When we crossed Mao Tse Toung Blvd., I knew we weren't in Kansas anymore. For that matter we weren't in Myanmar either! Yes, we have arrived in Cambodia, a country so much more complex than I had understood before. The long elegant dresses of the young women in Myanmar have given way to short skirts and shorts. The nondescript local restaurant can now be a Dominoes or a KFC. The neighborhood where our hotel was had more coffee shops in one block than any place this side of Seattle. So the good news is that Phnom Penh is bustling and full of life, in a good way. Evil, however, lurks in its history. Cambodia has the misfortune to be squeezed between two countries that are much larger and stronger then it is: Vietnam and Thailand. In the olden days it was much larger, but over time it has lost much territory to its neighbors. I won't go into a history lesson here as I am just trying to understand it myself, but clearly there is a very dark side to it. During the Vietnam War the more powerful North Vietnamese began using both Laos and Cambodia as jumping off points for their attacks on the Americans and South Vietnam. The American military, not liking this obviously (and not telling the American people) began bombing both Laos and Cambodia. The civilians fled to the city for protection as they were being killed in large numbers. Exit the Americans from Vietnam and enter Pol Pot in Cambodia, one of the true deamons of history. Pol Pot invisioned a "pure" communist society based on a classless system with the peasant and agrarian population being its core. So he marched into Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975 and, as I have read elsewhere, turned the calendar back to zero. One of his first acts was to send all city dwellers to the country to be agricultural workers, some would say slaves. During the three and half years of Pol Pot's rule 1/4 of the population died. The causes ran from starvation to mass executions. Thus the Killing Fields, which is the one label that most of us identify with Cambodia. Intellectuals, artists, professionals, were all singled out for death. It is reported that 90% of the country's artists and artisans were executed including one of the most famous actresses and a famous singer. It goes beyond what most of us can imagine, or frankly care to imagine. The world seemed to turn a blind eye. I was no youngster in 1976 and I remember hearing nothing of this atrocity. The North Vietnamese "liberated" the country in 1979, but the U.S., and much of the Western World, still recognized Pol Pot's government as being legitimate, mainly because of our animosity towards Vietnam.
So that is a brief idea of what the current population of Cambodia is coming out of, or has been for 25 years now. And they are doing a good job of it. As mentioned Phnom Penh is a vibrant city with lots of energy and an active population. The arts are making a comeback, as witnessed by the short opera we attended at the National Museum. The riverfront is packed with hotels and restaurants seemingly doing a good business. So I would come back to Phnom Penh and get to know it better. It is definitely worth a visit.
While Cambodia is looking to the future they are not fogetting their past. The three of us spent yesterday visiting the notorius Tuoi Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. The former is the prison where Pol Pot's government tortured its citizens and the latter is the place of mass executions. One may ask why go to depressing places like this? Well, we felt not to go was turning our backs on the realities of the country. We also felt we wanted to honor those who had died, and get a better understanding of the place and people we were visiting. We have no regrets about going. The prison (Tuoi Sleng) was bleak. Tiny cells, chains, instruments of torture. But there was such an uplifting side as well. Our guide, a woman of 50 years, had been a child living in Phnom Penh when the Khemer Rouge took over the city. She was separated from her family, saw the loss of her father and siblings, yet told the story in such a poignent way. She shared her memories and feelings with us to the degree that by the time we left there was no doubt a connection had been made. And then the Killing Fields. It was such a profound and touching experience. They have done an amazing job in regard to showing it to visitors. It is not in your face, as one might expect. Everyone is given a pre-recorded headset into which you enter numbers corresponding to prompts along the pathway. They ask visitors to maintain silence, which they do. So one walks around the 3 or 4 acre grounds listening to and learning about the realities that took place there. It was touching, thought provoking, and was, amazingly, incredibly peaceful. The main shocking part was the memorial that had been built to house the skulls of the victims. But even that was something we did not want to avoid. As we were leaving it felt as though we were awakening from a meditative state. Not depressed, just once again amazed at the horrible things that man is capable of.
As mentioned, last night we actually saw an opera. A tradegy no less, but with plenty of life's lessons to be had. The costuming was so elegant, the dancing classic and beautiful to watch. Then we headed to the river front and had a very satisfying Indian dinner. Sat and watched the Mekong River. Now that certainly brings up memories of the past (luckily it was the first time I had ever seen it). We got on a bus at 7 this morning (definitely not luxury) and now sit next to the Gulf of Thailand listening to the gentle lap of the waves. We'll be in Southern Cambodia for six days. I've rented a moto for exploring, we've had a beer and it's only 3:30 p.m., and we are glad for the change of pace. We are happy, healthy, and full of life. Once again, thanks for reading the blog!!! JB
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