Killing Fields: "Remember our past as you look to your future"

We arrived to Phnom Penh with no plans or expectations and we left with a small sense of the magnitude of evil. And with the obligation of sharing what we had learnt.

Killing Fields

We found a mid range hotel through Tripadvisor and we booked it in advance. It was exactly what we had in mind, simple but comfy and well located. I recommend it. 

We were meeting some friends in Phnom Penh that were also travelling in South East Asia, but we had no idea about what to do. We read that the capital wasn't very interesting or authentic. And we weren't very excited about our stay.

Stupa filled with over 9000 skulls 

While having breakfast in the hotel we met an American that highly recommended us the Killing Fields. Since he seemed very knowledgeable about Pnom Penh we took his advice.  

It was easy to convince Joao and Filipa that we should spend Joao's birthday in a very depressive and heartbreaking atmosphere, learning more about the Cambodian genocide. 

Finding transportation was piece of cake.  We just had to negotiate the fare with the rickshaw driver. He was very flexible since the beginning.
The Killing Fields are located in the outskirts of Phnom Penh, 22 kilometers southeast of the city. It took us about 20 minutes to arrive there. 

The plan was to go first to the Killing Fields and then to the museum (former prison). 

"The number of victims to be executed was increased up to over 300 per day"

The ticket price (around $5) includes an audio guide. At first we weren't so sure about that (we are those people that hate tours) but turns out the information was very accurate and delivered in a very reasoned way which is particularly hard under such barbaric circumstances. In fact the audio guide was a key factor to learn about not only the site but also about all situation, since the Pol Pot leadership through the last updates about of the genocide prosecution.

The audio guide is organized by areas and in each area there is a moving story to be told. 

Mass grave

The fanatical communist regime was less selective than Nazis, that prosecuted mostly Jews. Pol Pot's regime targeted intellectuals, smart people, journalists, politicians, foreigners, people wearing glasses, people looking Vietnamese, monks... Everyone could be considered a threat. Even babies.

In order to save ammunition, the executions were carried out in monstrous ways: smashing the victims heads against tree trunks or using sharpened bamboo sticks. 

Very often victims were forced to dig their own graves. 

Children were forced to watch their parents being executed before their own execution.

Brutality and evil were everywhere in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime. 

Pond at Killing Fields

A United Nations investigation reported that 2 to 3 million of people were killed from 1975 to 1979. But some researchers believe that in fact over 3 million were killed.
The Khmer Rouge also destroyed approximately 95% of the Buddhist temples in Cambodia.

Torture room at Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

The genocide court is operating very slowly and is also failing in addressing all the former members of the regime as it should, due the opposition of the Cambodia government. 

Some of the former leaders died even before the court proceedings were finished. And the judges appointed by the government refuse to prosecute more Khmer Rouge's former members and they denied the victim's right to pursue justice which includes being heard by the court.

The current prime-minister was himself a supporter of the Khmer Rouge regime. Hun Sen is in power for more than 25 years now, which makes him one of the longest serving leaders in the world. 

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Pics of the victims 

The narrator's voice in the audio guide that guided us during our visit into the Killing Fields is from a survivor that fled Cambodia while a teenager, Youk Chhang. He was forced into slave labor and beaten nearly to death for stealing rice for his pregnant sister. 

This was one of the most impressive accounts and I'll never ever forget it. And it shows how brutal this regime was. 

Youk was the youngest prisoner in the prison. "There was an older guy in prison next to me, and he got scared for me, because when you run out of stories, then it’s time for execution. Every night he would beg the prison guards to release me. He would always say, please release this boy. You know, this prison is for adults. Why did you bring a boy to the prison with us? He has no idea what is going on. As of today, I have so much regret that I cannot remember his name, and I regret that I cannot locate his family members to thank them. What he did, I understand now. In order to release me, he chose to sacrifice his life. He was executed because he kept asking the prison guards to release me. I was released, you know. I was released. But at the time, when they released me, I had no idea why".

Cabinets filled with skulls

Youk Chhang returned to Cambodia as an United Nations official to manage the first Democratic elections. And he founded the Documentation Center of Cambodia whose mission is to research the Khmer Rouge era, for the purposes of memory and Justice. The center has the world's largest archive of the regime. 

Recently, Youk Chhang co-produced an awarded documentary about the environmental degradation in Cambodia, A River Changes Course. 

If you are planning to go to Phnom Penh I highly recommend a visit to the Killing Fields. I wouldn't take small children because even for adults it can be disturbing.

Angkor Wat: Back in Time

Angkor Wat is one of the most spectacular places that I visited so far.

It's much much bigger and impressive than I thought. And it's also very well preserved.

Recently I found out that one of the very first western visitors was a Portuguese Capuchin friar, Antonio da Madalena. He visited the site in 1586.

Ride to Angkor Wat

Ride from Gloria Hotel to Angkor Wat

We stayed in Siem Reap in a hotel called Gloria Angkor. At that time it was #1 on Tripadvisor. And we really enjoyed our stay.

There were at least two transportation options from Siem Reap to Angkor Wat: bicycle or rickshaw. The bicycle was inexpensive but I don't bike and even if I did, it would take a long time and effort. So we booked a rickshaw with our hotel. They charged us less than $20 per day and it also included fresh beverages (water, sodas and beer). 

Our driver was polite and very professional.

Temple

Angkor Wat

They only have tickets for one day ($20), three days ($40) or one week ($60).
We only had two days to visit it but we had to buy a three days ticket. We bought it in the main ticket office in the site.
No need to bring a picture anymore, they'll take one while you are buying the tickets and they'll print it automatically on the ticket.
Keep your ticket with you while visiting, there are many checkpoints and very often officials are checking it.

Temple

Monk touching the statues

Our plan was going in the early morning, have lunch there, visit for a little bit more and return to the hotel after 1 PM. During peak hours it gets very hot.

We also went to the most remote areas in the early morning and left the closest to visit later. We adjusted our routine every time we saw a tour bus. But even then it was hard to avoid crowds. 

Temple

Temple

In the central structure they enforce the dress code rules. 

I couldn't visit some of the ruins in this area because I was wearing shorts and tops. The dress code is very restrictive for women, we have to wear long skirts or pants and long sleeves. Women can't use scarfs to cover legs or shoulders. It's very specific and annoying. And it's unpractical due to the hot temperatures. 

Men just have to cover their shoulders. 

Temple

View

My fave temple was the Bayon. It's very unique and it's the most spectacular temple, 216 gigantic and similar faces with an enigmatic smile - it's known as the Mona Lisa of Southeast Asia. 

It's strategically located in the middle of the walled city. Supposedly represents the intersection of heaven and earth. 

It's very detailed, it has more than 11.000 carved figures.

This is one of the most popular spots, it's always crowded.

Bayon

Ruins

We came across several small children in the temples selling postcards or just begging for money. Lonely Planet advises tourists to not give money to these kids otherwise tourists keep them away from school. These kids are a source of income for their families and because of that they are not getting an education. And they won't be able to break the cycle of poverty.

I asked those kids many times why they weren't at school. All of them told me they were going to school afterwards. Our driver confirmed what we already knew, they are not going to school.

If you want to help in a sustainable way, there are many great restaurants in Siemp Reap that are providing education to poor kids and teaching them a valuable skill, as Sala Bai (lunch) or Heaven (dinner). Reservations in advance are highly recommended.

Avoid Siem Reap, it's a tourist trap.

Sala Bai, lunch menu $10 pp (tiramisu, papaya salad and beef fillet) 

The Bridge Over River Kwai - Day Trip From Bangkok

I never watched the movie but I always wondered about the name. While in Bangkok we decided to do a day trip to Kanchanaburi to learn more about it. 

We took a bus from Bangkok's Southern bus terminal (Sai Tai Taling Chan) and a couple of hours later we arrived to our destination. It was easy. And inexpensive.

Bridge over River Kwai

We read that prior to visiting the railway, we should visit the Railway Museum otherwise we wouldn't get the whole picture. And since we arrived around lunch time, it would make even more sense to stay indoors to avoid sun exposure and hot temperatures during peak hours.

The Railway Museum  is privately funded. The entrance fee is a steal, just $4 pp and it includes a free coffee. 

It's a small museum but it's very well done, it's respectful and accurate. It presents lots of useful information to better understand the hardship and death toll it took to build this railway. It's very moving.

If you had any family member working on the railway you can use the research center to find out where he was kept prisoner and in which area of the railway he was forced to work.

Bridge over River Kwai

Taking a walk in the bridge

After we spent a good amount of time in the museum, we visited the railway. There is not much to see. Just a bridge and a railway that is inactive. 

During its construction more than 13.000 prisoners of war and 80.000 to 100.000 civilians died and they were buried along the railway. It's impressive.

River Kwai

We had a delicious lunch in On's Issan Restaurant, serving vegetarian meals close by. The owner, a sweet lady, made it from scratch in front of us. It was a simple meal but the fresh ingredients played a big role. The base was fried brown rice mixed with pineapple and veggies.

Delicious vegetarian meal 

Preah Vihear Temple: From Thailand to Siem Reap Off the Beaten Track

We are always on the lookout for new destinations and experiences. We love to travel off the beaten track. But that involves researching, planning and some weird interactions along the way to achieve our goals. 

While in South East Asia we decided to go to a temple in the middle of nowhere. I mean, not exactly in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of an area disputed by Thailand and Cambodia. And where army not so rarely exchanges fire.

Shared cab from Chong Chom to Along Veng

Arriving there was an adventure and I could write an entire book about that. 

First we crossed the border from Thailand (Chong Chom) to Cambodia at Osmach or O'Smach or Ou Smach (many ways of alphabetizing I guess). In the border, Cambodian officials tried to get extra money from us. Rui read about it in advance and he learned that the best strategy was pretending that he spoke no English and bring the exact amount in US dollars, $20 per person. This would avoid money conversion and change.

After 10 minutes repeating "obrigado, obrigado" (thank you, thank you) the officials gave up and let us get in.

Views from Preah Vihear

Then we had to find a shared cab to Anlong Veng, some 70kms to the east. Here it started a new challenge. Get a shared cab for less than a gazillion dollars. 

Drivers were negotiating hard with us and we had no option, there is no public transportation. They can charge you what they want. But we knew that they want to fill up the cabs as soon as possible to keep the business running. So we took our time, making them understand that we weren't in a hurry... Which was not true, we still had many kilometers ahead.

In the end it worked out well, we paid $10 (5 each) and we shared the front seat in a cab with other 6 people. At this point I don't know if someone was traveling in the trunck. Along the way the guy had to fill up the tank. We were surprised to see him open the trunk and taking out a hose that spilled a bit of gasoline onto the trunk contents (thank god we had our bags with us). Oh, and the car was working while he filled up the tank through the weird hose from the trunk. That was a first...

Preah Vihear

In Anlong Veng, we had to find another cab to the temple (that lies more than 100 kms from Anlong Veng). Again, no public transportation. We asked several locals and people only knew about infrequent buses going to Siem Reap.

After some negotiation we found a guy willing to take us there for $35 which sounded pretty reasonable. And we agreed that the guy could bring his wife and toddler along.

Cab from Along Veng to Preah Vihear

Arriving there the guy changed his mind and he wanted to go away not taking us as far as the temple and not being willing to wait for us to go to the temple and back. Lots of drama. We couldn't stay there without a ride back because there is nothing around. Not even cabs.

A monk approached us to serve us mediator. After he got that the guy was being dishonest, he gave up. So we went to the police station. Before the police chief arrived, the driver and his family fled and left us there by ourselves. 

Police station

After some arrangements we took a military jeep to the site. There are two options: motorbike (cheapest one) or jeep. I don't take motorbike rides especially in gravel and hilly roads.

Holes from mines

Preah Vihear

The temple is an UNESCO World Heritage Site but due the military dispute is not in great shape. In the past it was under Thai army rule and now it serves as a military base to Cambodia army. In our way up to the temple we weren't allowed to take pics of the Cambodian troops that are facing the border with Cambodia with guns. See above the huge round holes in the entrance of the stairwell. Those were removed mines. This area is still heavily mined, but not on the temple although the guide did say to stay on the paths.

Preah Vihear

The temple sits up in a steep cliff in the hill. It's a spectacular setting with good views over Thailand. Unfortunately, as I said before, the site is not well preserved and it's mainly in ruins which is heartbreaking.
In the end the soldier that took us to the temple, gave us a ride to Sra Em, a town close by and from there we were able to get another cab to Angkor Wat. Another 35 dollars for the 200+ kms.
Travelling off the beaten track means see more interesting things but it also requires lots of patience and more money generally.
In the end we had a really full day: we woke up in Nang Rong, Thailand, got an early transfer to O'Smach border, Anlong Veng, Preah Vihear, Sra Em, Siem Reap. In total we did something like 500+ kms. Check more details in a forum post here I did in tripadvisor when we returned.

Preah Vihear