill from there. Other buildings were converted into small makeshift rooms with tiny prison cells. Objects of torture are shown here and there. Lots of interpretive panels, set amidst the grounds, explain what went on. The feel and energy of the place is heavy and thick. The horror experienced by those who passed through is unimaginable to me.
In the afternoon we continued on to the Killing fields where victims of S-21 were disposed of. It’s located about 15 kilometers outside of Phnom Penh. The site is made up of a number of mass graves that have all have been exhumed. The thousands of skulls and bones that were collected now lay neatly stacked upon shelves inside a tall tower like Buddhist stupa. It’s a fitting monument to all those who were killed but it’s still hard for me to comprehend what took place on those very grounds. Maybe it’s just too much for a normal human being to fully comprehend such a horribly inhumane event.
The actual setting of the killing fields is quite peaceful with shady trees and footpaths. Deb and I took our time walking around. Ironically there’s a school right next to the site. It was a little odd hearing school children play as we toured the grounds thinking of what once took place there.
Needless to say it was a very heavy day for both of us but worthwhile as well. Somehow I feel like visiting places such as S-21 and the Killing Fields gives me a chance to pay my respects to those who perished under a government run by a mad man. It brings me more in touch with the fact that unthinkable atrocities created by humans really do happen. It’s not just some Hollywood fictional film dreamed up by a dark minded writer. It’s reality. The most horrifying thing I saw, which I also completely blocked out until Deb reminded me, was the baby smashing tree. Try to wrap your mind around that one!?!?!?
After visiting S-21 and the Killing fields Deb and I were ready to get out of Phnom Penh. I think that’s the best thing to do. Phnom Penh has kind of heavy vibe about it and once you visit the places we visited you really just want to move on after that. Our next stop would be much more upbeat as we planned to visit the famous temples of Angkor Wat and the city of Siem Reap. The following day we hopped on a bus at 7:30 am and were on our way…….
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