The truth about Cambodia

Day 11
Today we crossed into Cambodia by public bus. However, the bus was nothing I would have imagined when thinking about a public bus in Vietnam. It was really nice with AC, reclining seats, even a bathroom that I hear wasn't very bad. It picked us up at our hotel then stopped to pick up the rest of the passengers and we were on our way. It took a few hours to get to the boarder. Didn't take us to long to get through the Vietnamese side then we took the bus about a half a kilometer to the Cambodian side. Thanks to a few extra dollars, that side didn't take long either. Our luggage next even left the bus. After a quick lunch of what seemed like mostly bones but tasted good, we got back on the road. I slept most of the way, but do remember crossing a river on a ferry at some point. Once we got into Phnom Penh and checked into our hotel, we went on a cyclo tour. Cyclos are an interesting contraption. They are basically a high bicycle with a compartment in front for people to sit. It was a good way to get around town and see some of the sights. Also, we used an organization that helps cyclo drivers try to have a better life. Teaching them English, giving them a place to shower and eat. Cyclo drivers are some of the poorest people, similar to homeless in the US as they often use the cyclo for business during the day and sleep in it at night. We stopped at Independence Monument (built to celebrate independence from the French), drove down Embassy Row where I tried to take a forbidden picture of the US Embassy (oops), Wat Phnom, and the Royal Palace. The biggest excitment was at Wat Phnom and it wasn't the monkeys playing everywhere. People kept pointing and making fun of me, I'm assuming for my weight, as they would say things to my driver. I got sick of it and was trying to rush away from one lady when I was getting of the cyclo. Instead I tripped and had a wonderful fall. Hit my knee pretty hard and got a nice scratch on my hand in addition to having my ego bruised. (I had encountered what a local had called teasing in Vietnam, but for some reason it hadn't affected me as much. I had a few other isolated encouters about the same issue, but overall the people of Cambodia were very nice and I enjoyed my time there.) Right as we finished the tour, it started to pour so we enjoyed happy hour at the FCC. We continued out good work of the day at dinner. We ate at a place called Friends that trains street kids in a profession so they can make something of themselves. So all of our servers were part of the organization and I think the cooks, etc, were, too. In addition to culinary education they also get a general education. And the food was amazing. It was early to bed after a long day.

Day 12
This is the day I referred to in the title of this entry. Today we spent a lot of time discussing the recent civil war and Khmer Rouge and touring a couple of relevant sites. We first want to Tuol Sleng, or Security Prison 21 (S21). It formerly was a school, as were most of the prisions in that time. It was a place people thought to be a threat (anyone with an education or thought to be a spy) were taken for torture and to confess their "crimes" before being killed. It was said once someone was sent there they were already dead. The only people who survived were 4 individuals who were somehow missed on the final day. In many ways, it felt like being back at Auschwitz only there at least some survived. After our visit there where we saw the cells, torutre devices, and pictures of a lot of the victims (both alive and dead as the Khmer Rouge was very good at documenting everything), we went to the killing fields. This is were the prisoners who didn't die of starvation or disease were taken to be killed. They were transported in the middle of the night and killed in the countryside where they were dumped into mass graves. To conserve bullets, most were killed with bamboo canes or other "ingenious" ways. Again, it was good to see but a downer. On the way back into town, we stopped at a local market for some lunch. Then we went to a public school to meet some kids. It was a nice ending to a depressing day. We gave out some basic supplies and just played a bit. One of our guys brought a frisbee which the kids loved until it got broken. I spent the afternoon at the National Museum with a few other tour members. We tried to go the Royal Palace but found out it was closed early for a Buddhist holiday. We didn't believe the people on the street at first as in Thailand this can be a scam. However, we finally found the ticket office and were told the same thing. We also then walked a bit and found a small pagoda that people were flocking to and giving flowers, etc, to Buddha. It was cool to see. It of course started raining soon after so myself and the other Arizonan on the trip, Flora, went for a blind massage. $6/hour, amazing massage. Then dinner at a place to supports an orphanage and then bed.