January 20, 2017

January 20, 2017

Today we are on the move to learn about more recent Cambodian history.  We fly to the current capital, Phnom Penh.  To save time we stop at a bakery for a snack.  And then on to the Killing Fields Memorial. During the Vietnam War, Ho Chi Minh supported the Khmer Rouge (Socialist Cambodia) movement. Aided by the US decision to extend bombing into Cambodia, this minority group was able to seize power in 1975. They immediately drove everyone from the cities into the country, and started killing anyone with an education. It was only stopped when the Vietnam Army, fearing UN intervention, invaded. It was a moving story made more so by the fact our local guide’s father was taken away when he was 2 years old, never to be seen again.

The memorial is one of several execution sites discovered. Some excavation was done to learn the extent of the murders, and these bones were placed in a memorial stupa. The rest are still in situ. As we walk around the small area, we see bones and clothes emerging from the ground as the rain exposes them.  There is one spot where children and women were found, another with decapitated bodies, and a third pit containing 450 skeletons. In all 2-3 million Cambodians were believed to have been killed. The systemized murder seems eerily like an unsophisticated Auschwitz.

Afterwards, we went to the Royal Palace, or at least we tried to.  We got stuck in traffic in an area without traffic lights. The traffic just came to a halt.  I am never going to complain about red lights again. We finally made it through with the assistance of a traffic cop.

We toured the palace following a group of monks in orange robes. The architecture all looks modern Oriental. The current elected king, only a figurehead, still lives here.  A handful of buildings are open to the public, including the Coronation Hall and the Elephant Mounting Room.  There are also several memorial stupas on the grounds. The star attraction is the Pagoda. Its floor is completely covered in silver tiles. Unfortunately the tiles are tarnished, in poor condition and now mostly covered by carpet.
 

Since it is late in the day, we made a one minute dash through the National Museum which houses lots of artifacts recovered from archeological sites throughout Cambodia. Then it was back thru heavy traffic to our hotel.  Unfortunately our farewell dinner is back downtown so it is late by the time we are done.  That turned out okay as we stayed up to watch the Inauguration at midnight.