Day 4 - The Killing Fields & Russian Market

The main reason for being in Phnom Penh was to journey out to the Killing Fields. We were very fortunate to have found an older gentleman (tuk tuk driver) who agreed to take us out to the fields (about an hour away) and back, then over to the Russian Market after. He was incredibly sweet, and we enjoyed spending the day with him.

This was our driver, who truly looked out for us well. We tried to do the same in return- we gave him lots of treats for his grandchildren from the US, bought his lunch, tipped him well, etc.

Outside Choeung Ek, the former pasture turned mass genocide site for Pol Pot's regime.

This stupa is what you see as you walk in. It's filled with the skulls of the victims, and is sorted by age and gender. 

You could buy a flower or incense to light for the victims before entering the stupa..

We rented individual audio tours that essentially curated the entire grounds. This was the largest mass grave discovered, and has been largely left intact, but is covered to protect against the elements. I believe about 400-450 bodies were found in this one grave in the fields.

The victim's clothing has been saved, as it continues to rise up from the Earth (just like bones) after big rains/winds and the passing of time. It is said that the victim's are refusing to remain buried/silent

Perhaps the saddest section of the killing fields was where the young babies/children were killed. This tree has a particularly sick history and story that I will not repeat, but it's easy to learn about if you're so inclined. I had Ryan skip the audio of this section, as he was already pretty sad hearing about a few of the other areas.

The depressions in the Earth remain after excavating the field for the bones of the mass graves.

These are what the staff find on the grounds to this day. This section has been preserved for visitors to see.

The self-guided tour lasts a little over an hour, and once it was done, we opted not to visit the prison (that was once a school) closer to town, as I wasn't sure my mom and Ryan would really benefit from more at this time. It will be a must-do on my return to Cambodia someday, however, as I will definitely return if I'm able to.

The Russian Market was far smaller and more cramped than the Central Market. It was also markedly different in that you could bargain at the Central Market, like most open markets in Asia. However, at the Russian Market, this was not the case. And no, there are definitely no Russians working this market anymore...it's all local Cambodians.

That's our sweet driver who crossed the street to help guide my parents (even though they're probably about the same age) back across the street to our tuk tuk. He was a priceless class act.

After our visit to the market, we decided to walk (so we could see the city) over to the mall to meet my parents (who would catch a tuk tuk). It was air conditioned and nearby, so we figured we would get dinner there. The walk over did not disappoint.

The highlight was walking through a small monastery and seeing monks ambling along.

The mall was also fascinating. They had the largest moped parking lot I've ever seen in my life...perhaps a few acres of just row after row of bikes.

And the food court was like nothing I've ever seen before...endless Asian food options as far as the eye could see!

After we ate, we found a Sticky (we love Sticky) and bought a bunch of regional candies for Ryan's teachers (there are 2 at school, 2 weekend tutors, 2 karate and 2 taiko/drumming, so it's more than you'd think). ;-)

We also found a cute trampoline park for younger kids, but figured we'd force Ryan to burn off some steam and make him work out a bit.

This is his best Miley Cyrus 'Wrecking Ball' video impression. I think it was sufficient.

And last but not least, we had some regional Cold Stone Creamery...well, I assume it was regional. I have not had corn coconut or avocado in the states, anyway. They were surprisingly not bad!

They had a promo where if you caught your ice cream, you got it in a free waffle cone. So Ryan did it, and won! (And then tossed his waffle cone, because he doesn't like waffle cones, apparently.)

And last but not least, we were at the mall so long (since we had a great time checking out the Daiso store and a few other Japanese stores), that we had to walk back home. That had not been the plan, but it was bumper to bumper tuk tuks, mopeds and cars the entire walk home, thanks to the end of the water festival. It was insane, and like nothing I've ever seen before. We had to dodge mopeds going the wrong way on sidewalks all the way home, as people were desperate to move. Traffic was largely at a standstill on one direction for many many blocks.

Here's a video of the mayhem we slowly waded in for about a mile. Rich walked in front of us to clear a safe path, I clutched Ryan so as not to lose him in the mob. It was a little fun though, incredible energy in the air! ;-)