the shocking history of Cambodia

Our hostel in Phnom Penh is really nice, by the river, or i should say on the river as it is built on stilts. we headed out to the killing fields, getting a tuk tuk between 6 of us and first going to the area where there were lots of mass graves uncovered. it was shocking to see so many skulls together, especially when therewere childrens skulls amoungst them. 300 people would be brought there in a day and they would all be executed then buried in one grave. they were all innocent people, killed becasue they were educated or someone in their family was.
we then went to the school which was turned into a prison camp when Pol Pot took control of Phnom Penh. there were rooms and rooms of mug shots of the prisoners, of all ages, and some photos of dead men laid on stretchers. all this was so recent, which makes it more shocking. anyone above the age of 30 in the city, lived through the period and have probably lost friends and family becasue of it. apparently there is an age gap of Cambodians in their 30s becasue the conditions were so harsh 30 years ago, and there was so much starvation that it took women a while to recover enough after the revelution to be able to have children again. it was surprising how well Phnom Penh had recovered in a relatively short time. there was no evidence of the suffering that had existed, in fact it came across as a modern and thriving city.
two hours was enough time to look at the school before it became a bit intense. it is scary how such radicals can take over a country and empty a capital city.
to lift our moods, we went back to find a western restaurant and i had the best beef burger in a long time.

the shocking history of Cambodia

Phnom Penh, Cambodia