Killing Fields and S-21

In the back on our tuk-tuk on the way to the Heart of Darkness bar in Phnom Penh. These were our new Swedish friends: Nicholas and Anna-Karin. We were searched for weapons at the bar entrance because apparently there was a shooting two months prior at this particular bar. Ooooh, danger... Inside it was definately seedy but we danced the night away to particularly bad music. I had a blast. Nicholas got in a bad situation with a Cambodian girl who told her she would hurt him if he left. Dude, can't a guy just dance with a girl?! This led to a particularly interesting ending to our night... thanks Nicholas!

Tiffany and David in the back of our tuk-tuk.


Some faces of many of the Cambodian children killed during Pol Pot's regime. Unbelievable.

Very disturbing photo of a woman with her baby admitted to the S-21 prison. They were both killed.

My Cambodian friend for the day. I'm embarrassed, but I can't remember his name.

One of mass grave sites at the killing fields.


Skulls on showcase at the killing fields. They were separated into categories. Children/Men/Women.

The glass showcase of skulls located at the killing fields

March 1-2
Phnom Penh

March 1: Today Tiffany and I arrived in Phnom Phen by bus from Siem Reap. As soon as we arrived we were bombarded by taxi, motorcycle, and tuk-tuk drivers trying to sell us the "best deal" for their guesthouse. Before we were even out of the bus two young Cambodian guys pressed their sign up to our window. "No Problem"Guesthouse. $2, $3, $4 rooms available, on the lake. We saw the $2 and we were sold. We didn't care what a dive it might be as long as it was cheap. Next thing we knew we were on the back of a motorbike on our way to "No Problem"Guesthouse which turned out to be a really cute little guesthouse on stilts on the lake, bungalow style. The lake was extremely polluted, but that was besides the point. There was a fun little common area with movies, so for the next couple hours we watched a movie (Supersize Me) and didn't move far from the couch. We met a Swedish guy named Nicholas and made plans for the following day to explore Phnom Penh and all that it have to offer. We didn't have the energy for much else that night.

March 2: Today Tiffany, Nicholas and I rented bicycles and decided to ride to the Killing Fields and S-21 prison. We were advised against this because of the distance but like I said we're always up for an adventure and adventure it was. We cycled about 30 km today and the traffic was so crazy. I was riding on the shoulder and on my left side I had traffic whipping past me and on my right side I had motorbikes coming towards me. It was terrifying at first until I got the hang of it. Even though I was starting to feel confident in the traffic I still managed to have some close calls... shall we say. We didn't see one other foreigner on these roads and we got a lot of stares from the locals. We were the only ones crazy or stupid enough I guess. I was glad to get out of the city. Once out of the city this Cambodian guy on his motorbike rode up beside me and wanted to talk to me. He asked if he could come with us to the killing fields, I said sure. He didn't leave my side for the next 10 km. I think he wanted to practice English but I was getting a little suspicious so when he asked I told him Nicholas was my boyfriend...

The Killing Fields were an area on the outskirts on Phnom Penh where 17,000 Cambodian men, women, and children were brutally tortured and killed between mid-1975 to December 1978 under the regime of Pol Pot. The remains of 8985 people were found in mass graves at this site and more that 8000 skulls arranged by sex and age are in a glass case for viewing. What an incredibly haunting site. As I learn more of the history of the Khmer Rouge I am horrified that such a radical and brutal genocide took place from 1975-1979. Their leader was Pol Pot and he was a former school teacher. He particularly targeted the educated but killed many children and the families of educated men and women in the county. He was Cambodian which is what is so unique about this mass genocide: he killed his own people! Almost 2 million people died under Pol Pot's regime.

Next we went to S-21. It was a former high school taken over by the Khmer Rouge where people were detained and tortured before being taken to the execution fields. There were only 7 survivors total. We looked at all the photos of all the faces that had been murdered. When people arrived at S-21 they all had a mug shot taken and were forced to give a false testimony of some treason that they had "committed"or else they were tortured. It was especially disturbing to see the faces of very young children and even babies... they were ALL killed.

Wow what a heavy day!!! Every person in Cambodia has lost someone: a grandparent, uncle, child, etc. 1 in 4 Cambodians were killed during this period!! I hardly knew anything about this tragedy before coming to Cambodia. It has been an eye opener!