Right, goodbyes over with, back to Cambodia. We (Me, Raechel and Diana, yes Ive got female company for a change) took another torturous bus ride for 6 hours to Phenn Phom (I have pronounced this is numerous ways and probably spelt it wrong too). Same, same, bumpy bumpy ride through the country but luckily I managed to get some shut eye this time (thank you valium!) which was a good job because we had the added bonus of a TV on the bus blaring out Cambodian video Karaoke, an unbelievably, intolarable viewing I can tell you.
Upon arriaval at the "bus station" its the similar situation of puttin one foot on terra firma and a dozen or so taxi drivers giving it the old "Where you go? You want tuk tuk? Where you stay? Hello mister" etc, etc, so we pick a place and pile in. Very basic but has a lovely resteraunt (one day Ill get it right :) ) with sunset views over the lake:
So, Phenom Penn is the capital of Cambodia and probably best known for its terrible and very recent history. I knew diddly squat about Cambodia let alone its history so this was a good chance to catch up. If you want to find out for yourselves check:
but in a nutshell, Communist leader Pol Pot, took over the city and the country and got stuck into a nice bit of genocide getting everyone to work pratically as slaves doing falming at the same time as starving them to death. Anyone with a remote bit of intelligence (doctors, teachers, students etc) or links to westeners were shipped off to S21, a school turned into a prison and tortured for information then murdered and buried in a mass grave. The mass graves became known as the Killing Fields. So, visiting the killing fields and S21 in the same day is a really lovely day out.
The Killing Fields has a load of dug out pieces of earth where they dicovered all the dead bodies of the common people. Nearly 9000 bodies were found at this one site and there are a load more mass graves yet to be exuhmed this day. There is also an erected building in the middle where a massive cabinet containing all the skulls of the dead are stored. Im guessing they dont want people to forget the atrosities and it bloody works. Then after that we go to S21, the school turned into a prison turned into a museam. An errily and equally as grim place. From outside it looks quite nice. A multi-tiered school with palm trees and lots of open spaces. However, peer into one of the many rooms and you'll find a sole steel bed, complete with shackles under a blunt photo of the tortured dead body found on it. Nice. Then a big room filled with all the mug shots of all the prisoners that were killed. Very unpleasant looking at a wall of faces looking back on you knowing they were all tortured and murdered. Lots of graphic photos of mutilated and starved corpses too and some crude oil paintings of an 'artists impression' of the torturing in progress. Then, a corridor with a wall of wooden prison cells to walk through. It made it all the more creepy looking at the graffiti on the walls where the kids in the school (when it was a school) had done drawings of cartoon cowboys from the 60's (All this terriblness happened between 1975 and 1979 folks) so it kinda hits home how recent this all happened. Towards the end there is a room with photos of all the Communist leaders at the time including the big boy Pol Pott. Some of the more ill-literate previos visitors to the museam had vented their anger and frustration by defacing the photo with such witisisms as "Cunt" and "Fat Fucker" along with lots of Cambodian scrall too. But the more perservierent vistitors can find a book to write down comments. There was also a wall which appeared to be a host for visitors graffiti. Most of it was filled with things like "How can this happen?!?" and "Never forget!". Then you see "This is Communism. Go U.S.A!!!" with a load of other bits hanging off it slagging off America and the occasional dicks that reside within. Amongst all the peace messages and USA flaming there was a little beauty that I spotted that shone through; "Cymru am byth" (Wales is great). Probably not the most appropriate, sensitive or even relavent thing to write on a wall in a museum dedicated to the torture and mass genocide of an Asian country by an evil Communist leader, but it did raise a smile on my face through all the grimness. Good to see Wales had its finest ammassadors out that day.
After a double 'Whammy!' of depressing viewing, we had cleverily organised one final trip of the day to visit an orphanage to instill some hope into our hearts. And Im so glad we did. It was great. We just turned up out of blue and started mucking about with kids. And its so amazing to see such grattitude. They absolutley love you and just run up to you and grab onto you. If kids were like that in schools in the UK id be a teacher. Being honest, Ive not had much experience with kids (appart from my wonderful nephew) so I was a little nervous going into a school full off 'em as I had no idea what to do. But it kinda came off naturally. I just turned into a kid myself and sat myself down and taught a kid how to draw Garfield. Within seconds I had about 6 kids all round me watching my every move and making their own interpretations of my Garfield. Outside there are smaller kids (3 - 5 years) bollocking about in various states of nakedness. Some of the older kids wanted me to play football with them. For all those whove seen me play football, this was a great way to show myself up being beaten by a load of 8 year olds so I managed to persuade them for a bit of one on one basketball. The little bastards still managed to beat me though going through my legs and dodging past me. Got one up on them though as I could slam dunk and they weren't tall enough (yeah, now whose laughing son, eh). Raechel, who does hip hop dancing lessons for street kids back in Manchester, managed to get pratically the whole school mimicking her dance routine. It was really up-lifting see all these kids having a whale of time from something so simple that we gave them. Many of these kids had been raped, abused or had HIV so it was so nice just give to these kids. After a very pro-longed goodbye to the kids we left with happy hearts. We'd been from death to life in the peroid of 6 hours.
To top off our goodwilling we went out that night to a resteraunt that was staffed by street kids (kinda like Jamie Olivers Kitchen back home). However, Raechel got the Bangkok belly halfway through and spent the next 24 hours throwing up. Food was good though.
So that was Cambodia. I remained sober for 3 nights which is a new record! Didnt last though. There is a term out here in travellers world known as 'Flash-packers'. These are people who are travelling the world but not really roughing it too much and generally go about their tours as an extended package holiday. I am definately a flashpacker. When faced with the option of getting a hellish bus trip for over 18 hours to get to Bangkok for a fiver or fly in 1 hour for 60 quid you know what option Im going for! I think doing travelling after working for nearly five years has put me in a different frame of mind. Im used to my comfort and its hard to let it go. I have stayed in some shitholes mind but I do tend to grumble a lot.
To finish off my Asia trip before I move on to Oz I needed another beach fix. So Im now back in Thailand on Phi Phi island where they filmed James Bond and the Beach.
Where we're staying (a shed, basically, grumble grumble), you need a taxi boat to get to anything like shops, ATMs or restraunts so its pretty remote. Got full blotto last night and managed to get a boat home somehow though.
For those who like reading meaning into their lives, which Ive found myself doing more and more on this trip, check this; using a urinal wondering why your feet are getting wet, you discover there is no plumbing pipes and you're basically pissing onto your feet then you read a bit of graffiti on the wall 'Enjoy yourself. You're having the time of your life'.
Work it out blog fans.
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