#67 Will we ever learn? Dark tour and farewell to Dave (papaya man)

No matter how much I complain about my transportation, it's never gotten this bad; and this isn't a one time thing, you see this everyday and for long journeys.

Dave and I left the beach and Alberto and headed north to Phnom Penh, our bus was normal full and had no air, so we were sweating Mrs. Balls (those on the Africa bus trip will get that). When we got there we found a nice backpacker right on the lake (there is a lake smack in the middle of town). I managed to try every food in the surrounding vicinity, my favorite (and probably the most unhealthy thing around) was the deep fried bananas; yummmmmm. That's basically all I did that day, well that and set up our busy touring next day, and oh yeah we watched a movie called "300" about spartans fighting a huge army of persians. It was entertaining, but a horrible ending in my opinion. In the evening, Dave and I sat on the deck of the guesthouse listening to music, sipping on a drink and watched the sun go down.

This was a plack (sp?) at the killing field, not sure if

you can read it, but if so, it's worth the read.

The following day, Dave and I got a tuk tuk for the day and headed to tour. Our first stop was the S-21 Museum which is where during the Khmer Communist genocide they would bring people to be tortured and jailed to get information about others. To see how they systematically tortured these people just made me sick to my stomach. After jail and being tortured they would be transported to the killing field (which was our next destination) where they were executed and put in mass graves. We found at that 17,000 were killed at this killing field before we found out that this was one of 400 killing fields around the country where somewhere around 2,000,000 in total were executed. They killed all the minorities, intellectuals, government people and all of their wifes, children and close family members worried that they would want revenge later. The executioners were normally between the ages of 12-16 because they were easier to brainwash.

The monument in the middle of the killing fields has all the skulls of victims that were dug up in this killing field. You can see in the skull holes and cracks that show where they were beaten to death. Towards the end of the khmer regime they wanted to save money on bullets so would club them over the head with bamboo sticks, clubs, hoes or butts of guns.

It amazes me that this happened not so long ago. It finished in 1979 when the Vietnamese came into Cambodia to put a stop to it. The worse part is to think that things like this still go on today in parts of the world; if only Cambodia and other countries had oil in their soil huh?

Seeing all the skulls and hearing the story made me think a couple of things. Obviously, just disgusted sick that this could happen, but also looking at all the skulls and bones make me think that in the end that's really all we are; worm food. With this, it made me more happy to be living my life how I want and reconfirmed the feeling of getting the most out of everyday and our short lived lives.

Now, what was possibly even worse than all of this was that when we left the killing field and were pretty speechless, our driver asked us if we wanted to go to a shooting range. (The last thing I want to do it hold a gun after that). "You can shoot ducks, or dogs or chickens if you want". What tourists would go and see and learn about a horrible genocide with millions of innocent people dying and then want to go and shoot helpless animals; their really, truly are some f*&^ed up people out there. "No thanks!!" was all we could muster. We then headed into the heart of Phnom Penh and drove along the riverside before checking out the two biggest markets in the city. At one we found a guy, Adam, from Hawaii who was looking at all the bugs you could eat. He wouldn't try one but really wanted to see someone eat them. Dave and I agreed that if he bought them, we'd eat them. Adam was so excited and reasoned that at home he pays $8 for a movie and here it's much more entertaining and live for a couple of bucks.

Here is with a Cockroach or something of that nature half way in the mouth. Really they all tasted like fried something or another.

(they've got nothing on my friend bananas though!!!)

We headed back to our guesthouse to relax and contemplate the day while relaxing on the deck again doing the same as the night before.

This morning I left Dave and headed to Vietnam on a nice 44 person bus. When I got on and found out that there were only 12 people on the bus, it was like winning the lottery. I sat in 8 different seats during the journey just because I could. I am now in Saigon (Ho Chi Mihn City) and saw Adam (bug guy) and he and a swiss guy on the bus and I got a great room to split.

My days our numbered... in Vietnam and this trip that is, not in my life because I'm going to live forever, not forever ever, but forever being a long time.

Seeing in not having eyes, it's having vision. -a line from a faithless song.

Martin Luther King: Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.