The Killing Fields

On my recent trip to Cambodia, my friends and I chose to visit the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center, better known as The Killing Fields. This site is located a short ride outside Phnom Penh and is the most visited of over 300 former Khmer Rouge prisons and killing fields throughout Cambodia. The regime, headed by Pol Pot, marched into Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975 and in just three days emptied the city forcibly and transported all educated people and their families to the countryside. The people were supposedly sent to "collective farms". Pol Pot wanted a self-sufficient country and demanded they increase rice production by threefold. His plan was to have a rural, classless society and built his army with young, uneducated village men… promising them equality.

During the reign, one-fourth of Cambodians were killed… by their own countrymen. At the location we visited, we saw where mass graves of 450 victims were unearthed. Mass executions took place on the site, with as many as 300 people killed a day and thrown into piles as if their lives had no meaning.

The executions weren't carried out with guns or poisonous gas, but with crude instruments such as axes, hoes, and even a killing tree where skulls were smashed against its bark.

We saw the swollen mounds of earth evidencing the 129 mass graves on the site. We walked carefully around bone fragments and scraps of cloth from victims' clothing still lying on the ground. We heard audiotapes of a former prison director confessing to killing over 10,000 people, from a soldier who claimed he had no choice but to enlist in the army, and from one man who was arrested, beaten, imprisoned and managed to survive.

Most of all, we simply walked in silence around the sacred grounds on a hot day and paid our respects to the victims of the brutal crimes of the Khmer Rouge from 1975-1979, in disbelief that this had occurred during our lifetimes.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Silver Pagoda/Dancing Pavillion

We landed in Cambodia at 10:30 a.m. Our flight departed Bali at 4:30 a.m. and then we had a brief layover in Kuala Lumpur which we spent in the One World airline alliance lounge. Cambodia Immigration had no lines at that time of the morning and we breezed through with our electronic Visas we had purchased online in advance of our trip. We were able to check a bag in storage at the airport since it was stuffed, not with any necessities, but with all the gifts we received at my husband's Asia-Pacific zone meeting. With a lighter load, we exited customs and took a cab to the Narin Guest House where we would be spending the next two nights.

Narin Guest House

Just two weeks ago I was in Tokyo and raving about the Japanese way of perfection in all aspects of life: food presentation, orderly road traffic, the lack of litter, etc. What I was now seeing in Phnom Penh was the opposite. Although the city is laid out in a grid, traffic is insane. 

Traffic in Phnom Penh

Gas sold in liter bottles

 The few cars on the road are engulfed by scooters that weave around the cars jockeying for the lead. I saw an occasional bus, but the overwhelming mode of public transit is the tuk tuk. Another first for me, a tuk tuk is a motorbike that pulls a two wheel cart, the nicest ones with vinyl benches and a canopy.

Tuk tuk

The Narin Guest House is a 20 room, three story building on a quiet street not far from the river and the palace. The "lobby" or reception is on the second floor and is essentially an open-air terrace. They serve reasonably priced meals on the terrace and although we didn't have a meal there, we enjoyed sitting outside with a cool drink in the evening. Cokes are $0.50 and a beer $0.40.   Our room (the deluxe double with air conditioning) was $20.  (The dollar goes very far here, with all businesses accepting U.S. currency and listing their prices in U.S. dollars. ) In fact, we couldn't believe the ads for spa services since they were so inexpensive…$4.00 for a 30 minute massage.

We strolled along the Tonle Sap river, stopping at one of several rooftop bars to enjoy the view.

View of the river from rooftop restaurant

 

National Museum

Our first day we walked to the Silver Pagoda and palace. It was only a few blocks in the hot sun, but not an easy walk. The road was so swelled with vendors and swerving motorbikes around us that it was difficult to find a place to put your feet. The impressive pagoda faces the river and the rising sun. The palace is another block away from the river. We walked around the walled perimeter, not going inside for a tour since it is closed for a few hours each afternoon.

We walked the Sisowath Quay, parallel to the river,  and into the Foreign Correspondent's Club. We walked upstairs for a great view of the river in their cozy restaurant, and liked the atmosphere and low prices so much that we returned that evening with our friends for happy hour at the rooftop terrace.

Inside the Foreign Correspondent's Club

In the evenings, the city is alive with its night markets, neon lights, and fabulous restaurants.  Cambodia was originally settled by the French, so French cuisine is easily found.  We also found some great Indian food that we shared with our friends, Frank and Sally.

The perfect end to our busy day was a relaxing stop at the sophisticated Elephant Bar in the Raffles Hotel.  The hotel's Singapore location is famous for creating the Singapore Sling cocktail.  Although we were hot and dusty from our exploring, this unpretentious bar made us feel right at home and the staff enjoyed serving us their Singapore Sling which they boast is even better than the ones made in Singapore.

 
The next day we took a tuk to the Russian Market.  The drivers are so eager for your business that they will wait outside all day just to get the return fare.  Although Cambodia has a rainy season, it was dry, dusty and hot for our late-January stay.  The market is known for its designer knockoffs:  Cucci instead of Gucci.  I was most surprised that they slaughter chickens right next to the stall where silk scarves are sold.

Bali

Bali, that faraway place with the exotic-sounding name, is part of Indonesia and an easy flight from my last destination in Jakarta. Those two places could not be more different. If Jakarta is the financial capital of Indonesia, then Bali is the getaway capital of Indonesia.

 
As soon as I stepped off the plane I noticed it…how sweet the air smelled. I thought maybe they pumped the flowery scent through the airport's ventilation system. I noticed it again during the car ride to our hotel, and again in the hotel lobby. I am convinced that the strongest of our senses is the sense of smell. When I remember my trip to Bali, it will be the fragrant blooms that permeated the air that I will remember the most.

My husband had a few Hilton Honors points remaining, and looking online we found a property in Bali where we could redeem points-The Conrad Bali. Surprisingly, the rack rate at this indulgent property is not outrageously expensive…the exchange rate favorable for the U.S. Dollar with $1.00 equal to $12,500 Rupiah.

We entered the hotel through the expansive open-air lobby with the high-pitch roof. Directly ahead of us was a terrace overlooking the enormous swimming pool in the foreground with the beach on the horizon. Our room was on the first floor, with a patio that opened onto our private patio with table and chairs. The three steps down from the patio spilled into the pool, a meandering lagoon where you can swim for miles. 

I think my astrological sign suits me. I am an Aquarius and I love to be in the water. Here it was so easy to jump into the pool and swim a few laps since it was conveniently outside my bedroom door. (See my blog on Camping in Culebra and you should understand why staying at the Hilton is how I prefer to camp on the beach.)

As much as I LOVED my hotel, we decided to actually leave the property during the day. My husband's host in Jakarta was adamant that we call his driver and tour the island. "If it's your first time in Bali, you have to tour the island" he said. Wow, did he give us great advice.

The first day we went to a see a musical production. The actors were dressed in traditional Balinese costumes. The Play represented a fight between a good spirit and an evil (monster) spirit. In one of the five acts, dancers appear and dance to the beat of the live Balinese music.

After the show, we went toured one of the many ancient temples on the island. Along the way, we noticed a number of small wicker boxes holding flower petals and we were told that the day was a holy one. In observance, women bring small offerings of flowers, fruit and cakes and place them outdoors.

Our next stop was the Ubud Monkey Forest. (See my blog by the same name.)

The second day we stayed at the hotel in the morning, opting instead for a late afternoon tour. Our driver took us to the Uluwatu Temple which is perched on a cliff overlooking white-capped waves breaking against the rocky shore. If you notice our long skirts, they belong to the temples who offer them to tourists since custom requires that men and women cover their legs before entering a temple.

Nearby, we sat in an open amphitheater and watched traditional Balinese fire dancers perform with breathtaking views of the sun setting over the ocean. 

Our final stop that evening was to a stretch of beach lined with one dozens of identical restaurants specializing in grilled seafood. Our table was a few feet from the ocean, with our chairs in the sand. We ordered the sampler platter, which was more food than we wanted but still a bargain in Rupiah.