Shanewilson's travel blogs:
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Exploring the sights of Phnom Penh
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WARNING: Some of the photos and information in this entry ARE NOT SUITABLE for children under 15. Get your parent's permission before going ahead.
After an extended sleep-in, I took up Vaesna's offer of showing me his city. His bike enabled us to zoom around from sight to sight, and once again, it was fantastic to tour the city with someone who spoke the local language. I learnt heaps off Vaesna and am very grateful for his friendship and offer to show me his city. One of the main reasons for coming to Cambodia was to visit the Tuol Sleng Museum and Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. In 1975 Tuol Svay Prey High School in Phnom Penh was taken over by Pol Pot's security forces and turned into a prison known as Security Prison 21 (S-21). It soon became the largest such centre of detention and torture in the country. Almost all of the people held at S-21 were taken to the extermination camp at Choeung Ek, southwest of the capital, and were executed. Detainees who died during torture were buried in mass graves inside the prison grounds. During the first part of 1977, S-21 claimed a terrifying average of 100 victims per day.
I couldn't believe how authentic the display was, with gruelling pictures depicting the horrendous acts of the 1970s. After World War 2, I can't comprehend how the world let this happen. I was very much touched by the faces of the victims which are on display for the tourist to see... there was numerous westerners involved, including 1 Australian. I was interested to observe Vaesna's reaction to the museum which was very neutral indeed... no emotion, and he was very keen to get through the museum in record time. Nevertheless, this excursion has left a mark on me as did my visit to Auschwitz in Poland. I've included the pictures I took to provide readers with an overview of what I observed... I would recommend that children under 15 do not attempt to view these.
Other sights I visited included the most amazing Royal Palace, National Museum housing Khmer artefacts and history and the riverside. More thumbnails ...
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