Pol pots killing fielding’s and his sanctioned torture chamber were on the cards today. I had had a crap nights sleep due to stomach problem, my breakfast from the day before had caught up with me and so had not had that much sleep, but I wanted to see the Killing fields and S-21 Museum. I heard a couple on another table talking about going so I invited myself into their little group.
So we had me, Cory a loud American, what a surprise there and Anika for Holland, Cory nearly had a argument with the owner of the hotel of the price of a Moto for the day. The American was not listening to what the guy was saying, So both me and Anika were cringing by the time he had finished and I was thinking what have I got myself into.
We headed off to the Museum first and a video about the lives of people who lived or for some did not live through the ordeal. It was interesting but on a arse pain scale it was not that gripping. Arse pain scale being how long it takes for my arse to start hurting from sitting down for too long. I felt sorry for the people who had to live through this and realized that I had meet people who had lived through it. It is kinda weird to think that it really was not that long ago, and that they were still fighting the last time I was in Thailand 12 years ago.
After the movie I just wondered through the cells and the torture chambers, photographed some of them, I did wonder if it was morally right to photograph such things, but then of cause it is, like world war one and two, we should remember these things so hopefully they won’t happen again, that’s right it is still happening, thanks again America. Will the human race ever learn to put aside our differences and get along. I wonder when seeing things like S-21 if we ever will. And yes I can hardly get on my High horse as yes I have felt that some people are stupid and should not be in charge, or put themselves in a position where there are not getting all they want, but I don’t think that’s a good enough reason to wipe them off the face of the earth.
I did realize that I would have been one of the people in the graves as I don’t think I could have just stood by and watched it happen, but of cause you never know till you are in that position. I wondered through and finished looking around I had been there for a good couple of hours so I had seen most things and read a lot of the stories. I think the thing I found most interesting was the map that showed all the torture prisons and the fields were people were buried, there were a lot.
I had finished looking around and headed back to the moto, I brought me and the driver a drink and sat and chatted to him while I waited for the American and the Dutch girl. Once they arrived we headed out to the killing fields, now the first thing that you see is a massive pagoda filled with skulls, 9000 in all, it is eye opening to have it put in front of you.
I think what stood out for me most was the cloths of the people that were stripped off them, cloths still stuck in the ground around the sunken holes where people were buried, once away from the pagoda you see a few bones in storage type places but you don’t see any in the ground or anything, so really if you took away the clothes sticking out the ground it’s just a field with holes. The killing fields done really show the injustice that was done there. Now this is just my view, other people I am sure would feel differently.
Once we had finished with at the killing fields which I would like to point out is owned by the japans which is something I don’t think they should have done we headed to the Palace, which I have to say is crap, and that’s all I will say about it, will maybe a bit more $6US for crap.
Later on that night caught up again with the dutch girl, by this time I was glad not to see the American. She introduced me to a Dutch guy who is riding around Asia who she had meet in Lao, so we sat down and had a chat, he had started in North Thailand and then Lao and Cambodia, after this he is back to Bangkok and then off home after 9 months of travel. It was interesting talking to him as he has had some of the same experiences as me.
So that was my day at the killing fields. Eye opening, horrific and Bazaar that people can still do that to each other.
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