Cambodia- Land of Smiles (Part 2)

After our interesting snack stop, we continued on our way until we reached Chheng Ek Village, better known to most as the 'Killing Fields'.
During 1975-1979, Ultra communist Khmer Rouge Regime (UCKRR) converted Choeung Ek into the most barbaric killing field on earth. The regime lead by the infamous Pol Pot slaughtered people in the thousands without mercy and buried them in mass graves. In the years that the Khmer Rouge was in power (around 5 years), almost 1/3 of the country's men, women, children were killed.
I have visited a number of places during my travels that have stirred emotions within me, but nothing to the extent of Chheng Ek. I wandered aimlessly around the area with tears streaming down my face. The horror and the tragedy is incomprehensible, even more so because of how recently this all occurred and the fact that the entire world was oblivious to it!
During heavy rainfall, clothing and bones can still be uncovered on pathways around the area, a gruesome and confronting sight, unfortunately, just one of many at Chheng Ek. Two such things in particular stood out for me, the 'Magic Tree' and the Memorial Stupor. The 'Magic Tree' is a Banyan tree from which a loudspeaker was hung that played revolutionary tunes while people were being tortured, it drowned out the sounds so that no one could hear what was taking place!

Clothing that the rain has exposed

The Magic Tree

 The Memorial Stupor was constructed in 1988 as a lasting reminder of the Khmer Rouge period. It is 62 metres high and contains 8,985 skulls, a tragically awe inspiring site.

The Memorial Stupa at Chheng Ek



8985 Skulls are in the Memorial Stupor


Our next stop was the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh. This horrific place was better known at S-21, formerly the Tuol Svay Prey High School. It was converted into a place of torture, the sole purpose of which was to extract confessions from political prisoners before they were taken away for execution. Nearly 20,000 people are known to have entered Tuol Sleng; of these only six are known to have survived.

The most upsetting part of the visit to Tuol Sleng were the pictures. When the soldiers fled, they left behind over 5000 pictures, many of young children and they are all on show in the Museum, a heartbreaking display to say the least.

The exterior of the Tuol Sleng Museum



The pictures of the children were the most heartbreaking



Some of the 5000 photos on display in Tuol Sleng Museum


The trip on to our hotel in Phnom Penh was a very quiet one for the group, each of us lost in our own thoughts and degrees of sadness. Travelling is obviously about relaxing and having fun in the countries you visit, but another huge element is learning about the rich history and culture, both good and bad and in a country like Cambodia, both play significant roles in shaping the country into what it is today.

The next few days we spent exploring the capital Phnom Penh. We took in the Central Market, the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda and the Riverfront area. Our highlight was dinner at the 'Friends' restaurant, a restaurant run by Mith Samlanh that provides street youths training in the hospitality industry. They were the most wonderful children, so polite and friendly and it is always so nice to be able to give something back.

Have a look at the 'Friends' website below-
http://www.friends-international.org/

The Silver Pagoda

Mum and I enjoying dinner at 'Friends'

Meat for dinner anyone?

After saying goodbye to Pnom Penh we headed south to the relaxed beach area of Sihanoukville for a few days R & R. We relaxed on the beach, drank fruit shakes (some of the group tried 'happy' shakes) and spent time at the 'Starfish Bakery & Cafe', an NGO run garden cafe that offers a little oasis for weary travellers. Starfish provides employment opportunities for Cambodian people with disabilities. All employees suffer from some form of physical disability which makes it difficult for them to obtain employment elsewhere. We enjoyed coffee, cakes, head massages and I even managed to spend the remainder of my money in the store! I never can resist the combination of shopping and helping out the local people!!

Jodie enjoying a fruit shake

Mum and I relaxing at the beach in Sihanoukville



The peaceful beach in Sihanoukville

 One of the most amazing things we saw whilst in Sihanoukville was a hospital patient being driven home from hospital on the back of a motorbike, hospital gown flapping open at the back and drip pole in hand! It made us feel like the idea of using an ambulance is being a bit precious, maybe we Westerners need to tough up a little!

The trip concluded with a night on the Thai island of Koh Chang, we had a wonderful afternoon drinking cocktails by the pool, followed by a seafood dinner on the beach and a drink watching Fire twirlers, a brave venture that was as scary to watch as it was fascinating.

Relaxing by the pool in Koh Chang

Jodie and I having a laugh in Koh Chang



Fire Twirlers



Fire Twirlers

In conclusion, Cambodia is a country that pushed many emotional boundaries for me. I fell in love with the beautiful people, incredible souls who are so optimistic and positive about their future, even given the fact that so many of their family members had their own futures tragically taken from them. I think we could all learn a lot about resilience, forgiveness and healing from the people of this wonderful country.

This blog is dedicated to my wonderful friend and true sister Jodie, you are an inspiration to me and the world would be a better place if more people had a heart like yours.