The Khmer Rouge led by Po Pot solidified their coup in Cambodia by taking Phnom Penh with great celebration in 1975. A follower of the philosophy of Mao Tse Tung, within days he ordered the entire population to vacate the cities, move to the countryside, and engage in agricultural labour. Soon thereafter a horrendous genocide followed, targeting the educated and perceived enemies of the new government. Within 4 years almost 1/4 of the population had been executed or died of starvation.
Alan awakens early (as is the pattern the past few days) and scoots upstairs to catch a glorious sunrise. The Spirit has been cruising overnight, and is just entering the port a Phenom Penh. There is no space at the pier, so our vessel ties up to another cruise ship already docked. It's great to see how the crews cooperate for this process.
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| Phnom Penh skyline |
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| tethering our ship to another river cruiser |
We have been warned that the tours today can be emotionally draining. The Cambodian guide for our group is Sattya, and he sheds a great deal of light into the history and culture. As our tour bus rides to the city outskirts, Sattya tells us how his father, like most city dwellers, returned to his home village when ordered to the countryside. This proved to be a mistake, as most of his fellow citizens knew he had been educated and working as a schoolteacher. It was only a matter of time until a knock on the door in the dead of night summoned him outside to be sent "for re-education". Sattya's mother found his clothes in a pond that held many dead bodies, but she never did find his corpse.
The killing fields monument houses skulls and bones of over 8,000 of the estimated 20,000 people slaughtered here. This is only one of 343 sites that have been discovered in this country including over 20,000 mass graves. People would be brought here by truck in the night, killed and their bodies thrown into mass graves. There were 10 killers who lived at this site, and Sattya actually had the opportunity to interview one of those 10 a few years ago. The man is not in prison because he has become an informer against higher officers of the Khmar Rouge.
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| killing fields monument housing 8,000 skeletons |
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| Sattya points to clothing and bones which continually still surface at these mass graves |
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| visiting children leave bracelets honouring the many children killed here |
Our bus takes us back into the city and we stop at the S21 prison. This former school was converted to a torture centre and prison. We view torture instruments and many photographs of some of the 20,000 plus people killed at this site. Prisoners were kept shackled in leg irons and given two spoonfuls of weak porridge daily. The prison cells measured approximately 1 x 2 metres in size.
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| wire enclosed the balconies of S21 to prevent prisoners from suiciding by jumping |
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| we met Chum Mey, one of the only survivors of S21 |
We are introduced to one of the only 7 prisoners who survived this horror. Dan and Alan buy copies of his autobiography.
Immediately upon returning to the ship, we jump into the swimming pool, something that will become an invariable ritual for the Canadians. We are amazed that the pool is not utilized by more of the guests. Most of the time we have it all to ourselves.
Following a hearty lunch, we head out for our afternoon excursion. This involves a tuk-tuk ride through the city to the Raffles Hotel. This five star location is a beautiful structure architecturally, and has hosted celebrities such as Barak Obama and Jackie Kennedy in the past. We are treated to high tea in a large ballroom, including a taste of the cocktail enjoyed by Jackie, the "femme fatale". The spread of appetizers are so wonderful, they make us wish we had skipped lunch. About a dozen of us retire to the Elephant Bar to enjoy the signature cocktail, a Singapore Sling.
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| Sally & Gary enjoying the tuktuk |
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| The beautiful Elephant lounge at Raffles |
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| High tea fit fro royalty |
We direct our tuk-tuk drivers to drop us at the night market, and open-air affair sporting mainly clothing, artwork and jewelry. Alan buys a belt and Dan grabs a painting before the stifling heat and humidity drives us back to the shipboard pool. Feeling unable to face another full meal, we order burgers & fries brought to Dan & Nadine's room.
The evening's entertainment is a live band, playing mainly disco tunes. The Canadians manage to get most of the room up dancing and even encourage a bit of karaoke.
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