Cambodia (Part 1)

The train ride from Bangkok to the border was comfortable and it was nice to see the Thai countryside from the open air windows. We hopped off the train into a Tuk-Tuk to take us the remaining 3 kilometers to the border. Entering Cambodia via land is a widely known nightmare. We did extensive research to make things go smoother, but of coarse identified new issues. Visa scams are everywhere approaching Cambodia and bus and tour scams line the streets, especially on the Thai side. When we finally found the official place to get our Cambodian Visa, we learned that the price had been increased from $20 to $35. This went into effect October 1^st... the same day we were crossing the border. Cambodians use Riel and the US dollar, but everyone wants US dollars so reil bills are only really used for small change under $1 US. Anyway, we didn't have enough dollars to pay the new fee. So we are stamped out of Thailand, but not into Cambodia in this limbo (ATM-less) zone. Brian walked around for an hour trying to find more money, only to find people that wanted to take his money. The only businesses in limbo were casinos, but they had no ATMs. I half expected Brian to gamble with our dollars to get enough for us to cross the border. In the end a casino manager recommended that Brian simply walk a quarter of a mile into Cambodia, use the ATM and come back. So Brian walks without a passport, without identification through the Cambodian border to the ATM and back across the border... no questions asked. We were able to pay for our Visas, legally cross into Cambodia and catch a bus to Siem Reap. The bus ride was terrifying, as Cambodia's roads are in really bad shape. It didn't help that our driver stopped for a few 8% beers on the way. 

We only spent 2 nights in Siem Reap, since the areas main attraction is Angkor Wat. It's not uncommon for people to buy a week long pass to visit the temples of Angkor Wat, but we bought a 1 day pass and were satisfied with out visit. Built in the 12^th century, Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world and was originally Hindu, but is now Buddhist. Some of the temples are being devoured by large trees. Various parts have been restored, while other remain in their historic toppling state. Large sandstone bricks were transported 25 miles to the site of Angkor Wat. The temples were first discovered by the western world when a French botanist discovered them deep in the jungle. 

During our 2 nights in Siem Reap we noticed that there were amputees everywhere. Sitting at lunch we were discussing what that could be when a land mine victim came up to us selling books about Cambodia's land mine problems. There are about 50,000 amputees in Cambodia. Most mines were laid during the Civil War in the 1970's and up to 6 million land mines are still buried in Cambodia's rural areas. Men working in fields and children playing in the countryside are the most common victims. 

Avoiding another crazy bus ride, we paid a little extra money to take the best night bus service in Cambodia to the city capital, Phnom Penh. The sleeper bus was pretty comfortable and we only woke up once to severe bumpy road conditions. I think our comfort levels are skewed after 8 months sleeping on rocking sailboats. 

Visiting the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek was an eye opening experience. From 1974-1979, Cambodia's communist party, the Khmer Rouge, was responsible for the deaths of over 3 million Cambodians. Before the Khmer Rouge's reign the population of Cambodia was 8 million. The political party was a peasant party and main targets for execution were city dwellers, professionals, monks, ethnic minorities, foreigners, proponents of a free market system and any intellectuals. Ironically, the leaders of the Khmer Rouge were very educated, mostly by French universities. City populations in Cambodia were at an all time high since rural dwellers feared for their safety when bombs were being dropped in Vietnam and Cambodia, targeting the Viet Cong. The Khmer Rouge required all cities in Cambodia to be evacuated and their residents sent to designated sites in the country side to join the peasants in hard labor, essentially slave labor, to increase Cambodia's productivity. Conditions were deplorable and families were separated, since citizens' primary allegiance was to be to the state. Men, women, and children alike spent 12-15 hours a day working as groups in the fields and faced frequent starvation.

Formally an orchard, the Choeng Ek Killing Field is now a mix of shallow pits (excavated mass grave sites) and mounds (unexcavated mass grave sites.) A Buddhist Stupa was built near the entry of the fields an now holds more than 8,000 skulls of victims. Murders at Choeng Ek were extremely violent and bullets were valued and seldom used. Women, children, and even babies were violently killed. The Khmer Rouge believe that if a man was executed, it was important that the family also be killed to prevent a generation of resentment and revenge. Because of the rainy season, it is common for material to surface from the mass graves. Pieces of clothing, teeth, and both small and large bones are scattered around the site. We were very impressed with the 2 hour audio tour that was included in our admission fee. 

Before being brought to Choeung Ek for execution, prisoners were held at S-21, a high school converted to torture prison. The facility is now the Tuol Sieng Museum. Khmer Rough leaders kept meticulous records and photos of prisoners as they arrived at the camp. These haunting “mug shots” are now displayed at the museum in the form of rows and rows of photos. When the Vietnamese liberated Phnom Penh (1979), there were only 7 survivors still at the prison. Two of those survivors were at the museum selling and signing books about their survival stories. 

Experiencing the Tuol Sieng Museum and Choeung Ek was fairly overwhelming. It's difficult to comprehend that almost a quarter of the country was so brutally murdered just 35 years ago. Phnom Penh has done an excellent job rebuilding and striving to honor the lost generation that once called the city their home. 

We roamed around the Central Market and Night Market eating Cambodian treats with the locals. Brian wouldn't eat the fried grasshopper, but Lauren ate a squid with a cucumber piece inside. Cambodia has great noodles mixed with vegetables, iced coffee, and fresh fruit juices. After the night market, we had our favorite 50 cent beers on the river and watched lights go by.

The recent civil war and genocide hangs a dark cloud over Cambodia buthe people are very friendly, light hearted, and optimistic. From Phnom Penh we traveled to the Cambodian coast... Update to come in Cambodia Part 2!