Today is our last day in Cambodia and I am so sad. I have not spent enough time here to truly see, do, and experience all that I want. But I will tell you what we did today. This post is going to start of pretty sad and serious, but, I promise if you stick it out, it will end with some laughs.
After waking up, I went downstairs and had an amazing breakfast. The meal is included with the hostel and is absolutely delicious. By the time I got downstairs, Debbie had finished her breakfast but she sat with me as I ate mine. Paul joined us, while Kate was still upstairs sleeping. Kate’s been feeling sick for a couple of days and I’ve totally been purposely leaving this out of the blog because I know the minute her Mom and sister read this, they are going to panic and get worried. She is okay, she’s just not been feeling well. So we let her sleep in and she eventually joined us for breakfast.
We were switching rooms in the hostel, due to booking so we packed up our bags, threw them into the hostel’s storage and then headed out. First you’ll see pictures of the tuk tuk ride.
This is where I give you my disclaimer. The next section I’m going to talk about the first thing Kate and I did today. We visited one of the over 300 killing fields that are responsible for the mass deaths of the Cambodian people during the genocide of 1975. If reading and seeing photos of this would be too much and too emotional, skip down until you see the photo of fruity smoothie drinks with hibiscus flowers and read from there.
Ooookay. Now that that’s settled.
To be honest, I didn’t know much about the Cambodian genocide before coming here. Debbie had told me about The Killing Fields and the documentary she watched, but I truly knew nothing about it. I barely knew there was a genocide at all. So I am going to talk to you and explain it to you, like you don’t know much about it either, just incase you don’t.
1975, Cambodia. Post Vietnam war. Although Cambodia was not involved in the Vietnam war with the U.S. and allies, parts of the war spilled over and took place on Cambodian soil. The country was also going through its own civil war. Cambodia was hurting. With the North Vietnamese victory, Communist forces began to take power across South East Asia. The rise of these Communist powers across the area included the rise of the Communist Party of Kampuchea lead by the Khmer Rouge. The Cambodian civil war ended when the Khmer Rouge overthrew the Khmer Republic and took hold of the government. The Khmer Rouge came into power with a vision of a new Cambodia. This new Cambodia was a form of agrarian socialism founded on the ideas of Stalinism and Maoism. This lead to the mass genocide of an estimated 3 million Cambodians over the course of four years. Around 2 million killed due to forced labor, malnutrition, and disease. While a roughly estimated 1.5 million were executed by the Khmer Rouge. Educators, artists, lawyers, doctors, anyone who spoke a foreign language, people with soft hands (not kidding) were arrested, relocated, then finally tortured and executed. Mothers. Women. Babies. Children. Small. Children. Mothers watching their child be swung by their feet at a tree, where their heads were smashed against the bark and tossed into a pit.
The locations where these mass murders occurred are now known as The Killing Fields. There is said to be an estimated over 300 different Killing Fields across Cambodia. These killing fields are now mass grave sites, with no identification of the people who were killed there.
One of the largest ones found is right on the outsides of Phnom Penh. Kate and I did an audio tour, walking through the grounds of where buildings use to stand. Listening and reading about what happened at this place. How they would play music alongside generators to mute the sound of screams. How the Khmer Rouge was given a seat at the U.N. and the rest of the world was blind to what was happening. Survivors, sharing their stories of escape, of torture, of what they saw, who they lost, when. Bones. So many bones. They collect scraps of cloth and bone as they surface over the years. They put it in boxes on display until excavators come to collect the newly found bones to examine them. We saw so many. Skulls, bone, teeth, clothes. They keep them for people to see, to understand, to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Many tears were shed today.
This is why there are so few elderly people in Cambodia. To be old, to have gray hair, it is a rare sight here, because so many were killed during the genocide.
So here are some photos from our journey today. None of them compare to the words and stories we heard as we walked.
Kate and I both wanted that dress and we had JUST a little time so we raced back to the Russian Market and quickly found a few more! Everyone happy, aside from not feeling well, we headed back to get ready for this evening’s sunset river boat ride!
Everyone showered and rested. When it was time to go, Kate opted to stay behind. She is suppose to go to Thailand tomorrow and wanted to feel as better as possible before she went. So Debbie and I went on ahead the two of us.
We got on the tuk tuk, got to the river. We were laughing already because there was no path to get to the main path to the dock. Our tuk tuk driver literally guided us up small wall and through a planter onto the main path of dock. We were cracking up. And then to get to our boat, we had to walk across and through four other boats to get to ours. It was so goofy. We got to or boat, sat at the top with Julie and Stewart. I think they were dating? I’m not sure. They were an interesting older couple. Stewart was from Scotland and Julie was from Jersey (some small island in the English Channel between the UK and France that is didn’t know existed). Just, odd. I guess the best way to put it is to say that we each probably enjoyed a different kind of traveling. Very kind, Julie chatted with us, just different styles. We we’re waiting four 9 more people or something so we sat there a while before we left.
We were waiting for 6 more people, a family from Germany who finally arrived and then we were off! The mother of the
Family came and talked with us for a bit, sharing what her family has done on their travels. I wished we were sitting down with them on the lower deck. They looked like they were having more fun and more our style. But we were there for the sunset and a sunset we got! We had unlimited access to wine, beer, sodas and our food was included. I had some white wine, Debbie a beer. For food they served.. chicken wings which Julie and Stewart ate. Then kabobs, of chicken bell pepper and onions. We didn’t eat much, but enjoyed the ride.
iThis made us so happy! We ordered and shared Vegetable curry and fried noodles. Our dinner was delicious and so worth it. We ate and talked for a while, until we couldn’t eat anymore and got our extra to go. Earlier in the day Debbie had talked about getting massages and her favorite place around the corner so we headed there. We each paid $7 for a half hour back and shoulders massage. Which was amazing. The pressure used- unreal.
But oh my god, I was dying. So the woman leads us down this long hallway, through a door, through another door past a staircase and finally into a big room in the back with two beds. Doesn’t say a word. We walk in and I see the two beds and I’m thinking, “Alright. Okay. Couple massage status. My first couple massage is going to be with Debbie. Alright. We’re doing this.” I just assumed we would be sitting in some chair but here we stood, in a beautiful big room with two tables. The woman walked out. Still, didn’t say a word. And Debbie and I stood there. Clearly both unsure of what we are suppose to do or what is happening. So we just kept standing there. Not sure what to do. No one said anything to us. Debbie said “Are they giving us a thing to wear?” I shrugged and we still stood there.
Finally two girls walk in and Debbie, being the direct and honest human she is straight up asks if we are suppose to take our shirts off and they said yes. So we turned our backs to each other to do what we needed to do. Debbie asked if we need to remove our bras, they said yes. As I went to do that, the girl came over to help me. Which made me laugh. Like. What? I do this every day homie, I got it. It was nice of her, but I managed before she could fully get to me.
Laying down, ready to go, already laughing in my head about this entertaining evening we’ve had, thinking about how I’m going to write about all of this later, all of the sudden, this girl jumps onto my massage table! And all I’m thinking is “Oh my god. Did she just jump onto the table? Did that just happen? Yup. She’s up here with me.” And I feel her put one knee on each side of me and slightly resting her butt on my butt! I wanted to laugh so hard, I was so surprised. I’ve only ever had like four massages at home, so I am no expert, but I’m pretty sure there is no way anyone would ever or could ever jump up on to the table with you! There would be all kinds of lawsuits and weird things happening. She began the massage and all that was running through my head was:
“She’s really sitting on this table with me”
“There’s no way this would ever happen in the states”
“What if somebody wants the front of them massages, do they sit on your lap then too? Well how awkward would that be! Keep your eyes closed and a person sitting on your lap! What if you’re a dude and think she’s cute? How awkward!”
“What if SHE was a dude? There would be a dude sitting on top of me right now! What if he was too heavy?”
I couldn’t stop thinking about it. So bizarre! But, honestly and truly, the BEST massage I have ever had. Whenever I get a massage I feel like it’s some sort of witchcraft. Because sometimes whatever is they are doing feels like some somehow magically have more than one two hands doing it! The amount of pressure and work she put on my back and shoulders was absolutely amazing. At times, she used her whole body weight to add to it. It felt amazing and I wish every massage I had was that way.
Afterwards I said to Debbie, “She jumped on my table! You could have warned me!” And she said “oh shoot, I forgot! I have been so many times, ira normal for me”
We laughed as we walked back to the hostel. Checked on Kate again who was still sleeping and recovering. Packed up our things and it was time for bed. Our last day had come to an end.
P.s. Our hostel rooms have had amazing AC and I’ve been freezing my butt off in them.
The Wandering Sandals 