The Killing Fields

Trip Start Aug 17, 2008
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Trip End Aug 16, 2009


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Where I stayed
Green Guesthouse, phnom penh, Cambodia
(Phnom Penh hotels)

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Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Cambodias capital Phnom Penh is a strange sort of a place and we ended up staying in a strange area there, away from any other backpackers. We spoiled ourselves with a 12 dollar room with aircon and a tv, and watched a lot of tv at night.
We hired another personal tuk tuk for the day and first went to see the S-21 Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum which was a school that was converted into a prison during the Khmer Rouge regime. It was a harrowing but educational experience looking at the cells, torture beds, torture instruments, skulls and photos of victims, some quite graphic. The prison rules sign summed up life for the inmates. Worryingly it seems most of the bad guys went unpunished; usually pleading ignorance combined with a population that wanted to move on helped them get off the hook.
Next up on our fun tour were the killing fields just outside the city. Lots more skulls and mass graves greeted us here where the inmates from the prison were disposed of.
After such a heavy day, we needed to take the edge off. We found some happy hour beers in an Irish bar, played some cards, booked a bus for Vietnam and retreated to our hotel for some light, air conditioned television viewing.
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