THE KILLING FIELDS AND THE GENOCIDE MUSEUM

John and I were in college in the 70’s when the Khmer Rouge was taking place here in Cambodia.  But we have no memory of it at all.  How can that even be possible?  It is estimated that over TWO MILLION men, women and children were horrifically tortured and subsequently murdered during the reign of Pol Pot. Today, we toured the Killing Fields, which is the site of the largest mass grave of victims found in Cambodia, brutally murdered between 1975 and 1979.  Germany had its’ Hitler; Cambodia had its’ Pol Pot.  But this took place in the 70’s, folks! 😳😳😳

First, The Killing Fields of Choeung EK:

When you walk into the museum grounds, this is the first thing you see, and you can’t help but think, “Well, that is a beautiful Stupa.”

And then you realize that it actually is a home to the horrors found over the years,  as skeletons began being found and the truth realized.  Over 7,000 skulls are inside—quite unbelievable.

The next few pictures show, at least for us, what were the most disturbing parts.  Again, unbelievable.

These are items of clothing, jewelry, etc. that were found with the bodies.  

Mass grave sites.

We wished we could have read these biographies of the prisoners—all educated, accomplished people.  Perhaps it was better that we couldn’t.

As the ground shifts during the rainy season, human remains and clothing etc. still surface today.

Second, the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (Prison S21):

For John and I, this place was REALLY difficult to take in.  There were photographs of the victims that had been tortured and murdered there, the actual weapons that were used to torture and personal stories were told (via the audio tour) from only a few of those lucky enough to survive.  It was a nightmare.

These were only a few of the MANY boards showing the faces of the prisoners that were killed here.

This is the memorial that was built to commemorate all the lives that were lost.  “We will not forget” — WOW, sounds familiar, right?

This is one of MANY placards showing the names of each and every victim that passed through these doors.

While I never cared much for history, it’s places like this that spark an interest in finding out more.  Luckily, there were lots of books displayed for future reading on the subject.

It was a tough day walking around learning of the devastation that took place there.  How something like that could actually happen (in OUR lifetime) was almost impossible to grasp.  But happen it did.  The museums are both a wonderful remembrance of a horrific time in Cambodian history.

On a lighter note, we survived another Tuk Tuk ride to dinner (and got yet another t-shirt for John).

Our driver was watching a video while he navigated the CHAOS!  😳😳😳

A Mom, riding on a motorbike in front of us, held her baby in her arms and breastfed him!  Luckily, she was a passenger, BUT STILL!  😳😳😳

Outside of The Hard Rock, we saw three of these chunky frogs eating every bug in sight! 🤣🤣🤣

We also got to see Independence Monument all lit up and looking pretty! 🤣🤣🤣

It was quite the somber day today, but it was well worth it.  We love it here in Cambodia.  The people are delightful, the food is delicious, and the sites are amazing...but the Tuk Tuk rides! 😳😳😳  Oh, these Tuk Tuk rides!  And still, NO MASSAGE!  😳😳😳