May 20, 2012

The Lonely Planet said Cambodia was "compulsive and repulsive" and I couldn't have said it better myself. Our first city was Phnom Penh. This was where the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, took over a high school and transformed the classrooms into torture chambers. It was called the Tuol Sleng Prison. There are haunting pictures of all of the victims because they took pictures of each and every one.

Then after they tortured them they drove them out to Choeung Ek and executed them. Choeung Ek is a peaceful area and it's hard to believe how brutally the people were killed. In order to save bullets, women and children were bludgeoned to death. There is a stupa with more than 8,000 skulls and bits of their ragged clothes. The Khmer Rouge wanted to eliminate anyone that was educated, wealthy, and smart and start over with just workers starting with Day 1. Choeung Ek is one of hundreds of "killing fields" in Cambodia where over 2 million people were killed.

What bothered me the most was that this all happened from 1975 to 1979...in my life time! There were only 7 prisoners who survived, and one of them was there that day.

That night we went to a bar by the name of The Heart of Darkness of all things. We got there at around 9:00 and by 11:00 it was was crowded and loud.

An Angkor beer tasted pretty good after such a depressing day.

The next day Ron had an appointment at the American Embassy which was right across the street from our hotel. He was the Public Affairs Officer and he gave us some contact names when Ron returns to Cambodia next month doing research on his next book. He i a great person to know and I think he'll be very helpful.
In the afternoon we just went walking around the city where we found a beautiful temple, a girl selling birds (you buy them from her and let them go while you make a wish), and even people doing aerobics.

My bird bit me! I hope that's not bad luck!

The mode of transportation in this country is the Tuk-tuk, and it's a great way to see the sights instead of a taxi.

The next day we flew north to Siem Reap. The taxi driver from the airport asked us what our plans were and then said he had a Tuk-tuk and would pick us up and take us wherever we wanted to go. Our first stop was Ta Prohm built in 1186 but covered in jungle and only recently rediscovered. It's definitely in the jungle and huge roots of trees protrude over the temple. This was where scenes from Tomb Raider were shot with Angelina Jolie. A lot of the areas are impassable, but it was fascinating to climb around this Buddhist temple.

That evening we had a great buffet and saw a traditional Khmer show. The food was really quite good and we had a fun evening.

The next day was busy. We first took our Tuk-tuk to Angkor Thom. This was a city built by an Angkorian King in around 1180 and has statues of gods and demons everywhere. It was very fascinating.

Entrance to Angkor Thom

It's impossible to describe how huge these temples are. This one goes behind description.

Back on the tuk-tuk to Angkor Wat which is the biggest attraction in all of Cambodia. It's the largest religious structure in the world! Bigger that the Vatican. They are always doing renovation on this place because it's crumbling from the elements. It's surrounded by a moat and the carvings on the walls are unbelievable.

We had to buy T-shirts to cover our shoulders when we climbed to the top.

I think this is the largest place I've ever seen. It just goes on for miles and miles.

It's hard to see the whole thing at once, but we tried! When we got back to the hotel I got a traditional Khmer massage. It was strange. No soft music, or oils or lotions. In fact she had me wear a pair of baggy long pants and a baggy shirt. It was more kneading and twisting rather than a massage, but if that's tradition, then that's the way it is!

The Cambodian people are very friendly and warm and even the tuk-tuk driver was accommodating and pleasant.

Our last evening in Siem Reap was spent on Pub Street. We found a Mexican restaurant of all things, and had a night cap at The Temple Bar.

The next morning our last stop on the way to the airport was (of course) a War Museum. This one had every kind of weapon you can imagine, plus tanks, mines, booby-traps, and it was in a jungle setting.

Our guide was shot up 9 times, even loosing part of his leg during the war. He was a veteran of eleven years in the Cambodian army and spent most of his time in various hospitals and showed us through the grounds.

I could see up close and personal all of the weapons that Ron writes about and was even able to hold an M16A1 in my hands.

Somehow the pink flowered outfit doesn't do it justice!

Our trip to Cambodia was a wonderful experience and now I must pack up my stuff because tonight I fly back to Lubbock.