Well, I wasn’t going to write about today, but after a long talk with John, I decided that I needed to share some of what we learned in Phnom Penh and what one out of four Cambodians (3 million) suffered under the despotic rule of Pol Pot between the years of 1975 and 1979. Apparently, Cambodia was another collateral damage from the war on Viet Nam, since the US used the Cambodian border as a launch pad for rockets when all else failed. After the US pulled out, Cambodia was destitute and in shambles, and a perfect stage for a ruler with no morals and strong ideology to enter.
Pol Pot entered Phnom Penh in 1975, fresh from communist indoctrination in France where he attended school, with ideas of a grand new society where all workers would support the common cause. OK, but if you were a teacher (which he was) or a monk, or wore glasses (in other words–maybe a thinker) you were toast.
We first visited one of history’s prominent prisons, a former primary and secondary school, Tuol Sleng (S-21), which was transformed into a torture machine.
Later that morning, we took a car out to the “Killing Fields”. I was not excited about the visit to the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center, but at the end of today, the sad trip gives me much to think about, especially, man’s inhumanity to man. John captured some great photos of the Stupa (the memorial building housing so many remains).
The bottom line to this day for me is that the Cambodian people (all of whom seem young!) are so respectful and cognizant of the impact this sad epoch has had on their history and psyche. The memorial to the killing fields is a short walk with audio (about an hour) with an excellent Cambodian/English speaker (for us anyway–most visitors are European). This experience stimulates thought about what is happening in our world today with innocents.
Upbeat side to our visit, our boutique hotel is darling, the pool a godsend after a hot day, and again, smiling faces acknowledging our enjoyment of our surroundings! What a country!
Teresa Van Haalen Ventures 