Cambodia: Phnom Penh Day 2

On our second morning in Phnom Penh, us and the Dutch booked a moto-taxi for the day to get around a few different sites easily. Our first destination was a gun range out of the city, recommended by the tour operator.



Cruising in our moto-taxi we saw lots of funny sights like above; 3 adults and a child on one scooter. We saw 6+ on a scooter, but no picture sorry.



On the way, we cruised past an ANZ branch. Who knew they were in Cambodia?



The gun range was out of the city, so we got to see (and smell) a more rural Cambodia while cruising.



There are so many small stalls, and the occasional half naked kid, apparently.



Here is a better picture of the moto-taxi at our stop at the gun range. Our driver happy to show us his smile!



This place was sketchy, but money talks and you don't often get a chance to try big guns out...

Princess went all Rambo. That gun is missing the cartridge of bullets, sorry Princess.



We sat down to find out the details, and a menu was flopped in front of us with our options. I wasn't allowed a photo, but heres the summary:

Hand guns x 5 models. US$10 for 6ish bullets
Semi-autos x 5 models (AK47!) US$25 for one cartridge

-- Flip menu over --

Hand Grenades x 3 types: US$35
Rocket Launcher / Bazookas: US $200

BAZOOKAS! Toolman was tempted to try a hand grenade, but he was too scared as he throws like a girl. He decided to try out an AK 47 just to see what it was like.

Toolman nervously sits down to prepare for the recoil.



The ladies watch Toolman prepare.



He lines up, aims...

Fire! The cartridge contained about 20 rounds.

Toolman managed to hit the paper, but just inflicted a flesh wound. His accuracy has room for improvement.

A cheek and a shoulder shot. Take that, Mr paper badguy!

The gun range was slightly dodgy, and we wondered how they got their supplies. Are the military missing any bazookas ? No one else wanted to try anything out, so we jumped in our moto taxi and headed to the other side of the city.

The 2x2 seating made for comfy conversation (Gezellig) as we cruised around.



Budhist monks are here, just like the rest of south east Asia.



They also sell petrol the same way. This stand better then some, it is using glass bottles, not plastic.



For the larger volume petrol sales, they have the hand cranked variety.

Did you notice the guys sitting on top of that lorry behind us?



This guy knows how to stack and strap his cargo.



Toolman and Princess facing backwards while cruising in the taxi.

Our destination is Choeung Ek, a 30 minute journey past the edge of the city through the country.

Rural Cambodia has lots of fields, livestock and mud.



This happy guy was heading the same direction as us as we got close to our destination.



Here is the gates to Choeung Ek. This site is another important but terrible site related to the Khmer Rouge and the genocide inflicted on their own nation. Here is the background from Wikipedia:

Choeung Ek ... is the best-known of the sites known as The Killing Fields, where the Khmer Rouge regime executed about 17,000 people between 1975 and 1979. Mass graves containing 8,895 bodies were discovered at Choeung Ek after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime.

This picture shows some of the kids who hang around the center to try and get money from tourists.

The site was formerly an orchard and chinese graveyard, until the Khmer Rouge repurposed it as a site and dumping ground for mass murder. A temple has been erected to pay respect to the many thousands killed. What a sobering contrast to the gun range we had just visited.

The temple is filled with skulls recovered from the open pits used for the murders.

We placed some flowers and incense outside as a mark of respect.

The number of skulls on each level is staggering and chilling, and emphasized the scale of the tragic destruction.

Many of the skulls have clear signals of the murder method; blunt impact cracks, bullet holes etc. The sobering reality of recognition of this is hard to comprehend.



Having payed our respects, we went for a walk around the grounds. This sign spells out the atrocity committed here.



The holes above were used as body trenches, with victims being executed then pushed into the pits. The victims were often forced to dig the very trenches they were executed in.

Most of the bones have been found and exhumed from the site, but the ground has of clothing material everywhere, mixed in with the mud. It took us a little while to click, but they are the victims clothes buried throughout the site - awful!

This watery grave had 166 headless victims found in it.

The sign is explanatory. Awful.



This is a collection box for bones and other fragments found by visitors.

Lots of fragments are still being found.

Here is a box of larger bones and teeth that have been found recently.

On the Sign:

"Magic Tree .. The tree was used as a tool to hang a loudspeaker which make sound louder to avoid the moan of victims while they were being executed"

Those holes near the back of the site are also pits used for graves.

Along the fence line, kids from the gate were milling about climbing trees and talking to the tourists, still trying to get money or sweets.

The crimes committed here are disgusting. Bearing witness to the tragedy is all we can do as we wander around these fields.

Back in the taxi to our next site, we pass this guy and his son going for a ride.

This is a solid wood oxen-trailer, carrying all sorts of pottery and other supplies. Even the wheels are wooden.

An empty taxi goes much faster then one with 4 people on it, so Mr. wraparound-glasses guy easily overtakes us.



While cruising at 40 km/h, we struck technical difficulties - A flat tyre. We had to wait by the side of a road while the driver went and got it fixed. Great times: abandoned in rural Cambodia!

Thankfully, there happened to be a table and chairs in the shade with no one about, so we could just sit and relax in the middle of nowhere while we waited...

An hour later, our driver is back with a fixed trailer wheel and we are off again.

Princess surveys as we cruise.

The trucks wheels are at eye-level so its sometimes scary when they pass.

There is a guy riding the trailer behind us, squat-style.

Our last stop for the day was at a go-kart track. We felt a little weird visiting here after the killing fields, but we had booked this at the start of the day.

Toolman checks his suit has enough give. The Dutch suit up, with Princess on camera.

No safety briefing, we just head out to the starting grid.

Toolman in 3.

Robert in 12.

Marloes in 2.

The Cambodian flag is used as a start flag!



Toolman takes off into the lead from the start, well ahead of the others.

The karts were quite fast, but not as insane as the ones Toolman tried on his birthday in Koh Samui, Thailand.

After 20 minutes of karting, Toolman was clearly the fastest. We headed back to the taxi to take us back to base for some well deserved rest.

Even in the city, the road surface varied lots. Mud, gravel and potholes were all common.

Princess eyeballing the cars as we cruise home. The Dutch had decided to stay in Phnom Phen for another day, but we booked a bus to Siem Reap the next day, with plans to meet up in a few days.