SE Asia - Phnom Penh, Cambodia - 2

Cambodia, Day 2, Phnom Penh, January 28, 2014

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

DISCLAIMER, THERE WILL BE SOME SOBERING DETAILS ABOUT GRIM PARTS OF CAMBODIA'S HISTORY.

We could take it a little easy this morning because we didn't have to leave until 8:00. The first stop was at the "Killing Field." This was an area about five acres in size where the Khmer Rouge systematically killed the Cambodian people at night, while playing loud music so the local farmers could not hear screaming. Victims were handcuffed and killed by blows to the head, then dumped into open pits for burial. We could see the pits, which had been excavated and they had removed the remains to other locations, and some were put in glass cases for display. There was a short video for us to watch that explained what happened, with some old footage. Obviously this is a time period I need to investigate when I get home.

The second stop was equally as sobering. It was the Genocide Museum. It is now a museum but at one time was a high school with four three-story buildings. In April, 1975, on orders by Pol Pot, it was turned into a detention and interrogation and torture prison which was used by his forces until 1979. The classrooms were divided into little cells. Since every person who entered as a prisoner was documented with their photograph and life history, it was easy for Pol Pot's men to go investigate and make sure they were telling the truth. If not, they had many ways to torture them. These practices were depicted in paintings, and were too terrible for me to even photograph. I may not have been paying attention, but I just don't remember hearing about all of this at the time.

That ended the gruesome part of the day and we were all ready for lunch by then. After lunch we stopped at the National Museum where Adam walked us through some parts then we had a little time on our own. The museum contained lots of statues collected from different time periods and locations in the country. On the way to an optional stop at the "Russian" Market the bus let some of us off at the hotel.

Erika and I set off on an adventure to find a pharmacy to get an Ace bandage for Paul to wrap around his knee. The hotel desk clerk said it was in one direction and after walking on the precarious sidewalks and in the street for about a half hour we got a Tuk Tuk back to the hotel. Then we asked the guard at the door who summoned a very nice girl who was walking by and who spoke some English. She said she would take us there (this time it was in the opposite direction) and we walked a long way. Finally we came to a pharmacy and we parted with our nice escort, thanking her profusely. It turned out they did not have what we needed. In checking with three others next door, none having the bandages, I saw a fellow neatly dressed who seemed like a doctor and who spoke some English. When I explained what I needed he seemed to know and said there was another pharmacy about another 200 meters down the street. We set out for that one and found a very nice store, well stocked, with an English-speaking lady pharmacist, and she had exactly what I was looking for - a wide Ace bandage, and it was only $.66. How good was that? This was our little adventure that took over an hour's walk in the heat and humidity. It took a while after I got back for Paul to appropriately appreciate my efforts as I had forgotten to leave the room key for him so he was locked out of the room. Oops.

After a shower and some packing we went to the lobby to say goodbye to Adam, our guide. We had dinner in the hotel. A number from our group went to the Rafael's Hotel for Happy Hour and then to a community service restaurant. They said they had a very good time.

Tomorrow is a 196 mile drive from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. To be continued.

That's it for now. Grace and Paul