Cont'd...

As a very depressing start to our Cambodia adventures, we spent a day touring the Toul Sleng Museum (S-21 prison) used by the Khmer Rouge, and the Killing Fields. The prison was an old school that was converted to house and torture victims before taking them to be killed. Of the thousands of prisoners held there, only 7 survived. We walked through the cells and looked at the old, empty cots...a large photo hanging on the wall in each cell showed how the person was found. You could still see traces of blood stains on the floor and walls. Perhaps even more horrific than that (if you can believe it), were the Killing Fields. Around 2 million people died as a result of the Khmer Rouge genocide from 1975-1979...around 20,000 were killed at this spot. We visited the stupa that houses 8,000 victims’ skulls and bones. In one of the mass graves they recovered the remains of 450 people, and there are 45 mass graves that still have not been excavated. We walked around the field where you could see scraps of old clothing and bones lying on the ground while our tour guide explained the methods used to kill. Both Jas and I felt sick.

After this, Jas and I decided to take a 'vacation' from our vacation. We headed to Sihanoukville by bus and parked ourselves at a hotel across from the beach. The beach itself is lovely with white, rock-free sand and light blue refreshing water. There are restaurants lined up along the shore where you can use their padded lounge chairs in exchange for buying a drink.