As expected the S21 museum and the visit to the Killings Fields was a pretty full on and emotional day. To visit Cambodia's own Auschwitz (a former school) was something I had prepared for, but was unable to fully comprehend until I arrived. To hear the accounts of such a bloody history, it is no wonder the country still wears the scars of Pol Pot's regime so clearly. In fact our guide for the day had lost his brother's and father in the systematic destroying of his country's people. The stories of torture eventually became too hard to hear and seeing the tiny 0.8 x 1 metre cells was equally difficult, but it was important to hear and see exactly what went on.
The trip to the Killings Fields was no easier. Hundreds of mass graves, bone fragments still visible, were again difficult to take in. I have never experienced anything seeing the huge stupour full of human skulls and bones, but again it was an important for the country, and indeed the world, to be reminded of what happened and ensure it never does again. This is not all doom and gloom though. Cambodia is a beautiful country, desperately trying to get over it's past. Hopefully their growth will continue as more people visit.
We move now to Vietnam. I have only ever know it as a war, but it is so much more! Ho Chi Minh is an incredibly vibrant place of 9 million people, with huge French influence still very evident. We saw the Cu Chi tunnels that the Viet Cong used to out-maneuver the American forces. I crawled through a small section of the tunnel system, it was so cramped, I cannot imagine what it must have been like with full combat kit on. However I readily accept I am a little big to compare to a Vietnamese soldier! Again visiting the site gave me chance to understand the war a little better, as did the War Museum. It was interesting to see the left over American military vehicles and the stories of those damaged by the Agent Orange bombing campaign, be they Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laos and American.
We then took a cyclo-tour of HCM City, what are amazing (and slightly terrifying) way to see the City! Diving in between some of the city's 5 million motorbikes is not for the fainthearted. We toured the major sites and got a good idea of what the city is like. Tonight we had drinks at a rooftop bar. Stunning views and great drinks. Still trying to comprehend spending 500,000 Dong on drinks and over a million on dinner - insane!
Hanoi and Ha Long Bay next. One night will be spent on a boat, so I'm not sure when the next instalment will be. As you've noticed, the technical glitches have been sorted, enjoy the photos of S21 museum, HCM City and my wife negotiating the tiny tunnels!
No comments:
Post a Comment