Sunday 22nd October
Today we had free time in Phnom Penh to do a bit of tourism and all decided to become more familiar with the dark side of recent Cambodian history. Don and Willy travelled out to the "Killing Fields" to the mass grave sites of many of those killed in the city while John, Cindy, Tracy and I stayed in the city and went to the genocide museum. This is housed in S-21, a school converted to a prison where many of the more significant prisoners were interogated and tortured before the one way trip to the Killing Fields.
The museum is very well done with much of it left as it would have looked in 1979. The Khmer Rouge documented the people they rounded up in picture and by written confession (one assumes to prove their single minded diligence and loyalty in rooting out spies and other anti-revolutionary elements to the higher ups: many of those who had positions in the Khmer Rouge were later imprisoned and killed) so many pictures are displayed to show the enormity of the crimes. I personally found it more moving than Auswitz, probably because it happened within my memory.
From here we took in one of the positive features of Cambodia by visiting one of the main Pagodas, Wat Phnom. Here people make offerings to Buddha and there was a lively trade in incense, sticks of flowers and lotus blossom outside to leave as offerings. You could also buy a bird (or several) to carry your prayers up to heaven.
From here we returned to the hotel to board a bus once more for a short journey to our run site out in the rice fields. Rice fields right now (early season) are a panorama of paddies filled with short bright green plants broken up by palm trees and open areas with cattle grazing. The fields are deep in water so the running trail is a zig-zag of dry and squelchy trail between them.
The run was very enjoyable and the pack were led back and forth so we all kept together. Unfortunately towards the end I ended up on the wrong side of a paddy and followed two others down a field divide under a food of water. I saw where they slipped and went carefully there but all of a sudden I slipped and went up to my neck in water, camera too. Pleasantly cooling but that was the end of that machine.
After the run and a few beers we all headed home for a much needed shower and then took off for an organized event at a local bar. It was a mellow affair but I had the chance to talk with a couple of New Zealanders and find our more about Wanganui where we'll be working next year.
The museum is very well done with much of it left as it would have looked in 1979. The Khmer Rouge documented the people they rounded up in picture and by written confession (one assumes to prove their single minded diligence and loyalty in rooting out spies and other anti-revolutionary elements to the higher ups: many of those who had positions in the Khmer Rouge were later imprisoned and killed) so many pictures are displayed to show the enormity of the crimes. I personally found it more moving than Auswitz, probably because it happened within my memory.
From here we took in one of the positive features of Cambodia by visiting one of the main Pagodas, Wat Phnom. Here people make offerings to Buddha and there was a lively trade in incense, sticks of flowers and lotus blossom outside to leave as offerings. You could also buy a bird (or several) to carry your prayers up to heaven.
Offerings in the Pagoda
From here we returned to the hotel to board a bus once more for a short journey to our run site out in the rice fields. Rice fields right now (early season) are a panorama of paddies filled with short bright green plants broken up by palm trees and open areas with cattle grazing. The fields are deep in water so the running trail is a zig-zag of dry and squelchy trail between them.
The run was very enjoyable and the pack were led back and forth so we all kept together. Unfortunately towards the end I ended up on the wrong side of a paddy and followed two others down a field divide under a food of water. I saw where they slipped and went carefully there but all of a sudden I slipped and went up to my neck in water, camera too. Pleasantly cooling but that was the end of that machine.
After the run and a few beers we all headed home for a much needed shower and then took off for an organized event at a local bar. It was a mellow affair but I had the chance to talk with a couple of New Zealanders and find our more about Wanganui where we'll be working next year.
posted by Tim | 7:42 PM
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