An unsightly crowd
Had a beautiful lie in today. It’s strange that when I think back to China, it seemed we were up really early most days. Whereas from Vietnam up until now, it’s been, for the most part, really chilled. We were going to see the Killing Fields today; this is linked with the S-21 prison history. First of all, we had to go and check out this shopping centre that Julie told us about, just around the corner. Neither Mat nor me were impressed as only one café or bar was open, and the crowd here consisted of skinny alcoholic women, and old white men, most of which seemed to be drugged up. Considering where we are in the world, it’s within the realms of possibility. Once we’d had our food, we promptly left and returned to the hostel.
At the hostel, we were able to organise a tuk tuk that would take us to the Killing Fields, wait for us there, and then return us back home. It was pretty cheap, cheaper than a tour guide anyhow. The journey took about an hour or so, and I made use of my bandana to mask my face from the fumes and dust. It’s quite cosy in the back of a tuk tuk. For more info on the Killing Fields, check this out.
Arriving at the fields
When we arrived at the Killing Fields, we got our tickets (only $3 for foreigners) and our audio headsets, then set off on our way. It was only Mat and I today, Julie went off by herself. Again, we had a leaflet to follow the numbered dots, so we knew what audio clip was for each site. The tour wasn’t as visually horrifying as we thought, this is mainly due to most of the structures having been demolished. All of the graves have been emptied and taken somewhere respectful. Check this post out for my experience at the War Remnants museum in Ho Chi Minh City.
It was another very hot and dusty day, and as this place was outside, there was an eerie atmosphere to it. The stories that the audio clips shared were just as horrifying as yesterday, at the S-21 museum. The clips explained what happened at each site in more depth, and much more brutally than the signs. One such tale was about the Killing Tree; babies would be grabbed by their legs, and hit against a large tree, of course killing them. Then they were thrown into a pit next to it, it is a real eye opener. Standing on the very ground where such atrocities were committed.
A tragic accident
We were at the Killing Fields for several hours. Now, in this blog, I’m not holding any punches back, but this next story is not entirely pleasant, but I’ll try to tell it in the nicest way. We had just finished the last exhibit and I was waiting outside for Mat. I was minding my own business, when I found myself needing to pass wind. This wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but what followed, was. I don’t know if I ate something that didn’t agree with me, but needless to say, Mat came out to me wiping a trickle that was coming down my leg. Of all places to have this happen, it would be at a genocidal memorial museum. This is a proper ‘where will you be when diarrhoea strikes?’ moment.
Long story short, I went to the restroom for half an hour, cleaned up, threw my underwear away, and got laughed at by Mat. I can’t blame him to be honest. There will be a lesson from this story, I just wouldn’t find out for another week or so. Anyway, we returned to our tuk tuk, and departed from the Killing Fields, trying to retain my dignity.
Divine dinner
When we got back to the hostel, we had a bit of a chill, and freshened up. The pair of us were rather dusty and tired, so it did us well. We were both pretty hungry, so we headed out in search of nourishment. Whilst on our stroll, we found a huge shopping centre, only 5 minutes away. This was much more luxurious than I expected, especially in contrast with the surrounding area. We browsed several floors of restaurants and food chains, but we were undecided. In the end, we decided on a chicken place, the first restaurant we saw.
The food in this place, called Bonchon, was absolutely delicious. I couldn’t believe how nice it tasted, chips and friend chicken. I’m thinking that this is the place Julie visited this morning, rather than that eye sore of a complex we had breakfast at earlier. After thoroughly enjoying our meal, we went back to the hostel, booked our bus ticket to Kampot for tomorrow, and chilled.
