Our Trip
In December of 2008, we decided we’d spend Christmas in Cambodia. We traveled with another family knowing we’d be visiting a lot of temples and learning a lot about the tragic history of Cambodia. We thought it’d be more fun for the kids to have friends to run around with when they were bored. Our first stop was 2 nights in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. When we arrived we took a 20 minute taxi ride and checked into the Phnom Penh Hotel. This hotel was nice with decent food. It had a nice pool for the kids but I wouldn’t say it was exactly “kid friendly”. The kids were told many times to stop jumping off the edge into the pool. I saw nothing wrong with this as I was there watching and they are old enough to know not to slip. So for that reason I would not recommend this hotel to families. Now on to our itinerary…
The first day we visited the Tuol Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields which became the largest center of detention and torture in Cambodia. It was here between 1975 and 1978 during Pol Pot’s rule over Cambodia that prisoners were tortured then taken to the killing fields to be killed and buried. The 17,000 people that died before making it to the Killing Fields at Tuol Sleng, while being tortured, were buried on the prison grounds.
The museum was originally a high school and was renamed Security Prison 21 or (S-21) in 1975 during the Khmer Rouge regime. It is here that the classrooms were used for prison cells and interrogation chambers. All prisoners were chained to the floor and walls and were tortured so badly that they usually confessed to anything to end the agony. Most prisoners were Cambodian but there were a few Americans, British and Australians.
The logic, if you could call it that, was that anyone with an education or anyone not from around there or even anyone with glasses was a threat and needed to be interrogated. People of all ages as young as babies and older were killed. As if to boast, the Khmer Rouge filled the walls with photographs of different prisoners and how they were tortured and killed.
Needless to say, Sean, Sophie and our friend’s son stayed at the hotel during these visits but they were given a full lowdown on the history and Sean especially spent many hours on the internet before our trip looking at pictures and reading about the country he was going to visit. He decided on his own he did not want to see the violence that happened here. So I stayed back to watch the kids while the adults and our friend’s 10 year old toured the devastation. I think children 10 years and older should definitely go to the museum and the killing fields. It’s a huge part of Cambodian history and defines the Cambodian people and who they are today. Even though they will be the most heartbreaking stops of your trip I believe the least we can do is pay our respects knowing our sorrow is nothing compared to what they endured.
The Killing Fields was the next stop and was the place where prisoners from Prison 21 and elsewhere were to be killed after they had been starved, interrogated and tortured. When entering the Killing Fields there is a glass stupa housing 8000 skulls of exhumed bodies from mass graves.
Fun Facts & Tips
Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia and has a population of approximately 2 million and is situated at the junction of the Mekong and Tongle Sap rivers.
Since we visited Phnom Phen, one of the guards at Tuol Sleng, Kaing Guek Eav or Duch, is standing trial for his actions and could face life in prison. Unfortunately, Cambodia does not allow the death penalty so life in prison would be his maximum penalty. He said he feels remorse and apologized to all the living relatives. He also cited gruesome details of that time period only verifying what we already know. His verdict and sentence should be determined early in 2010.
Pol Pot died in 1998 and currently his grave is considered “good luck” in winning lotteries. His grave is becoming a tourist attraction for this reason. It all started with a woman claiming the lottery numbers came to her in a dream delivered by two snakes coming from his grave. And, there are many people still alive today that see that time period as a time of purity and good for Cambodia. This in my opinion is just crazy.
Cambodia is by far the poorest country we've visited. Our sobering experiences in Phnom Penh showed us how difficult it is for a country of fun loving people to get back on their feet after facing the horrible devastation caused by Pol Pot's rule over Cambodia leaving over 1 million people slaughtered and buried in mass graves.
Scott's excerpt on the Killing Fields:
Walking around the mass graves you could only help but wonder if the trees could talk – what would they say? The area reminds one of a country home’s back year… complete with trees, brush and uneven / rolling landscape. Only the rolling / uneven landscape was residue of the mass grave pits dug by the prisoners themselves before they were executed and thrown into the pits. Walking around the trees, pits and the area in general you still look to the ground and see shards of clothing and even bone fragments protruding from the ground. It’s not uncommon to look down and find teeth and bone fragments like one would find weeds in your yard. And the trees – if they could talk – they would cry because they too were used as weapons. Executioners would hold babies and small children by their legs and beat them against the trees until they died. Some of the mass graves still have yet to be exhumed. It was amazing – sickening – to imagine this beautiful countryside was once a scene of such organized and appalling area of human torture and death.
Welcome to Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Sitting Buddah at Royal Palace.
The second day we toured the Royal Palace. The Royal Palace was and is the principle residence of the royal family of Cambodia. When we visited the king was not there, but I would have loved to see him. The grounds are quite large with lots of buildings with stories about both Buddhism and Brahmanism depicted in the sculptures and pictures on the walls. The buildings roofs and towers symbolize prosperity while the yellow and white paint on them symbolize Buddhism (yellow) and Brahmanism (white). Anyway, there are lots of beautiful buildings to see with lots of stories and history to be told and of course, monks to be seen. I’d recommend a visit to the Royal Palace if you visit Phnom Penhm.
Monk standing in front of the Napoleon III Pavilion at the Royal Palace.
After visiting Tuol Sleng and the Killing Fields everyone needed a break and we decided to take a Mekong Sunset River Cruise. The cruise was on a little boat that we had to ourselves with plenty of beer on hand for the adults.
Mekong River Cruise. Very luxurious!
After the cruise we went to a wonderful restaurant on the river called “The Titantic”; a place for the whole family as they served authentic Khmer food as well as western food for the kids. The fish amok was outstanding. It was a good ending to a sobering day.
During our time in Phnom Penh we went to two markets the Russian Market and Central Market. No need to go to both. I enjoyed the Russian Market much more. Very good bargains can be found here with lots of vendors selling unique, Cambodian artifacts. I really enjoyed this market and wish I could have spent more time here. Unfortunately the family was in tow and not interested in fighting the crowds in search of Cambodian treasures.
Fancy airplane we flew from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap.
It wasn’t until 1978 when Vietnam invaded Cambodian that the torture ended and Pol Pat was defeated.
I didn't include any pictures of the Killing Fields or Tuol Sleng Museum because even if I had gone, I wouldn't feel right displaying them in our website. The internet is filled with pictures if you are interested.