Cambodia - Day Six and Seven

Our last full day in Cambodia turned out to not be for the faint of heart. The day began innocently enough - we woke up early to catch a bus back to Phnom Penh and arrived without incident a little after noon. We dropped off our luggage at our trusty hostel and rented a tuk tuk to take us to both Choeung Ek Memorial and Toul Seng Genocide Museum, also known as S21. 

The Choeung Ek Memorial marks the site of mass killings that occurred in Cambodia between 1975 and 1999. Under Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, around one million Cambodians were murdered under the guise of "threatening" the new regime. Today, a large Buddhist stupa in the center of the killing fields memorializes the horrific and merciless genocide. The stupa houses around 5,000 skulls on 17 glass shelves stretching from the floor to the ceiling.

It's nearly impossible to properly describe the utter horror that occurred in Cambodia during this time. As a visitor, you are guided through an audio tour of the events leading up to, during, and following the genocide. This horrible act of violence is gut-wrenching to the core, especially because it is massively under-taught or discussed. Personally, I had never heard about the Cambodian genocide or Khmer Rouge prior to visiting Choeung Ek. As painful as it was to learn of the inhumane ways humans treated other humans, the experience was necessary and eye-opening. If only history would stop repeating itself…

After Choeung Ek, we pressed onto the Toul Seng Genocide Museum, or S21. I was thoroughly drained and depressed from the killing fields and could not emotionally handle touring S21. I opted out of the museum and instead went to a nearby Korean beauty store (Sandra’s Shop-highly recommend!). Maybe it was weak of me, but at the time I just couldn’t bear it.

We made our way back to the hostel after the museum and following a brief rest, walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner. The restaurant was just out of the touristy area and offered delicious local flavors – and some great fresh spring rolls! On our walk back to the hostel, we stopped for ice cream and sorbet from Blue Pumpkin, a bakery specializing in unique flavors (although we ended up with mint chocolate chip, vanilla brownie, and strawberry…#boring). We relaxed along the water and savored our desserts before grabbing our luggage and setting off on another night bus to Siem Reap.

Our Cambodia adventure came to an inevitable close on Friday morning, a full week after our arrival. We had a morning flight from Siem Reap to Guangzhou and then an afternoon flight from Guangzhou to Beijing. Our time in Cambodia was a whirlwind - we experienced everything from world wonders, to world horrors, with some beach time in between. The trip was absolutely amazing and something I will treasure for the rest of my life.