Our flight left Phnom Penh around 10:30, but Sriyani must have wanted to torture us because we left the hotel at 6:30. It was really hard to say good bye to her and Tom; they had kind of been like my parents over the last couple of weeks. The worst part was I didn’t (and still don’t) know when I will see them again.
I must say this was the most memorable vacation I have ever taken. It has opened my eyes to an entirely different world, one I would probably not have experienced on my own. I am so grateful to Tom and Sriyani. Without them, I would have been stuck in Nebraska instead of experiencing a completely different world. Thank you to both of you.
Our ferry ride back to Singapore was pretty uneventful. They played old-school Mickey Mouse episodes they whole way, so I had some entertainment. Who would have known a 22-year-old “kid” would still love cartoons. Go figure.
Sriyani had to skip our trip to Indonesia because of conflicts with her visa. So she stayed in Singapore to get some work done while we were on the beach. And by work I mean she was busy planning a busy evening for all of us. We headed to dinner and then met with Pebble, the creative director of BBDO Singapore. She put together a slide-show of their goals and some of their work. Their office was much more formal than the one at McCann. It wasn’t really my style, but Pebble was really nice and I was grateful from the experience.
10 TICKETS TO PARADISE
We left fairly early to fly from Phnom Penh back to Singapore to catch a ferry to the Bintan Islands of Indonesia. The flight was good, but it was raining when we got to Singapore. We didn’t really have much time to do anything but go straight to the ferry station. Once we got there, I tried to use my debit card in the ATM…key word there=tried. I knew I had money in my account, but for some reason, the machine rejected my card. This put me into a panic. And of course, it was Monday afternoon in Singapore on Memorial weekend, so all I could do was sit tight and wait for Tuesday night (Tuesday morning in the States) for my mom to figure out what was going on.
After my minor money breakdown, we had to wait for the ferry. It was running late because of the weather, but it wasn’t too bad…at least until I actually got on the ferry. Talk about sea sick! The water was so rough and the boat was flying everywhere. I was very glad to get off of it.
But once we got to the island, the sickness disappeared. It was that beautiful.
The next couple of days were spent swimming in the amazing swimming pool and walking along the white, sandy beach. If I stood on the backside of the pool looking out towards the sea, it looked like the pool ran into it. It was beautiful, but it was nothing compared to the beach. The sand was so white and soft, it looked like it had been bleached and every grain was placed there on purpose. The best part was the little fish swimming around our feet. I could see everything. It was breathtaking.
Our second night there, we all headed down to the beach for the sunset. I don’t know where he came from, but there was a man in a small fishing boat just down the beach from us. He was floating towards us, but I wanted to get closer. So I grabbed my camera and ran along the water for a mini photo shoot.
I wish I could say more about our time in Bintan, but it was full of relaxation…and of course, beautiful pictures.
I finally broke down and decided to take a tuk-tuk ride to dinner that night. Believe me, if you could only see the way the Cambodians drive, you would have been nervous too. But since I’m easily persuaded, I hopped on with the rest of the crew and headed to a little American café. Much to my pleasure, they had cheeseburgers, pizza, spaghetti (American style) and milkshakes. So, like a true-blooded Nebraskan, I ordered a cheeseburger and fries and loved every second of it.
Unfortunately, my skin was almost the color of ketchup. Thank goodness I didn’t blister. Now I have a good (somewhat peeling), Cambodian tan! Don’t worry, I’m not as dark as the locals.
We also met with a couple of people from different anti-human trafficking agencies. I didn’t catch the name of the lady with Asia Foundation, but she gave us a lot of good information about their agency and cause. The man, Glen, was with a company called LOVE 146, a Christian group fighting mostly against the forced sex slavery of boys. He had a great voice with a British accent and also shared great information with us.
When faced with the decision of whether to go boating or spend the day talking about human trafficking, I chose to go boating. Was this the best idea? Yes and no. Yes because it was tons of fun! No because I got a wicked sunburn. Oh well…totally worth it.
Some local Cambodians took us down the Mekong River, the main river in Cambodia. I was a little nervous at first because I was worried about cleanliness. The worries faded quickly. After about an hour on the boat, we stopped at a little village just off the river. It was a small, silk weaving community full of kids trying to sell us scarves…go figure.
After we watched some of the older ladies working on the looms, we decided we might buy some of the merchandise. But, it’s different in Cambodia (shocker, I’m sure). Instead of leaving you alone after you make a purchase, they keep trying to see you more stuff! So, we ended up spending more time and money than we planned to. BUT, as we were walking back to the boat, we hear the hum of a motorbike. We all turned around to look. It was one of the older girls trying to sell us more scarves! Tom was impressed, and of course, bought more…SUCKER!!! J
We finally made it back to the boat for some lunch (sans the fish) and swimming. Even though being in the water was nice, clamming was the best part. Yes, I said clamming. There are millions of little clams (the size of quarters) all over the floor of the river. So, you dive under and grab a handful, wash off the sand, fry them up and you’ve got supper. Well, our tour guide, Wang, and his family had supper.
How many people can say they’ve been swimming/clamming in the Mekong River? I can!
We had some free time between the prison and dinner that night, so Tricia and I decided to relax in our room. Thank goodness for American television in Cambodia! We ended up watching “Bringing Down the House,” a Steve Martin and Queen Latifa movie. It was a good relief from the heavy thoughts from the rest of the day. It was good to get a laugh in.
S-21 aka Sober Experience #21
Ok, so it might not have been the 21st sobering experience of the trip, but maybe of life? Who knows? Anyway, after the killing fields we headed back into the city to visit a prison. I can’t remember why it was called S-21, so I’ll have to Google it and get back to you.
For some unknown reason though, I do remember our guide telling us that 17,000 people (men and woman) passed through the prison, but only seven of them survived. These seven we specifically chosen to live because of their profession: one artist, a mechanic, a carpenter and some others. They still had the artwork of the enslaved artist hanging in the larger cells. Most of his work reflected the struggle he faced while inside the prison walls. The art was amazing; the inspiration was terrible.
We walked through the cells, but large and small. The small ones would have been unbearable. They were separated by bricks and were about the same size as the bathrooms in an airplane. I don’t know how long the prisoners had to stay in those cells, but I think I would probably have only lasted a couple of days…if that.
We also saw many of the places where they tortured the prisoners. There was a wooden structure where they hung the victims upside down and then submerged them in a big ceramic pot full of water…usually sewage-filled water. It was hard just to look at the remnants. I can’t imagine experiencing the torture first hand.
THE KILLING FIELDS
Many people in the United States, and the rest of the world for that matter, are completely unaware of the genocide that happened between 1975 and 1979. The Khmer Rouge, and extreme political leader, targeted educated Cambodians throughout the entire country. By the time is was all said and done, nearly 2 million educated Cambodians, along with their families, were tortured and killed in the killing fields.
The one we visited was just outside Phnom Penh. I can’t remember how many people were killed at that specific one, I think around 10,000. The worst part was knowing that children were also victims of the genocide, mostly because of their parents’ occupations or social status. It’s hard to wrap my head around all of it.
One of the first things I noticed when we entered the killing fields was a tall building near the entrance. I couldn’t tell what it held at first, but the closer I got, the contents became clear…human skulls. Around 8,000 skulls to be exact. I kept thinking, “Seriously?”
We skipped the building and started walking around the rest of the site. We saw a large tree with low branches. Next to it stood a sign explaining its use to the Khmer Rouge…it was a killing tree. Victims were hung from the low branches and then beaten and tortured. The Khmer Rouge also hung speakers from the branches and blasted music all through the night. The music was meant to drown out the screams of the victims.
Then we learned more of the history surrounding the site. It wasn’t excavated until long after the genocide because it was believed to be a Chinese cemetery. For me, it was easy to think, “This happened a long time ago.” That thought was quickly erased. As I squatted down to study a headstone, I looked down and noticed what looked like cloth. Our new guide, Wang, informed me that my suspicion was correct. This had happened so recently there were still clothes and bones in the walking paths. Though this fact was disturbing, it put it all into perspective.
After we made our way around the grounds, we ended up back at the building of skulls. I was nervous at first, though I’m not sure why. I thought it might be disrespectful to take pictures of the victims of such a terrible part of Cambodian history. But the rest of the group eased my minds as they all moved toward the building with their cameras.
It was a very heavy afternoon, one I will never forget.
SO MUCH TO DO
Our first full day in Phnom Penh was packed full of places to go and things to see. Our first stop was the royal palace. Obviously, this is where the king lives. We learned that he is just a figure head and doesn’t really have any political power. We also learned he studied ballet in France and is not married. Let’s just say I put two and two together on that one. Anyway, the palace was awesome in the 100°+ heat. We got to see the throne, the royal garden, the temple and the buildings that held some of the royal family’s gold, silver and gems. They even had a Buddha that wore a 20 carat diamond on her tiara. Talk about jealous!
Our next stop was national museum that housed all of the Cambodian temples’ artifacts. There were hundreds of Buddha figures and other statues from inside the temples. There were all sorts of demons and gods, much like the ones lining the entrance to Angkor Thom (smiling Buddhas). Our guide was a little hard to understand, but she kept making jokes that made me laugh. So I forgot about the heat and just enjoyed learning about Buddhism and all of the gods and relics that accompany the religion.
The final stop of the morning was Phnom Penh hill in the middle of the city. Legend says that a lady named Penh climbed the hill (which now is covered with 50 steps and a temple) and worshipped Buddha. So, the city was named after her and a temple was built in her honor. People still go there will gifts to Penh. Kind of cool, kind of weird. Somebody had brought a chicken.
As we were leaving the hill, we were stopped by a bunch of monkeys…really monkeys. One of them had stolen a baby bottle out of a stroller and climbed back into his tree to enjoy. It was hilarious!
After our salon experience, we all headed out to find a restaurant for supper. We settled on a little bistro just around the corner, mostly because there was pizza and cheeseburgers on the menu. However, it wasn’t the food that made it a rough night. It was a very dirty, homeless lady and her young baby sitting on the sidewalk outside the restaurant.
I thought I had seen poverty before that night…I was wrong. She sat there in her filthy clothes with dirty, stringy hair. Her clothes were black, not because of dyes, because of all the dirt and grime that was clinging to them. I tried not to look at her too much. I’m not sure why. But I couldn’t help but catch glimpse after glimpse as we passed her.
I didn’t give her much thought during dinner, but as soon as we got up to leave, she reentered my mind. My heart hurt for her. Sriyani suggested I give her the rest of her our leftovers. So, I had our waiter box them up and I carried them out to the street.
She was still sitting there hunched over and sickly looking. I knelt down in front of her, but I couldn’t look her in her eyes. All I could see was the baby in her arms. I don’t know if it was a boy or girl, I guess it doesn’t matter. But I saw her shift the baby from her left arm to the right. As I handed her the food, she put her hands together and dipped her head (much like I had seen many times before). She was saying thank you. But my eyes never met hers. I kept looking at the baby. I kept thinking, “I hope it makes it through the night.” I took one more look at the poor pair of souls sitting on the dirty sidewalk and walked away.
My night was restless. I couldn’t stop thinking of the homeless lady and her baby. I couldn’t stop thinking of the look on her face as we passed by her the first time in our clean clothes and newly polished finger nails. I couldn’t stop thinking of her gratitude for the simple gesture of sharing food. It was a rough night, one I won’t be forgetting anytime in the near or distant future.
