The Security Prison 21 (now called Tuol Sleng) was formerly a high school that the Khmer Rouge turned into the largest detention and torture center in the country. Over 17,000 people held at S-21 were taken to Choeung Ek for execution. About 6 miles outside Phnom Penh, Choeung Ek is located at the end of a road in beautiful countryside. Here the victims of S-21 were killed and buried. Mass graves, most of which have been exhumed, are visible as pits in the ground surrounded by pathways that are littered with bone fragments, teeth, and clothing. A memorial temple has been built on the sight which houses over 8000 skulls arranged by age and gender. While I was there Malaysian members of UNTAC were having their picture taken as they held skulls in their hands.
I managed to rent a moped from my hotel and took off for the 30 mile trip to the temples at Tonle Bati with a fellow American I had met in the Cambodian consulate in Saigon. With him on the back we rode for about an hour on paved (though heavily potted) and dirt roads. We eventually stopped after it became apparent that we were lost. The villages out here on the banks of a Mekong Tributary were very primitive. Houses were set up on stilts to avoid seasonal flooding and electricity was nonexistent. The landscape was lush with towering palms and tropical plants. Able to communicate only by saying the name of our intended destination and pointing we were directed back the way we had came, and not having seen a turn off in over a half hour we figured that we had made a wrong turn from the very beginning. Driving back nearly all the way to Phnom Penh we found the right road and then with a fresh tank of gas made it to our destination an hour later. The temples are located near the banks of a lake which is a popular spot during the weekend. Having arrived late in the day on a weekday the area was deserted except for a Buddhist monastery adjacent to the temples. Four monks invited us inside as they began their evening chants. The chanting from the two old monks and the two teenage ones was mesmerizing as they lulled us into a near trance (or was it a near sleep) after 45 minutes. Tonle Bati was built in the 12th century on the site of a 6th century Khmer shrine. The main sanctuary includes 5 chambers with a statue in each (or what is left of a statue after the Khmer Rouge got through with it). Because I was not able to get to Angkor (lack of time) the temples here served as a scaled down substitute. The trip back to Phnom Penh after a quick meal (with the normal curious crowd of onlookers) was made difficult by the rapidly approaching nightfall. The sun had already set as we took off for the 30 mile return trip and I was using my sunglasses in order to keep the bugs out of my eyes. Soon it became too dark for sunglasses and with no lights of any kind (other than our meager headlight and the occasional oncoming traffic) it was quite dark. I was forced to wear Dan's prescription glasses in order to keep the bugs out of my eyes which were impacting my face, neck, and arms with a sting. I suppose slowing down could have been a solution but having been on this moped for hours I preferred to just deal with the blurry vision and insect collisions and get us back to the hotel as quickly as possible. Dan was all for this too as he had me for a insect shield and without his glasses on I don't think he realized just how little I could see of the road. After one spill (on mud which we had luckily been going slow on) we made it back to the hotel with the trip meter saying over 100 miles. The only casualty was my shirt which I left at the hotel as it was too covered in mud to pack.
I took a Bangkok Airways flight from Phnom Penh back to Bangkok for USD 160. All said my biggest regret is having missed Angkor and having ate (or drank) whatever it was that made me sick for a week after I returned.
I arrived in Hanoi with USD 400. Here are some expenses (all in USD):
Viet registration/travel permit/exit port: 38
Cambodian Visa: 30
Train fares: 35
Nha Trang to Dalat bus: 1
Dalat to Saigon bus: 2
Saigon to Phnom Penh bus: 3
Hanoi hotel (two nights): 24
Dong Ha hotel (two nights): 14
Nha Trang hotel (two nights): 10
Dalat hotel (one night): 4
Saigon Hotel (two nights): 10
Phnom Penh Royal Palace entrance fee (w/ camera): 4
Phnom Penh Pochentong airport tax: 5
Credit cards (from US banks or US citizens) are absolutely worthless in Vietnam. I got a VISA cash advance from the Cambodian Commercial Bank in Phnom Penh (corner of Achar Mean and Soeung Ngoc Ming Street).
Total expenses for 10 days in Vietnam (includes everything except airfare and initial visa purchased in Bangkok): USD 186 Total expenses for 4 days in Phnom Penh: USD 69
I want to thank:
Paul Durham, Bach Hoang, and Pham Phan
for advice and info on the region before I left.
david
If anyone has specific questions you can email me directly at: fish@helios.ucsc.edu
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