First off, Phnom Penh is beautiful. The city is set up right on the edge of the Mekong River and its really a sight to see. Temples are every mile or so. And when I say temples, I don't mean small ones in the middle of the park or something, these things are huge. Some of them you can see from miles away. Though it helps that the city itself is as flat as a chessboard. They were the first thing I noticed when I first walked through the city.
The second thing I noticed, however, was not so pleasant, the tuk-tuk drivers. Tuk-tuks are just motorbikes with a little cart attached. They're basically just a cheap taxi. What's unpleasant is that EVERY SINGLE DRIVER wants to take you everywhere, even if its only around the corner. They ask constantly, even if I'm just walking around. Saying no all the time is hard enough, saying it politely is even worse. But who am I to complain, this is how they make money, and they're just doing their jobs, oh well.
Another unfortunate thing to happen has to do with my camera. Now, my camera is sacred to me. The damn thing was a graduation gift from my mom and sister and its been by my side for years. I've taken it around the world, twice. It was there when I climbed the Great Wall, all 3 times. It was even there when I was nearly killed in Xi'an. Its been with me for years, and never far from my side.
Earlier today it stopped working...sort of. I could turn the camera on, take pictures, and do everything I could before; however the screen doesn't work, so I have no idea what I'm really doing at all. At first I thought I'd just pushed a wrong button, but I tried everything and it just didn't work. Now, Phnom Penh really has only one place to get a new camera, and Angkor Wat doesn't really have any. So I knew I needed a new camera before I left tomorrow morning. Therefore, I put my old camera aside and went for a new one. I swear, it felt like the last scene in "Old Yeller" and I was the kid with the gun.
My new camera is great, and I got it for cheap too. The problem is that my old camera wasn't really dead, just asleep apparently. Its working fine now. So I'm out 85 bucks but I have 2 working cameras.
So now my budget is blown to hell and I'm torn between an old, reliable model with all kinds of history; and a new, sleek, and stylish model with new features that I spent a lot of money on. I feel like a bigamist torn between a wife and a mistress. I'm waiting for one to come alive, slap me in the face, and storm off with half my money.
Ok, enough joking, now on to serious stuff.
My first full day in the city was spent doing the must-dos for Phnom Penh, namely Tuol Sleng Prison and the Killing Fields. But first, my favorite part of the update, where I teach you something and you pretend to listen.
Back in 1975 as America was getting the hell out of Vietnam, the other two civil wars that we'd involved ourselves in were also winding down. Our side also lost in Laos and Cambodia, and the ones we backed suffered for choosing the wrong side. In Cambodia, this led to the rise of the Khmer Rouge (Cambodian Communists). They were led by an insane radical named Pol Pot. After they took power they set out on a reign of terror that lasted 4 years until Vietnam finally invaded and put an end to it all. However, before then, they killed over 2 million of their own people for no reason whatsoever. Considering the entire country only held about 8 millionpeople to begin with, this genocide is considered one of the most destructive to a single country in history.
The Killing Fields is the place where all those who were chosen for execution in Phnom Penh were sent. Over 10,000 people are buried there in over 100 grave sites. Most with their hands tied and their eyes blindfolded. The executioners sometimes bludgeoned them to death simply to save bullets. In other instances babies were swung around by their ankles and had their heads smashed on tree trunks while their mothers watched. Needless to say, the place takes a lot out of you. Walking around mass grave sites was bad enough, but the worst part was the silence. Phnom Penh is a loud place but here it was completely silent. Even the animals were quiet; it was surreal. Today the place is a memorial to the dead and a warning to the living to not allow this to happen again.
The other place of note on the first day was Tuol Sleng Prison. Before the Khmer Rouge took over the place was just a high school but after the fall of Phnom Penh it was turned into an interrogation facility; in other words, people were tortured there. Today the place is a genocide museum, just like the Killing Fields. Some of the rooms have been untouched since the way they were found back in 1979. The beds where prisoners were shackled and tortured are still there. Other rooms have smaller subdivisions for multiple inmates, some are so small you can't even spread your arms. In one I was able to touch the walls with my fingertips while my arms were folded across my chest.
Either place would have taken a lot out of me, but both in the same day left me drained mentally and emotionally.
The rest of my time here hasn't been quite so taxing, just markets and taking in everything. The tuk-tuks are still a pain, but less so now that I'm used to them. All in all, I will miss Phnom Penh a great deal, but bigger and better things await.
Until next time then.
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