Killing fields & Temples of Angkor in Cambodia
Leaving Viet Nam, we traversed Cambodia in just over a week and only managed to take in the major sights of Phnom Phen and Siem Reap. Cambodia as been the closest country to India we've visited, besides India, and you're stupid for making me have to write that. Apologies to the 99.9873% of you that aren't stupid and didn't require that clarification. There's always one ya know, and you know who you are.
We entered Cambodia's capital city and were promptly greeted by, the Swiss?
Apparently the Khmer are big fans of those gun toting mountain dwellers, the Swiss cross was plastered all over the place. I'm still attempting to decipher the Swiss Stratigem of aligning with Cambodia - must be all that weed.
Speaking of weed, and no we didn't try any, Cambodia is a PotHeads paradise. The stuff is everywhere, you can buy bags of it at the local market along side Salt and Pepper. There's a restaurant "Mary Jane's" that serves their Pizza "Happy", "Very Happy", and "Extra Happy". And one morning we were awoken at 7:30am by our neighboring bungalow. They were having a "Wake and Bake" and the fumes were seeping into our bedroom! What a town. It's also the first place to deny me entry to the club just because I was carrying a hand grenade. Honestly, it's for protection!
The other universal in Cambodia is football, that stuffs everywhere.
Other than that, hold on to your hat, Cambodia is a world away from anything you can imagine.
Here's something I found odd. This is the view from the waterfront balcony and dinning area of our guest house.
In a city with One lake, and that one lake having only one sunset facing shore (I'm pretty sure of this though I admit I didn't investigate), the entire sunset facing shore is owned by Backpacking hostels. $1 - $5 per night Backpacking Hostels. Does anyone else find this odd or is it just me?
Of course, this is the land of the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot's Killing fields.
While I promise not to get all deep and emotional, here's the deal. S-21 was a converted High School in Phnom Phen where the KR would torture people before sending them to the killing fields. S-21 is a pretty creepy place. The killing fields were surprisingly small and, I suppose, efficient. This photo shows roughly 40% of the entire area.
While I'll save the details for anyone who asks, a lot of people died here in a lot of awful ways.
Oddly, I didn't experience the gut wrenching feelings that hit me when I visited Europe's Nazi concentration camps. The most I can reason is that I could understand the discrimination of the Jewish people and that driver for the German behavior, that lead to feelings of blame, hate, and sympathy. In Cambodia however, this was Khmer people acting on Khmer people with no apparent reason other than to feed four leaders. The confusion of that and the lack of any and all regret by the people who performed the atrocities blocked other emotions and left me feeling numb to it. It was really quite odd.
After PP, we headed across the countryside to Siem Reap and got into some serious Indiana Jones Territory. The Temples of Angkor really are a lost civilization, which teaches all you kids out there to learn to read and write!
MORE TO COME, GOTTA EAT.
Minu yllatuseks kasutavad Cambodialased (nagu Zimbabweilasedki)peamiselt USA dollareid. Hinnad on koikjal doltsides ja isegi raha automaadid annavad valja $. Kuid soovi korral voib ka maksta Rielis ja selle jaoks ei pea minema panka, vaid void julgelt poorduda tanaval asuva laua juurde, kus sulle see sekundite jooksul ara vahetatakse.
$1.- = umbes 4000.- Rieli. Toit(praad) ligi $2.- ja jook $1.- Meie oobimine $1-$3.- oo. Hinna sisse kaib ka kylm vesi,mida voib endale lausa mitu korda paevas lubada. Sooja vett leiab vaid kallimates hotellides, kuid kuumuse tottu pole sellel eriti motetki.
Vietnami piiri yletamisega jatkusid ka ajaloo tunnid. Mida ma ei suuda siiani uskuda on see, et kogu see koledus toimus mu vanima oe ja minu synni aja vahemikus.
Umb. 17 000 inimest (kes olid vahegi haritud, )tapeti aastatel 1975-'79 Khmer Rougei poolt', kes vottis sellel ajal voimu kuid hiljem pogenes Vietnamlaste eest. Nyyd on jargi jaanud vaid vang, millest on saanud muuseum(1 vang ja 1 valvur kes on siiani elus), ligi 8000 pea luud, mis on esitatud klaasi taga olevas tornis, hunnik auke inimkontide ja riide ribadega.
Teine huvitav ajalooline ja oluline paik pohja Cambodias on maailma suurim usu hoonete paik Siem Reap'is. Yks kuulsamateist on Ankor Wat oma suuruse poolest, Bayon--
kus suured naod sulle otsa vaatavad, Ta Prohm, kus on tehtud igasugu filmid. Kuid Adami ja minu lemmik on tempel, mille oli dsjungel enda alla neelanud.
Templeid oli aga nii palju, et me ei joudnud koiki oma 3 paeva jooksul kylastadagi. Kahel esimesel paeval kimasime ratastega ringi (jalle porkasime kokku toredate ahvikestega), kuid kolmandal paeval otsustasime siiski palavuse ja 30km.tottu palgata mootor Tuk-tuki.
Siin tutvusime ka oma esimese hiigel sisalikuga, kes meie ees oma ohtusooki ryndas.(kutt oli tavalistest sisalikest, kes siin mooda seinu ringi siblivad, ligi 3-4 x suurem.)
Bussi reis Tai piirile oli seiklusrohke. Inimesed ei teadnud algul kas nutta voi naerda, kuna vaike buss topiti paksult inimesi tais (kellest enamused olid oma suurte reisi kottidega nagu Adam ja minagi) ja tagatipuks suruti ka koikkide kotid
sylle, porandale ja kuhu iganes veel vahe ruumi oli jaanud.Aga no mis siin ikka imestada, kuna Aasia riikides pakitakse koik voimalikult maksimaalselt.
Onneks kestis see auk, augu otsas soit aga ainult 6.h. ;(
Jutud kaivad, et lennuliin maksab teede ehitajatele head raha, et siis seda hullu situatsiooni hoida nii kaua kui voimalik. Kuid paljud lollid turistid kes odavalt tahvad labi ajada (nagu Adam, mina ja veel terve ports) ei taha aga vihjest aru saada, et peaks lennu pileti ostma.
We entered Cambodia's capital city and were promptly greeted by, the Swiss?
Apparently the Khmer are big fans of those gun toting mountain dwellers, the Swiss cross was plastered all over the place. I'm still attempting to decipher the Swiss Stratigem of aligning with Cambodia - must be all that weed.
Speaking of weed, and no we didn't try any, Cambodia is a PotHeads paradise. The stuff is everywhere, you can buy bags of it at the local market along side Salt and Pepper. There's a restaurant "Mary Jane's" that serves their Pizza "Happy", "Very Happy", and "Extra Happy". And one morning we were awoken at 7:30am by our neighboring bungalow. They were having a "Wake and Bake" and the fumes were seeping into our bedroom! What a town. It's also the first place to deny me entry to the club just because I was carrying a hand grenade. Honestly, it's for protection!
The other universal in Cambodia is football, that stuffs everywhere.
Other than that, hold on to your hat, Cambodia is a world away from anything you can imagine.
Here's something I found odd. This is the view from the waterfront balcony and dinning area of our guest house.
In a city with One lake, and that one lake having only one sunset facing shore (I'm pretty sure of this though I admit I didn't investigate), the entire sunset facing shore is owned by Backpacking hostels. $1 - $5 per night Backpacking Hostels. Does anyone else find this odd or is it just me?
Of course, this is the land of the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot's Killing fields.
While I promise not to get all deep and emotional, here's the deal. S-21 was a converted High School in Phnom Phen where the KR would torture people before sending them to the killing fields. S-21 is a pretty creepy place. The killing fields were surprisingly small and, I suppose, efficient. This photo shows roughly 40% of the entire area.
While I'll save the details for anyone who asks, a lot of people died here in a lot of awful ways.
Oddly, I didn't experience the gut wrenching feelings that hit me when I visited Europe's Nazi concentration camps. The most I can reason is that I could understand the discrimination of the Jewish people and that driver for the German behavior, that lead to feelings of blame, hate, and sympathy. In Cambodia however, this was Khmer people acting on Khmer people with no apparent reason other than to feed four leaders. The confusion of that and the lack of any and all regret by the people who performed the atrocities blocked other emotions and left me feeling numb to it. It was really quite odd.
After PP, we headed across the countryside to Siem Reap and got into some serious Indiana Jones Territory. The Temples of Angkor really are a lost civilization, which teaches all you kids out there to learn to read and write!
MORE TO COME, GOTTA EAT.
Minu yllatuseks kasutavad Cambodialased (nagu Zimbabweilasedki)peamiselt USA dollareid. Hinnad on koikjal doltsides ja isegi raha automaadid annavad valja $. Kuid soovi korral voib ka maksta Rielis ja selle jaoks ei pea minema panka, vaid void julgelt poorduda tanaval asuva laua juurde, kus sulle see sekundite jooksul ara vahetatakse.
$1.- = umbes 4000.- Rieli. Toit(praad) ligi $2.- ja jook $1.- Meie oobimine $1-$3.- oo. Hinna sisse kaib ka kylm vesi,mida voib endale lausa mitu korda paevas lubada. Sooja vett leiab vaid kallimates hotellides, kuid kuumuse tottu pole sellel eriti motetki.
Vietnami piiri yletamisega jatkusid ka ajaloo tunnid. Mida ma ei suuda siiani uskuda on see, et kogu see koledus toimus mu vanima oe ja minu synni aja vahemikus.
Umb. 17 000 inimest (kes olid vahegi haritud, )tapeti aastatel 1975-'79 Khmer Rougei poolt', kes vottis sellel ajal voimu kuid hiljem pogenes Vietnamlaste eest. Nyyd on jargi jaanud vaid vang, millest on saanud muuseum(1 vang ja 1 valvur kes on siiani elus), ligi 8000 pea luud, mis on esitatud klaasi taga olevas tornis, hunnik auke inimkontide ja riide ribadega.
Teine huvitav ajalooline ja oluline paik pohja Cambodias on maailma suurim usu hoonete paik Siem Reap'is. Yks kuulsamateist on Ankor Wat oma suuruse poolest, Bayon--
kus suured naod sulle otsa vaatavad, Ta Prohm, kus on tehtud igasugu filmid. Kuid Adami ja minu lemmik on tempel, mille oli dsjungel enda alla neelanud.
Templeid oli aga nii palju, et me ei joudnud koiki oma 3 paeva jooksul kylastadagi. Kahel esimesel paeval kimasime ratastega ringi (jalle porkasime kokku toredate ahvikestega), kuid kolmandal paeval otsustasime siiski palavuse ja 30km.tottu palgata mootor Tuk-tuki.
Siin tutvusime ka oma esimese hiigel sisalikuga, kes meie ees oma ohtusooki ryndas.(kutt oli tavalistest sisalikest, kes siin mooda seinu ringi siblivad, ligi 3-4 x suurem.)
Bussi reis Tai piirile oli seiklusrohke. Inimesed ei teadnud algul kas nutta voi naerda, kuna vaike buss topiti paksult inimesi tais (kellest enamused olid oma suurte reisi kottidega nagu Adam ja minagi) ja tagatipuks suruti ka koikkide kotid sylle, porandale ja kuhu iganes veel vahe ruumi oli jaanud.Aga no mis siin ikka imestada, kuna Aasia riikides pakitakse koik voimalikult maksimaalselt.
Onneks kestis see auk, augu otsas soit aga ainult 6.h. ;(Jutud kaivad, et lennuliin maksab teede ehitajatele head raha, et siis seda hullu situatsiooni hoida nii kaua kui voimalik. Kuid paljud lollid turistid kes odavalt tahvad labi ajada (nagu Adam, mina ja veel terve ports) ei taha aga vihjest aru saada, et peaks lennu pileti ostma.
posted by aiechter at 7:50 AM
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