Day 57 - Genocide

Our Cambodian Geonocide education continued with a visit to the Killing Fields this morning, which was slightly delayed by a bakery serving a very pleasant breakfast (which we did not want to leave) and by the chaotic Phnom Penh traffic (which we could have lived without). In any case, we had just about enough time to have a thorough visit and still make our bus to Siem Reap.

Unlike S21 (the prison we visited the day before, where the “enemies of the Angkar” were detained before being sent to the Fields for execution) the structures built by the Khmer Rouge were torn down by the Vietnamese shortly after the invasion of Phnom Penh. What remains is a peaceful memorial to the victims of this insane regime which, although built around mass graves where thousands of bodies are still buried, basically provides a setting and a context to the excellent audio guide (included in the price, as the visit would be very incomplete without it).

Over the course of about an hour, we could hear shocking details about how the executions were carried out, from the “magic tree” that played loud revolutionary music in an effort to muffle the sounds of the wailing victims, to the “killing tree”, where babies were murdered in a more brutal and inhumane way than you can probably imagine.

The large memorial stupa in the middle of the park is filled with skulls that have been catalogued and examined, and is a thought-provoking yet serene place. While it can been interpreted as an attempt to shock the visitors, it personally felt like more of an effort to increase awareness of just how twisted the minds of the Khmer Rouge were, and most of all to make sure it does not happen again. And by “it” I do not just mean Genocide but especially the revolting skepticism regarding the refugees, who from the beginning shared their inside view on what was going on in Cambodia but were promptly ignored, as the West was too busy worrying about its stupid Cold War to pay attention to the mindless extermination of millions of innocents. The last 24 hours left a pretty strong dent on my perception of mankind and just how twisted and evil we can be when the wrong people are given too much power.

The rest of the day as spent inside a bus to Siem Reap, which we made by a matter of minutes after being (once again) stuck in traffic on the way back to our hotel. Despite this, I leave Phnom Penh with a very good impression of a pretty hip place, with friendly people and a cool vibe. Our destination, in stark contrast, has the feel of the World’s biggest gift shop, where the constant hassling reaches Indian levels. In any case, our arrival in Siem Reap was shortly followed by a biblical downpour, which will hopefully clear the skies for the big day tomorrow (and by “big” I mean “getting-up-at-4am-big”). Keep your fingers crossed for us…

Cheers,
J-Wowww