Cambodia

We arrived in Siem Reap International Airport at around 10pm. It was a tiny airport. We were picked up by Bou Savy Guesthouse tuktuk driver. Travel time from airport to the guesthouse is about 30 minutes.

Our driver was named Mr. Leng, and he was our driver for the duration of our stay in Siem Reap. He was a man of few words but was very hardworking and patient.

To have a stress-free vacation, we availed of Bou Savy's 3 nights 2 days package for $81.

It includes 3 Nights Accommodation with Twin A/C Room + Daily Breakfast + one time Dinner + Sightseeing tour with Tuk Tuk + Complimentary drinking water for trip + Pick up and transfer services + Free internet, Free WiFi.

The itinerary is as follows:

        - Day One: After breakfast, start to visit South Gate of the Angkor Thom, Bayon, Baphoun, Elephant Terrace, Terrace of Leper king, Takoa, Ta Prom. Break for Lunch. Afer Lunch visit Banteay kdey, Srah Srang and Angkor Wat.

        - Day Two: After Breakfast, start to visit Pre Rup, Banteay Srey, Banteay Samre. Break for Lunch. After visit East Mebon, Tasom, Neak Pean, Preah Khan and Sun Set at Bakheng Mountain.

Since we requested for Angkor Wat sunrise for day 1, we were asked to just add $2. Please check out Bou Savy's website to check other packages.

http://www.bousavyguesthouse.com/

The temple tour was really nice. To get inside the temple complex, visitors must purchase tickets with their photos printed therein, costing $20 for 1 day unlimited entrance to temples, $40 for 3 days and $60 for 7 days.The ticket will be checked and must be shown to the guards prior entry to the temples.

We purchased the 3-day unlimited entry ticket, with 7 days validity. You will notice that my ticket has 2 punch holes on it, meaning I already visited temples for 2 days.

Among the temples in Siem Reap, I enjoyed Angkor Wat sunrise the most. We arrived at the temple at about 5am and it was really, really dark. The temple didn't have any street lights or anything that would at least illuminate the area. We just followed the people with tiny flashlights to the area where the structure was best photographed.

Anyways, at about 5:20am, the silhouette of Angkor Wat started to show. Cameras started to click and there were literally hundreds of people taking photos. Thereafter, daylight started to show up and cameras clicked non-stop. When I have taken enough photos, we left the area and ventured the rest of the complex.

We ventured different temples based on the itinerary of Bou Savy. Our driver dropped us off the temple entrance and waited patiently for us. There are designated parking spaces for tuktuks, buses and private vehicles.

In general, the Siem Reap temples were really amazing, no wonder Cambodians are proud of them. However, after 2 days of non-stop temple-hopping, I felt I had temple overload.  In my opinion, I would have already been nauseous if I visited another temple on the third day. LOL.

Get ready for humidity because the heat, dust and lack of shades will surely take a toll on the body. Considering that November was said to be the best time to visit Siem Reap because the weather was supposedly colder, temperature was still hot at an average of about 35 degrees celsius. Also, please note that there are certain temples that prohibit entry of visitors wearing shorts.

Night life in Siem Reap was kinda nice in Pub Street, near the Old Market. This place is where you'll find most tourists at night having drinks, buying souvenirs, having foot massage or fish massage, sipping a cup of coffee, etc.

During our trip, I noticed these colorful tents along the side streets. According to our driver, someone is getting married and this is the tent used for the celebration.

Every morning, there are a lot of Buddhist Monks collecting daily alms.

And this is serious overloading!!!

En route to Phnom Penh from Siem reap, I noticed that rural Khmer houses are raised a few meters off the ground. This is so in order for the floods not to affect the main rooms. It is also used to provide shelter for livestock.

For my entry for Phnom Penh City, please refer here:

http://ptobias.blogspot.com/2012/11/phnom-penh-killing-fields-s-21.html

 The bus we were in, along with other buses, trucks and smaller vehicles boarded a barge, and the latter crossed the Mekong River for about 10 minutes.

 A few hours thereafter, we exited Cambodia and entered the boarder to Vietnam.

Phnom Penh Killing Fields & S - 21

I am a fan of action and war movies. However, there are only a few that I really, really like -- Bourne Trilogy, Kill Bill Vol. I & II, Saving Private Ryan, The Pianist, The Killing Fields, Black Hawk Down, to name a few.

When I booked my trip to Cambodia and Vietnam, and having seen the movie “The Killing Fields” quite few times, I realized the trip was my opportunity to see the real “killing fields” in Phom Penh and know a bit more about Khmer Rouge regime.

A day after arrival in Phom Penh from Siem Reap, we hired a tuktuk for US$15 to take us to Choeung Ek Genocidal Center and to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.

 

Choeung Ek Genocidal Center

Choeung Ek is a memorial park located about 15 kilometers south of Phnom Penh. Entrance fee is US$5, inclusive of an excellent audio guide. This is said to be the site where the Khmer Rouge executed/murdered more than 20,000 out of the over 1 million innocent victims between the years 1975-1979. While there are several ‘killing fields’ all over Phnom Penh, this site is the most popular one. Mass graves containing almost 9,000 bodies were discovered after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime.

 

Upon entering Choeung Ek, I noticed a tall structure, which I later came to know to be a stupa, a Buddhist religious monument. The commemorative glass stupa is said to contain more than 5,000 human skulls, neatly arranged in layers, and segregated according to age brackets, many of which were shattered or smashed.

To commemorate the victims of the massacre, a memorial park was built within Choeuk Ek. The audio guide explains what happened in a particular spot.

Shallow mass graves:

What depressed me the most is finding out that in this Chankiri Tree or Killing Tree, children and infants were smashed against it so they wouldn't grow up and take revenge for the death of the members of their family, who supposedly committed crimes against the Khmer Rouge. As I looked at this tree, I thought about my niece and nephews and every children I know. Just the thought of banging their heads on this tree until they die makes me want to throw up. It was really heart-breaking.

Bones, teeth and clothing of victims were found in several excavated mass graves. These were neatly placed in glass receptacles.

Here are some more photos around the site.

The audio guide says that innocent people were beaten to death to save bullets. Women were beaten until they passed out, raped then killed. Entire families were murdered so that no one would be left to seek revenge. 

After hearing all the sad stories, we left Choeung Ek for Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. It is located in the city proper, near the Russian Market.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

The site was formerly the Chao Ponhea Yat High School and was renamed “Security Prison 21 (S-21)” by the Khmer Rouge and became a torture and detention center.

When the Khmer Rouge was in power, the classrooms were converted into tiny prison cells and torture chambers, and all windows were covered with iron bars and barbed wire to prevent escapes.

Upon arrival at the S-21, the prisoners were photographed and were held for about 2-3 months. These were the Rules that every prisoner must know.

 

During their captivity, the innocent victims were interrogated, beaten, tortured and coerced to admit whatever crimes the Khmer Rouge wanted them to admit, and then killed. These were the places where the interrogations and tortures happened:

 

 

It was said that medical experiments were performed on certain prisoners. Inmates were sliced open and had organs removed with no anaesthetic. Others were attached to intravenous pumps and every drop of blood was drained from their bodies to see how long they could survive. The most difficult prisoners were skinned alive. (Andrew Malone, 2009-09-10, Daily Mail London).

Some of the tortured prisoners in S-21 were taken to Choeung Ek to be killed with the use of iron bars, pickaxes, machetes and many other makeshift weapons. They were thereafter buried in mass graves.

  

Out of an estimated 17,000 people imprisoned at S-21, there were only seven known survivors. It was said that these people were spared by the Khmer Rouge because they possess skills that might be helpful to them.

I literally got teary eyed when I saw these photos of the innocent victims of the Khmer Rouge. There are more photos of the victims but I will no longer be posting them.

 But these two photos moved me the most. They looked so helpless...

There's a corner in Building B where several arts about peace were exhibited. It eases the feelings.

Visiting these two places were very informative but was absolutely heart-breaking... Not an enjoyable place to visit, although it is one that should be done. However, this sad place is not suitable for the faint-hearted and children below 13 years of age.

It was an experience that will remain with me for a long time. If what happened here does not move you, I do not know what would.