Thursday, July 20, 2006
The Killing Fields
Ho hum, human beings can be exceedingly cruel creatures. After buying a copy of Lonely Planet Vietnam I decided to make my way to Vietnam as quickly as possible. For that reason, I came up to Phenom Phenh yesterday, I applied for my Vietnamese visa today, and will hopefully leave on Saturday (my 27th birthday) for 'NAM BABY!
The trip down to Phenom Phenh was uneventful, but the Cambodian countryside is very pretty. Most Cambodians live in the countryside, so it really is the heart of the country. When I got off the bus I was immediately mobbed by touts. Thankfully, there was a tout there from the hostel I was looking to stay at. As I was getting into his tuk-tuk I noticed this pretty American girl being surrounded by the touts. I called to her that I was going to a good hotel and we've spent the last day hanging out.
Today, we went to the Killing Field and the prison S-21. Both were eerie, depressing places that I don't think I can necessarily give just to with words. The Khmer Rouge are amongst the most horrific criminals in human history. They were fanatical monsters. What is even worse is the small amount of support the international community has given Cambodia to punish those mother fuckers. The international community was way quicker to punish the comparitively lesser crimes of the Balkans than it has been to act to punish the murders of Cambodia.
Now, we are experiencing a monsoon rain. It is an amazing site to see the rains approach and then to hit with such thunderous force.
Tonight, I will be pulling a late night, trying to register for my final courses. Tomorrow, I will finish looking around Phenom Phenh before making my way to Vietnam.
The trip down to Phenom Phenh was uneventful, but the Cambodian countryside is very pretty. Most Cambodians live in the countryside, so it really is the heart of the country. When I got off the bus I was immediately mobbed by touts. Thankfully, there was a tout there from the hostel I was looking to stay at. As I was getting into his tuk-tuk I noticed this pretty American girl being surrounded by the touts. I called to her that I was going to a good hotel and we've spent the last day hanging out.
Today, we went to the Killing Field and the prison S-21. Both were eerie, depressing places that I don't think I can necessarily give just to with words. The Khmer Rouge are amongst the most horrific criminals in human history. They were fanatical monsters. What is even worse is the small amount of support the international community has given Cambodia to punish those mother fuckers. The international community was way quicker to punish the comparitively lesser crimes of the Balkans than it has been to act to punish the murders of Cambodia.
Now, we are experiencing a monsoon rain. It is an amazing site to see the rains approach and then to hit with such thunderous force.
Tonight, I will be pulling a late night, trying to register for my final courses. Tomorrow, I will finish looking around Phenom Phenh before making my way to Vietnam.
