Phnom Penh: Killing Fields, The

*Disclaimer: Extreme content ahead...입니다.*

If Siem Reap was beauty, then Phnom Penh was emotion. We took an overnight bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh and arrived in the early morning before anything was really open...except for what we wanted to see, which apparently opened at 5:30 AM. We rented a tuktuk for the day (from a guy not nearly as cool as Homeboy) and headed through Phnom Penh to our first destination.

Driving through the two cities offered a slightly different experience. Phnom Penh was obviously bigger, being the capital and largest city in Cambodia. The amount of tuktuks and scooters stayed constant, but things were more urban in general and there was wealth present in certain areas. We saw a Lamborghini and a Bentley driving nonchalantly down the street.

Our first stop was Tuol Sleng Prison, or S-21. For those who need the history lesson: On April 17th, 1975, after a seven year civil war, the ultra-Communist Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh and solidified their control over Cambodia. They renamed the country Democratic Kampuchea and forced everyone to evacuate the cities for a new era of agrarianism. Year Zero. They abolished hospitals, schools, books, even currency, and forced everyone to work on collective farms as equals. Those who were thought to be intellectuals (identified by things as arbitrary as wearing glasses) were murdered. Members and supporters of the former government were murdered. Non-Cambodian ethnic groups were murdered. Those who for some reason or another had "pre-revolution nostalgia" were murdered. Anyone who could not produce adequate agricultural skills were murdered. They eventually turned on their own and murdered high ranking Khmer Rouge officials. Nobody was safe. Even if they couldn't find a reason to murder, they tortured until the person confessed a crime and named some friends or family members who would then be subsequently arrested.
One of the places in which they were tortured and murdered was Tuol Sleng. After Phnom Penh was evacuated and schools abolished, this high school was turned into a prison/torture center. 17,000 people passed through its gates. Only seven survived. When the Vietnamese invaded and overthrew the Khmer Rouge in 1979, they found Tuol Sleng with 14 bodies quickly killed on the torture tables by the fleeing enemy. The next year, they opened up Tuol Sleng as a museum and kept it very similar to how it looked when they found it. There were even still blood stains on the floor.To say it was powerful would be an understatement. Walking into a room with a bed frame and a picture above it depicting the dead person the Vietnamese found in that very same room, in that very same bed frame was definitely moving. It's hard to describe everything one sees there. The tiny cells. The torture devices. The chains. The bloodstains. The thousands of pictures of victims who passed through the prison's gates, never to be seen or heard from again. Some were children under five. Tortured and murdered all the same. There were rooms full of these photographs.It took less than a year for the grounds surrounding Tuol Sleng to fill up with bodies, so the Khmer Rouge began shipping prisoners out to places like Choeung Ek (our next stop) to be disposed of. Once a Chinese cemetery, the Khmer Rouge turned Choeung Ek into a killing field and mass grave site. After prisoners signed a confession or named the required names of other traitors, they were put in a truck and hauled out to the fields with about 20 or 30 other people, where they were led to a pit and struck with a pick ax or a hoe or any other lethal farm equipment that could kill while saving bullets. Children who were small enough were taken by the legs and swung headfirst into a tree. The specific tree was labeled as we strolled around.

In the center is a memorial to the thousands of bodies they found at Choeung Ek housing the bones of exhumed victims. It's rather startling as the bones are exposed for viewers. Also, while walking around, signs inform you that when it rains they still find things in the soil and don't be surprised if you do too. It's hard to ignore rags half buried in the dirt or more than one random tooth on the ground.

But, with that our depressing tour of Cambodian history was over. We were left with the rest of the day to enjoy more cheery sites like the Cambodian Royal Palace:

Modeled after the Thai Royal Palace.

The Silver Pagoda:

Apparently bird paradise.

The Vietnam/Cambodia Friendship Monument:The Independence Monument:

As featured on their currency!

The Central Market:
The North Korean Embassy:

No, we didn't get to go into the North Korean Embassy, but they did have some funny propaganda on the outside of it--in English.

The Riverfront:

(picture not included)

The Riverfront was charming enough, with that same French style architecture so prominent in Siem Reap. Although instead of $.50 beers like in Siem Reap, the cheapest we could find was $.60 beers (God! Everything is so marked up in the big city!).

Perhaps it was the dust entering through my eyes, nose, and mouth and subsequently clouding my brain, but Phnom Penh had a separate charm than Siem Reap. I didn't want to leave the prices, the currency, the tuktuks, the people, the haggling, the architecture, the atmosphere, the food...

Both Thailand and Cambodia are places I'd visit again, but I'd switch it around and spend more time in Cambodia than Thailand in the future. Cambodia has beach resorts, too...

Siem Reap: Tomb Raidin'

I'm not sure if I was fully prepared for Cambodia. Or, I was prepared for something a little different. To be frank, Cambodia was the better part of the trip. Bangkok was a semi-first world metropolis, Ko Phi Phi was a tropical resort island. Cambodia was what I expected Thailand to be more like before the trip started. The second land border I've ever crossed, it was plain to see the difference in economy immediately. We crossed in the morning, paddling upstream against a sea of people crossing into Thailand to go to work. Surely the conditions were better and the pay was higher in Thailand.

The three hour drive to Siem Reap from the border was equally eye opening. We passed through one small town between our start and end point, otherwise it was all country, littered with occasional houses and random shops. I was the only one (besides our driver) who stayed awake for the journey, and I was rewarded with a glimpse of real Cambodia. I will never again see so many naked Cambodian children playing carelessly. I tried to imagine living in a house like that. One room, no electricity, open to the elements, perhaps just a hammock or a cot to sleep on, and only a scooter for transportation. The more I thought I could somehow do it, the more I thought about how my humble home would need a flat screen TV and a PS3. Plenty of beer. Imported wine. With that, the thought that I could manage in a life like this vanished when my first world needs came back to me.

Siem Reap was more charming than any part of Thailand I visited (not to say that parts of Thailand aren't charming. Just not the parts I visited). I think this was because of the French influence on architecture and the general feel of the city. Like a lawless version of New Orleans, I honestly felt like I was in an old Western much of the time. Dirt roads, (motorized) horses and carriages, and second or third floor railings. It was just what I wanted. It also helped that our tuktuk driver, nicknamed Homeboy, was honest and nice. It was strange how a tourist city built on Angkor's back could feel so genuine.

I had looked forward to seeing Angkor Wat for years. It had been on my "bucket list" so to speak, and it seemed to have a time limit. As popularity for the site grows, it will surely lose part of its appeal and cleanliness (a-la Thailand...). I can't stress how large the Angkor Park complex is. At one time, Angkor was the size of modern day Los Angeles, making it by far the largest pre-Industrial Era city by landmass in history. Today, there are still over a thousand identified temples and structures.

Some highlights:Of course, Angkor Wat, the largest religious building in the world and the most recognized temple among the Angkor ruins (naturally undergoing renovations when I get to see it).
Ta Phrom. This one is interesting because it is the only temple on the main circle of temples that is maintained like the other temples used to be before the French restored them: covered in jungle. It's actually a delicate balance because UNESCO wants to keep it meshed with jungle, yet doesn't want the jungle to overtake the structures to the point of destroying their integrity. Thus, there is usually some renovation construction going on here. Also, this temple is the place where part of the movie Tomb Raider was filmed, and also the reason why Angelina Jolie adopted a Cambodian baby. I probably would too, if I were rich. They're so cute.
Bayon in Angkor Thom. This structure was the most visually stunning and the one with the most incredible story. When the French discovered Angkor, they made a point to put the rubble back together as much as they could so that they would resemble temples more than piles of rock. In the case of Bayon, it was in such disrepair that they had to disassemble the entire structure brick by brick. As they did so, they drew a picture of every single brick and laid them out in the surrounding field. When they finished that part (taking years, of course) the Imperialist Japanese were expanding their reach to SE Asia and the French conservationists couldn't continue their work safely. Of course, after World War II, a civil war took place with the Khmer Rouge eventually rising to power. With an extreme ideology, the Khmer Rouge sought to destroy all records of the past, including all the pictures that the French had drawn of every brick at Bayon. When work at Angkor continued in the 80s after the Khmer Rouge fell, they had no record of what the temple looked like and thousands of bricks to put back together. Amazingly, they did it like the most complex jigsaw puzzle you've ever seen. I'd hate to be the guy in charge of that project.

We saw other temples and complexes while in Angkor, but for some reason BLOGGER is not letting me upload any more pictures. Perhaps I exhausted my space limit somehow. It's kind of making me angry. As such, we will change pace a bit and talk about how we rented a boat to take us around a floating village and a floating forest.

The interesting thing about these floating things is the water they are in: the Tonle Sap. The largest freshwater lake in SE Asia, the Tonle Sap varies from 2,700 sq. km in the dry season to a whopping 16,000 sq. km in the wet, changing the flow of the Tonle Sap river. As there is such a difference, nearby inhabitants (human, animal, and plant alike) need to adapt. As such, villages were built on high stilts. In the dry season, they are on land and cars and scooters are the mode of transportation, but in the wet season, the waters swell and the only way out of your house is by boat. It's really interesting. The plant life, too, must adapt to being flooded for several months out of the year.
Cambodia is mostly flat, providing views that would be impossible in many places in the world. I wish I had gotten a picture of this, but one of the most beautiful weather scenes I've ever seen took place on this boat. Threatening rain, the gray cloud cover above was absolute. However, in the distance you could see a distinct curtain falling across the sky indicating where the rainfall began. I could see the rain literally miles away from where it was raining. It was gorgeous and my description of it does it no justice (but neither would a picture). It was interesting to see exactly when it would start raining, as the curtain slowly approached us.

Siem Reap was actually pretty magical. I wondered if Phnom Penh would have the same type of charm and appeal. Siem Reap would be tough to top and I honestly didn't want to leave.

Ko Phi Phi: Right By Da Beach

Ko Phi Phi Don is a small dumbbell shaped island located two hours East of Phuket (by ferry) in the Andaman Sea, a small Thai part of the Indian Ocean. Yes, I can now say I've swam in the Indian Ocean.

This was to be our relaxing beach portion of the trip, and mostly it was, except that it would soon destroy me.

Our hotel was located on the slope of the eastern dumbbell overlooking the northern beach. Our hotel was clean, friendly, and very fairly priced. However, that was partly offset by the 12049504308 steps one had to climb to reach it (remember, it's on the slope of a hill, which means climbing). In fact, it was part of the evacuation route in the case of a tsunami (a reactive measure from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that wiped out the entire island [yeah, remember that one? Killed 230,000 people? Big humanitarian aid thing afterward? You're hopeless.]).

The whole island would be pretty charming...if it weren't so dirty. It seems from what I've heard that prices have tripled in the past 5 years and the beach has become littered with beer bottles and cigarette butts. It's really an unfortunate side effect of tourism that our "environmental tax fee" we had to pay to enter the island doesn't seem to be combating.

Still, the scenery was beautiful, the people friendly, the party scene lively, and they had addicting banana shakes just as Borocay in the Philippines did.

On our second full day, we rented a boat and did the all day tour of the surrounding islands and snorkel spots. Highlights: Ko Phi Phi Lei, the location where they shot The Beach:

oh my GODLEONARDODICAPRIOHASSTOODWHEREISTOOD!!!

a beach full of monkeys:

You can kind of see some little monkeys over there.

biting fish:
and some scenery:Unfortunately, this was also the day that I would acquire an infected toe, the result of smashing it on a shallow coral reef whilst swimming.

There's the bastard. Look at his guilty face.

Not to mention the nasty, nasty sunburn I got from the equatorial sun. For the rest of the island trip, I couldn't go in the water, had to take antibiotics and couldn't drink, and couldn't take my shirt off because it hurt whenever I did. Everything an island trip should be was stolen from me! At least I got to see the watery things before I was injured.

Still, Ko Phi Phi Don was an experience I'll always remember with friends I'll never forget. A relaxing lull in the hectic sightseeing that bookended the vacation.

Bangkok: Dangerous?

This page is not about Nicolas Cage. Don't you worry about that. This page is about my vacation, rather part of it, and will be handled as tastefully and succinctly as Nicolas Cage's acting career. I apologize in advance.

We touched down in Bangkok in the early evening, navigating the sprawling airport through customs and baggage claim, exchanging or withdrawing Thai Baht, and finding our Thai friend who would play our host and tour guide for the next three days before she departed for a Sri Lankan wedding.

The first thing I noticed was that Bangkok was more urban and first world than I had expected. Sure, it's no New York City, but it was fairly cosmopolitan compared to what I had envisioned. Our hostel was the nicest hostel I'd ever stayed in, and not unfairly priced at about $10 a person. As we had arrived rather late, we opted to go to the Patpong area (the traditional red light district [not the reason we visited]) for some late street food dinner. This is where we had our first encounter with a tuk tuk.
For those unawares, a tuk tuk is a scooter powered mode of transportation wherein a passenger cart is attached to the scooter not unlike a carriage is attached to a horse. In Bangkok, the tuk tuks were a little bit nicer and comprised of one solid chassis, as though the horse melded with the carriage.

On our first full day, we rented a minivan that could fit all nine of us uncomfortably in seven seats and drove about two hours outside of Bangkok to a floating market. At first, this floating market was sparse, yet touristy, and not unlike the canals that I floated down in Japan. Eventually, however, they opened up to a series of navigable canals and shops that locals and tourists alike enjoyed. In fact, they enjoyed it so much that at times there were traffic jams. This is also where I got my first taste of authentic Thailand Thai pad thai. And I got it from a bee keeper. Well, not literally a bee keeper, but there were a ton of bees swarming around that woman. Her pad thai was good though.

That night, after a crazy delicious suckling pig (featured in Anthony Bordain) we visited the infamous Khao San Road. Khao San Road is known internationally as the backpacker central of Bangkok. Here, you will find the most international (read: Western) flavor in the city. Usually, this flavor is young and European. It is certainly a place to see some strange things if you look carefully (llllllllllllllllllllllllllladyboyzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!).

Day two consisted of a jaunt over to the Grand Palace, home of the King of Thailand. This place was, of course, majestic and full of all sorts of gold and silver and emeralds (and tourists). I recalled something that my grandfather had said when he visited Thailand. "I couldn't understand how there was this King's Palace that was filled with gold, but right outside the walls were people living in shacks everywhere." Things have surely changed since his visit, but I could then see what he meant. There were loads of vendors selling all sorts of trinkets and food just outside the palace gates, most likely earning them a pittance to live on while enough gold existed just meters away to feed everyone there for a lifetime.
Just a hop away from the Grand Palace was Wat Pho, the permanent home of the largest reclining Buddha in the wizzorld...dawg.

Spladow!

Also, it has a tree in the garden that was supposedly budded from the tree that Buddha sat under to find enlightenment. Or maybe a fourteenth generation Buddha tree.

That night we saw Muai Thai...for five hours. It was probably the best part of Bangkok. This traditional form of kickboxing is a lot more exciting than it sounds (and it sounds really exciting), especially in a dinky Bangkok arena full of bellowing Thai spectators. It was so funny to hear one side erupt in a unanimous "Hoah!" every time their boxer kicked his opponent, only to hear the other side of the arena "Hoah!" when the opponent kicked back. Many times, it was like a call and answer. Also not understood: the gambling system that took place in the upper echelons of this arena. It sounded like screaming and pointing and went on until the last round of each match.

In keeping with the tradition of trying local Thai food, on this night I sampled fried grasshopper. Yes, in case you were wondering, it tastes like chicken. Someone's got a picture of it somewhere, surely.

On our final full day, we once again rented a van (this time, large enough to fill all of us comfortably) to go to Ayutthaya, the ancient Siamese capital. This was filled with rubble and Buddhas, Buddhas, Buddhas. Even one Buddha got caught in a tree!
It was really neat and definitely belonged in some movie. Oh wait, it was in some movie. Anyone remember Mortal Kombat? Uh huh.That evening, I drunkenly and regretfully bought a pink Bob Marley shirt (obviously designed for a female in mind) in anticipation for our morning departure for Phuket.

Friendly Reminder

A few reminders for my readers before I depart on vacation:

1) Do not touch the hamster. He does bite.
2) Remember to lock the door and the gate whenever entering or leaving the premises.
3) Aiding and abetting criminals is illegal.
4) A specific reminder to the CEO of South Korean chain "Paris Baguette": Please, I beg you, upon my return to the motherland, please actually stock baguettes instead of only sweet pastries and coffee. Your name is misleading.
5) For the next two weeks, the weekly Tuesday poker tournament will be canceled.
6) A specific reminder to Mr. Lee: Please be courteous and remember that you are not the only one who lives in my apartment.
7) Yes. There will be snacks.
8) If you hear a siren or a loud bell, remember to wrap your arms around your legs in a crouching position and everything will be OK no matter what.
9) No boys.
10) A specific reminder to Korea: it's OK to have a car that is a color other than black, white, or gray. You're so colorful otherwise, what's with the bland cars?

With that said, today is my final work day until leaving for Thailand and Cambodia. It will probably be an OK time, I'm guessing. See you soon! Kissezzzzzzzzzz!

It's Finally Over

Yes, the biggest news I have is that I finished the Harry Potter series. All eight of those films (Psh, books!? No way, dude). Do I feel better for it? Mmm, only in that I will now get obscure references in the fanbase. That's not true. All the ladies love a guy who knows his Harry Potter. Proven fact. 100%.

To be honest, I'm not sure what this photo is trying to convey. "Two of us are attractive in make-up, while the third needs a backlight masking his facial features!"

Actually, I stand by my initial opinion that Dumbledore is unfit to be an educator. The difference is that later they try to cover it up and make it all like Dumbledore is some great teacher and mentor. What he teaches us is that we should forget about what we are supposed to be doing and do whatever the hell we want instead. He is supposed to be the headmaster of Hogwarts, but how often does he concern himself with that? How often does he instill in Harry and his friends that, yes, indeed, it is perfectly OK and perhaps rewardable behavior to break into places, use magic in the muggle world, deceive, lie, and generally disregard any rule that doesn't allow you to reach your end goal.

In fact, I don't see how everyone can see that Dumbledore is this great wizard and fit to run a school of witchcraft and wizardry for children and still uphold societal laws. Is the world of magic truly upheld by magic alone? It would have to be, as opposed to being governed by "the ministry" as it claims, or else they would have a panoply of other problems besides some asshat named Voldemort. And if it is run by magic alone, then why isn't the magic absolute? Why would they need courts or trials or judges? Why wouldn't the magic keep people from doing bad things? I mean it seems pretty complex (so complex that the author may or may not make up half the shit as she goes along).

I have some more complaints before I get to the good. 1) Hogwarts policies are ridiculous (perhaps, again, because of Dumbledore). You're telling me that Harry Potter is not allowed to go on a field trip to some faery village because he doesn't have parents to sign a permission slip yet he is allowed to compete in more than one deadly contest because a magic goblet said it was OK? Where are your priorities!? And the arbitrary favoritism is unacceptable. Why have the house of Slitherin if its just shunned and poked? You're creating bad mojo and begging everyone in Slitherin to join Voldemort.

2) I'm going to make an assumption that this is Jeri Kurl Rowling's fault and not the screen adaptation's fault, but she resorts to deus ex machina wayyyyy too much. Harry can't beat the bad guy on his own? Well, how about this magic sword turns up randomly that we'll try to explain later? No, no, that was intentional. The...uh...sword of Griffindor, it...uh...randomly presents itself to those in need. Oh, how about on top of that when an effin' phoenix flies in and plucks the monster's eyes out? Oh, what about in the next one when they went back in friggin time to solve their insurmountable conflict? I have the biggest problem with time travel as a resolution. It's such a cop out. If you can go back in time, then why don't you just go back to when the bad guy was a baby and kill them then? You can't introduce time travel after two movies/books (and then never mention it again) and expect people to take you seriously after that. Honestly...

3) The ending was sappy and unnecessary. Aspiring for The Return of the King wherein by the end of it we don't give a crap anymore?

With that said, here's the positive. Err...

1) It was entertaining enough that I could watch two movies in one day. The world of magic is alluring and Jasper Kronkite Rowling did a good job keeping up the entertainment value through seven different stories. It didn't get too tired and resort to recycling the same things over and over again. It introduced something interesting every time, especially toward the end of the series (although slightly predictable). I'm curious as to how much Joriah Kevlar Rowling made up as she went along and how much she had planned out far ahead of time.

2) Gary Oldman and Alan Rickman in the same movie is the coolest thing this side of a Pacino/De Niro team.

3) I'm struggling to come up with another...OH! Uh...special effects were well done in the latter movies. In the first couple, the CGI was a little obvious, but we as viewers become more jaded as technology improves, so that can't really be blamed on them.

Yeah, ok so the negatives got more air time than the positives and that's just my personality. Plus negativity sells, don't it? And that's really why I blog. The benjamins.