I arrived to the hostel today through the chaotic streets of Phnom Penh - there seems to be a little less of an air of calm here than in Thailand. A gentleman in my room referred to this place as the Wild West of Asia and that might be true. After being here 2 hours, I have heard you can blow up a human being with a rocket launcher for $1,000 USD, or a cow for $300. Someone else told me that you could kill a prisoner on death row for enough money. Who knows if these are just rumors, but I have a strange feeling they are not... Children prostitutes are available as well....from what I hear they are prevalent at dance clubs, although I have yet to go out to one and see for myself.. Looks like it is a land of no rules and no morals here.
Now, writing a day later I have visited Tuol Sleng, better known as S-21 Prison, one of the main torture prisons where the Khmer Rouge help captives before sending them to Choeung Ek, better known as the Killing Fields, (which I also visited today). These two places were very hard to witness, as thousands upon thousands of Cambodians (actually 1/4 of the population..not including those who perished of starvation) were brutally violated, treated inhumanely, tortured and murdered. Most were tricked or forced into going to Tuol Sleng Prison (S21) and were forced to confess to some crime that they did not do, or they would be tortured mercilessly. Once they confessed it was off to the killing fields without proper trial or anything, just pure slaughter. It was a really heavy day, seeing the nail marks on the walls and blood stains on the floors of this once calm children's school. Seeing all the mass graves with bones, clothing and teeth coming out of the ground, along with a tree where babies were held by the legs and their heads smashed before being tossed in a pit can make one sick to the stomach. The fact that human beings could do this to each other, and that this only occurred around 35 years ago is quite scary! Even worse is Cambodia's corruption, and the fact that there is a very wealthy man in India who owns the Killing Fields and is making money off of the tourism. This symbol of a national tragedy, instead of using the money to better the country has been sold to a private investor for some quick cash, this is outrageous in my opinion!
Tomorrow I will volunteer at a small Cambodian village, bringing them water. I do not know yet what to expect, but am super excited to help out! I plan on spending two more nights here in Phnom Penh, but if this experience is incredible, I may go back to help out the villagers more. It may be the most impactful or helpful thing I have done so far on my trip, aside from donating to KONY2012. If you have not yet watched the video, please check this out:
http://player.vimeo.com/video/37119711?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=d13030
What do you think about the blog?? Feel free to leave comments, I would love to hear your opinions! :)
Now, writing a day later I have visited Tuol Sleng, better known as S-21 Prison, one of the main torture prisons where the Khmer Rouge help captives before sending them to Choeung Ek, better known as the Killing Fields, (which I also visited today). These two places were very hard to witness, as thousands upon thousands of Cambodians (actually 1/4 of the population..not including those who perished of starvation) were brutally violated, treated inhumanely, tortured and murdered. Most were tricked or forced into going to Tuol Sleng Prison (S21) and were forced to confess to some crime that they did not do, or they would be tortured mercilessly. Once they confessed it was off to the killing fields without proper trial or anything, just pure slaughter. It was a really heavy day, seeing the nail marks on the walls and blood stains on the floors of this once calm children's school. Seeing all the mass graves with bones, clothing and teeth coming out of the ground, along with a tree where babies were held by the legs and their heads smashed before being tossed in a pit can make one sick to the stomach. The fact that human beings could do this to each other, and that this only occurred around 35 years ago is quite scary! Even worse is Cambodia's corruption, and the fact that there is a very wealthy man in India who owns the Killing Fields and is making money off of the tourism. This symbol of a national tragedy, instead of using the money to better the country has been sold to a private investor for some quick cash, this is outrageous in my opinion!
Tomorrow I will volunteer at a small Cambodian village, bringing them water. I do not know yet what to expect, but am super excited to help out! I plan on spending two more nights here in Phnom Penh, but if this experience is incredible, I may go back to help out the villagers more. It may be the most impactful or helpful thing I have done so far on my trip, aside from donating to KONY2012. If you have not yet watched the video, please check this out:
http://player.vimeo.com/video/37119711?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=d13030
What do you think about the blog?? Feel free to leave comments, I would love to hear your opinions! :)
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