Cambodia
Aurelia and I took a boat from Chau Doc (Vietnam) to Phnom Penh (Cambodia) by boat, getting off to go through customs and get our passports stamped...all very strange!
Phnom Penh was an interesting city, gorgeous Royal Palace and temples around the city mixed in with local markets and restaurants.
There is also a dark side to this city, as there is so much history here regarding the mass execution of Cambodians by the Khmer Rouge. We spent a few days here, went to the Toul Svay Prey High School, or Security Prison 21 (S-21) which was taken over by the Khmer Rouge in 1975 to 1979 and was used as a prison where they interrogated and tortured over 20,000 men, women and children. These people were then taken to Choeung Ek (now known as the killing fields) and executed. It was horrible to see the pits at the killing fields where they would dispose of the bodies.
In all, 2 million people died from 1975 to 1979 under this regime, a quarter of the Cambodian population. As hard as it was to see the S-21 prison and the killing fields, it was good to open my eyes to this, see it first hand, and gain some understanding about the suffering and history of the people here.
Travel is just as much about learning about the world and other people....as it is about learning about yourself.
Phnom Penh was an interesting city, gorgeous Royal Palace and temples around the city mixed in with local markets and restaurants.
There is also a dark side to this city, as there is so much history here regarding the mass execution of Cambodians by the Khmer Rouge. We spent a few days here, went to the Toul Svay Prey High School, or Security Prison 21 (S-21) which was taken over by the Khmer Rouge in 1975 to 1979 and was used as a prison where they interrogated and tortured over 20,000 men, women and children. These people were then taken to Choeung Ek (now known as the killing fields) and executed. It was horrible to see the pits at the killing fields where they would dispose of the bodies.
In all, 2 million people died from 1975 to 1979 under this regime, a quarter of the Cambodian population. As hard as it was to see the S-21 prison and the killing fields, it was good to open my eyes to this, see it first hand, and gain some understanding about the suffering and history of the people here.
Travel is just as much about learning about the world and other people....as it is about learning about yourself.
posted by Mary at 4:11 p.m.
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