A Kingdom of Wonder, Cambodia

We arrived in Cambodia on the 13/8/12. From the flight in we could see it was a place to be explored. After our taxi to the Hotel (Hotel 9) we discovered it was happy hour so with the kids tired and hungry we stayed and had tea in the hotel. $1.00 for a beer and $2 cocktails. A brillant meal probably the nicest we have had since being away. With the boys being tired they and Amanda went to the room and I went for a walk to see what the neighbourhood had to offer. It was great, such a variety of eateries and places to sit and people watch with a cold beer. Cambodia is such a vibrant, developing country and we can all see why people fall in love with it.
Next day we decided to go to S-21 and the Killing Fields. It was amazing in the sense that what happened happened lessthan 40 yrs ago. It was a very somber experience that makes you appreciate how lucky we are not to have gone through it. Firstly our Tuk Tuk driver took us to S-21, the school that was turned into a prison. It was primative and horrible the rules and conditions that they had to deal with, although for a NZ prison I feel they should try this (living conditions). The pictures were very graphic and there seemed to be a sickening feel to the place as you walked around. My feelings were being tugged at as often I sensed my eyes filling up with tears. The ways these people were tortored was barbaric.
When then moved onto the Killing Fields after a 30minute tuk tuk ride. We didn't know what to expect in terms of what these fields looked like. We got there and saw the big 'Genicide Gates'.
It cost $5 per adult and kids were free, the price included a audio tour as you walked around. It was a real strange feeling, S-21 was quiet because some people were reading as there was a lot to read and it was spread out so you couldn't hear people, but the Killing Fields no one was talking it was a ghostly feeling were you just reflected on the horrendous conditions that people were going to be killed in. The first mass grave you get held 450 bodies it would be about 5 by 2 metres which is not very big so it gives you a sense of how the bodies were discarded and with no respect.
Features that stood out for me was the 'Killing Tree'. Executioners would hold children;s legs and swing them so that there heads would be smashed on the tree. To see the different coloured bangles (made from wool or something) makes you feel sick inside. Another part that touched me was the just the basic signs of telling to not walk on the mass graves it was like it was such a common thing to have mass graves. I always found myself thinking of the people who were lead there to their death. The 'Magic Tree' was sickening as they hung a loud speaker on it to drown out the sounds of the people being executed so that other prisoners would not here. The way they went about it of smashing there head from behind to hopefully knock the out and the fall into the grave. Then someone slits there throat and then they pour chemicals over them.
When we had finished we went back to the hotel to chill out. We decided to go out for dinner at a great Cambodian restaurant, really cheap as all food is here but it was happy hour (4pm-8pm) so buy 1 jug and get 1 free which is great when 1 jug is $3. So for $3 we got 2 jugs, heaven!!!