Saturday, November 16, 2013

Saturday, November 16 - Phnom Penh



Saturday, November 16 - Phnom Penh
Our guide, Bunnareth, and driver picked us up this morning to begin our day in Phnom Penh at the Royal Palace. The large walled complex faces the river and consists of many beautiful buildings and gardens.  There was a contingent of police in the garden, preparing for the arrival later today of the president of Japan, and Japanese flags were flying along with Cambodian.  We stopped to learn about the Buddha tree, so named because Buddha was born beneath one, which blooms throughout the year.  We were able to view, but neither enter or photograph, the throne room, which takes up the centerpiece building of the complex. The pattern of the tiles which cover the floors of the porches and massive main floor is matched by an enormous rug from China.  The exterior ornamentation of the buildings, particularly their roofs is spectacular, as are the gardens.


Adjoining the palace complex is the Silver Pagoda, so named because the entire floor of the building is laid with silver tiles!  The pagoda also contains a Buddha made of gold and ornamented with thousands of diamonds, another made of jade, and numerous others of gold, silver and jewels.  Most valuable to us, however, were the fans stationed throughout the pagoda and the intermittent breeze they provided; even early in the day, we were feeling the heat!  Outside the pagoda were the stupas, the monuments containing the cremated remains of kings and their families, as well as many beautiful flowers, including lotus blossoms.
The National Museum, housed in very distinctive red building built by the French, but in Cambodian style,  during the early 20th century, contains many of the sculptures and treasures from Angkor Wat and other ancient or royal sites.  Under the established system, our guide had to turn us over to an official museum guide and translating her English into ours took some doing!  The four galleries surround and are open to a lovely courtyard.  The profusion of statuary and other artifacts was a bit overwhelming, but when we visit Angkor and the other wats (temples), we'll have some idea of what's missing.
The tone of our day changed at Tuol Sleng, or S-21, the Museum of Genocide.  This was a high school that was turned into a prison, interrogation center and torture chamber under the murderous regime of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, 1975 to1979.  Twenty thousand citizens passed through this prison for interrogation and torture before being moved to the Killing Fields outside the city for execution; only seven survived.  The cells, shackles, instruments of torture, graphic paintings done by one of the survivors, electrified barbed wire fences and, especially, the photographs of the prisoners were haunting.  Currently, two of the seven survivors are still living; one was on the grounds to meet people and bear witness to what happened there.
During less than four years, Pol Pot systematically murdered half of Cambodia's seven million people.  He forced the evacuation of Phnom Penh, began the killing of the educated classes, and pressed the displaced into forced labor and starvation in the countryside.  Eventually, not even Pol Pot's allies were safe, as anyone suspected of betrayal was eliminated.  The brutality of the regime is hard to comprehend, as is the fact that every family in the country was affected.  Bunnareth told us that he was ten years old when he was orphaned.  "In 1975, I had a family. I had siblings. I had parents.  In 1979, I had no one.  I am alone." 
As we had lunch in a lovely riverfront restaurant, it was hard to think of anything other than what we'd just seen and heard.
During the Pol Pot years, there were over 300 Killing Fields in the country.  This afternoon, we visited the most famous of them, Choeung Ek, where the prisoners of Tuol Sleng were transported for execution in mass graves.  The site is now a national memorial, the centerpiece of which is a tower of seventeen glass tiers holding over 8,000 catalogued skulls and other bones.  Surrounding the monument are mounds of mass graves, excavated mass graves, and explanations of several specific excavations.  Bunnareth had us look at the paths we were walking on, where bones could be seen surfacing through the dirt.  Over 150,000 mass graves have been found throughout the country.  This is surely one of the saddest countries on earth.
Given that Choeung Ek is one of the most visited places in the Phnom Penh area, the route there is amazingly poor.  It took us 45 minutes to travel about nine miles on the worst urban road we've ever experienced.  Unpaved in some areas, in others, potholes so deep that cars weave back and forth from one side of the road to the other to avoid bottoming out, dust everywhere -- it was terrible.
Back at home base, hot and played out, we headed for the lovely pool to refresh mind and body in a gorgeous tropical setting.  We also decided to have dinner at the poolside bar, and enjoyed an early evening thunderstorm as we ate.
Great beauty, great sorrow, all in one day.

2 comments:

  1. Just finished catching up on the last seven days or so: great read! I must say i would not have answered the following question correctly if asked. Will Mary Ellen be cruising on the Mekong Delta in the 21st century?

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    1. I can't see who's made this very astute comment; author is just listed as anonymous.

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