Satellite
  • Day 67

    The Killing Fields and more

    August 9, 2018 in Cambodia ⋅ 🌧 81 °F

    I've just arrived at the National Museum, my third stop of the morning. It's small, but has some amazing artifacts, including a moon rock gifted from the US.

    I'm on an all-day tour, which began at the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center. It is one of the 300 killing fields Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge used to murder 3 million Cambodians in 4 years. This one is dedicated to remembrance and is supposedly the only one you can visit. Many others are either too remote or too dangerous (unexploded ordnance). It was heartbreaking, as was the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.

    Having assumed control of a high school for use as a prison and interrogation center, the Khmer Rouge renamed it S21 (Security Office 21). Again, it stands as a terrible reminder of the atrocities man is able and willing to commit against his fellow man.

    On a happier note, my tuktuk driver has dropped me off at a local restaurant before we continue the tour. Shrimp cakes. Yummy!

    Out for now. ✌️
    Read more