I had known of the horrors of the “killing fields” in Cambodia, but I wasn’t familiar with “S-21″, the former Phnom Penh High School turned into the Tuol Sleng Prison.  Tuol Sleng means “Hill of the Poisonous Trees” or ‘Styrchnine Hill’.   We decided to visit the High School which remains to this day.   It fit.  Some 15,000 to 20,000 Cambodians were processed through the prison.  Only a handful survived.  People were tortured into agreeing with whatever the charge was.  It usually involved naming others you knew.  So whomever you knew was next.

The High School has been left much the way it was in 1979.   Individual cells were no more than 10 square feet.  The godawful interrogation rooms, with water boarding equipment were left intact.  Everyone processed through was photographed before being interrogated, tortured and killed (when the grounds became full…they were sent to the “killing fields”outside Phnom Penh…to be bludgeoned to death).

The prison was in operation after everyone in the all the towns and cities of Cambodia were forced into the fields for hard labor.   All schools were abolished.   Even family was abolished.  The only thing that mattered was Angkar…the party or the collective organization.

This madness went on for over 3 years starting after the US left South Vietnam.  It ended when the Vietnamese finally invaded Cambodia and threw the Khmer Rouge out.  The UN and much of the West sanctioned Vietnam for this and the Cambodian govt in place was not recognized for another 13 years.

You really need to see something like this to appreciate what kind of hell life can actually be.   Great lengths were taken in S-21 to keep the prisoners from killing themselves….that would have been a blessing.  Many of the guards became victims as well.

S-21, A living hell here....

Individual cells built into the classrooms...and a openning knocked between.

Water boarding

This is the least graphic

Part of a long list......

It is hard to stomach...but I am glad I saw it. I think everyone should see it.

We did run into Peter on the way back to our Guesthouse.  He wanted to know if we were volunteering at the local orphanage…like he was.  He had just arrived that same day.  He said he  assumed that any Westerner in town was doing some charity work.   He was scheduled to be in Takeo for a week.

Anyway we got up early the next am and rode the remaining 75k into Phnom Penh.  Riding a bike in the city of Phnom Penh is interesting to say the least.  Lots of scooters and bikes and cars and trucks….all mixed up.  Bikes and scooters especially go the wrong way down the curb right at you.  People entering the road assume they have the right away…same as in India.  It makes Vientiane seem organized.

We had no real problems finding our way though.  It helped to have a working iPhone with GPS.  I just stopped and checked every once in awhile to get my bearings to our hotel in Phnom Penh.

We plan to spend a couple days in PP before heading out again towards Siem Reap.    As I write this we are luxuriating poolside at the Pavilian….which is a luxury indeed in Cambodia.    After a lot of dust and heat on the road, you appreciate it.

Chantal making her way

Almost every vehicle you see is overloaded like this. Tailgates are all propped open and stuff is suspended out the back on wood planks or with rope. Scooters have the front wheel inside and then are hung in mid air with rope....often with someone on them. It is nuts.

My trusty vehicle. I am beginning to think it is overloaded as well. I'm not using half the stuff I have.

The office from which I am writing this post.....poolside at the Pavilian....one of the most elegant French villa's in PP according to the Lonely Planet. No argument from me. However, you do need to watch out for the falling mangos..

We visited the market in Kampot this morning.  Wow!  It is a good one as far as sensory overload.  Packed, dirty, tarpaulins overhead, meat, fish and everything you can imagine for sale.  We were looking for Kampot pepper to take home.  We didn’t have an easy time finding it, but we finally did.

I also managed to have some glasses repaired by a guy on the street with a little repair stand.  The interesting part is that the guy sitting next to me at the stand started talking to me…in good English.  He told me how he fought with the US Special forces…..back in 1966.  He was 66 years old…so he would have been 20 at the time.  He mentioned quite a few names of US army officers, but none rang a bell for me.  He told me a lot of his friends were killed.  For someone like me, who remembers the Vietnam War quite well, it was an interesting conversation.  No charge for fixing my glasses.

I took some pics of Kampot.  I have to say I really do like Kampot.

We got on the bikes late.  The ride to Kep is only 30k so time is not much of an issue.

Kep is right on the water. Not much of a town in Kep.  We stopped by a strip of restaurants for a beer on the way in.  We found a wonderful place on the beach called the Breeze for lunch and decided to come back for dinner.   It is Chantal’s birthday today so I talked to the owner and arranged for a little birthday cake for dinner.  They have very nice French wine too….an added bonus.  Life is good…. at the moment.  I think that can change fast in Cambodia though.

I have to say my conversation with this gentleman was COMPLETELY unexpected. He fought with US Special forces in Cambodia in 1966 near the Vietnam border....which is not that far away.

Chantal's Birthday Cake

Crab with Kampot Peppercorns

Stuffed squid...we had to order more.

The hill station provides a commanding view of the coastal plain below.  Strategically it has been important in past conflicts.  The free Khmer overran the French here in the late 40′s when they were fighting for independence and in 1979 the Vietnamese fought their way up here when they invaded Cambodia in 1979.   At one point the Vietnamese and the Cambodians were shooting at each other….one side from the Catholic Church and the other from the old French Hotel….about 500 meters apart.

Anyway, we rode our bikes up and then back down.  The locals clearly thought we were nuts…..we got a lot of looks from the construction crews who are still working on the roads.

The Old French Hotel on Bokor is being refurbished

The ride here was none too easy.  We battled a headwind the whole way.  Plus my shortcut out of town didn’t turn out so we turned 105k into 125.  What else is new?  We were both pooped.  I think panniers make a big difference.  Nothing is easy with panniers.

No place had a room along the river, so we checked into NY NY.  It was spotless….for $15.

US 15000 can get you a place on the Cambodian Riviera

See. I wasn't joking. Would anyone come visit?

This is the express line.

On the other side of the road you have to transfer over to the local line.... It's actually great the line is being upgraded. The old tracks were all warped. No train could go over 20k per hour. You can do better on a bike.

Not sure if you can see this. We ate a the Rikitikitavi...which had a fantastic view over the river.

This was the Guesthouse across the street from us. I can't remember ever having seen a place named ""The Magic Sponge"....and I've been around.

This is out of order, but we passed a bunch of little fishing villages like this. There weren't any beaches along the coast....just mangroves.

The ride down was scary to say the least.  Our driver said he drove the route every day.  I am sure he did.  He overtook everything in his way…on the left on the right…it really didn’t matter.  His assumption was that his horn gave him the right away.

We checked into the Coolabah.  A nice place.  The proprietors are Scottish and Australian.

Sihanoukville is sort of an oceanside VangVieng.  I didn’t expect it to be so developed….and to feel so non-Cambodian.  There are lots of tatoos around and the beach here is one long concession stand with wall to wall umbrellas.  Vendors carry grilled squid and other local fare to the sunbathers on the beach.   A beer goes for a buck on average

At the beachfront in Sihanoukville

Beachfront in Sihanoukville

We had dinner by the main Round-about...where a lion had a nice view of a billboard.

Today, I will go pick up a visa for Vietnam (US$45) and then  we will grab a bus to Sihanoukville.  It is tollway down to Sihanoukville and about a 4.5 hour trip.  From Sihanoukville we will bike along the coast towards Vietnam and then head  North  back to Phnom Penh and then on up to Siem Reap.

I am ready to get on the bike.

Yesterday we visited the Royal Palace.  It is quite a  complex.

Royal Palace in Phnom Penh

Royal Palace in Phnom Penh

Robin has also put herself  on the waitlist for Spain in Sept 2012,  just in case, as she put it, she can “finagle it”.  I love that word:  finagle.  Finagle away, Robin!!!!

Robin and John are both strong bikers even though they probably don’t get quite as many miles as they would like.  They both have lots of other stuff going on all the time.  None of that other stuff seems to slow them down when on the bike though.   Robin is a great climber and she will be able to put that skill to good use in Croatia…..and, if she can finagle it, Spain.

This will be good.  We now have two Robins on the same tour.  What are the odds of that?  Any other Robins out there?   Robin Williams, maybe?

It’s great to have you guys in for this.   If you liked the ride in Corsica, you will like the ride in Croatia.  It’s Corsica with truffles.

Robin in front of the Intercity Hotel in Vientiane back in Feb 2010. She started with our longest tour..Tour d'Indochine...700 miles.

Robin can motor. There is no doubt about that. This is Indochine in 2010

John on the way to Evisa in Corsica, May 2011

John and Robin at Col de Verghio in Corsica, May 2011

Eating by the beach in Sagone, Corsica.

Robin and Annette are troopers.  They were on our Lao tour way back in February, 2008.  We’ve stayed in touch ever since.  They always have had an active interest in Big Brother Mouse and other worthy causes.

Robin and Annette have some really nice Rodriquez travel bikes too.  You don’t see many of those.

It’s great to have you on board, guys!  It’s been way too long.

****

PS- We’ve met Rick’s group at the Pri Mraku in Ljubljana several times.  We have never seen Rick himself in LJU, but we have run into him (figuratively) in Arco de la Frontera, Spain.  He signed a napkin for us.

In Laos in 2008

This is one of Robin and Annette's pics from back then. I forgot all about it. We were lucky enough to run into an Elephant Parade in Luang Prabang that year.

I can tell this wasn't in Laos.

There is absolutely no doubt about that.  Of our tours, he has done the most challenging:  “The Beast” in Corsica and Tour d’Indochine in SE Asia (Vietnam and Laos).  In between those he is off doing other people’s most challenging stuff:  Gran Fondo’s, overseas trips to New Zealand, tours doing nothing but the big climbs of Europe.  You get the idea.

Sikkim will be right up his alley.  The Last Shangri-La is a climber’s paradise.

If Shawn looks serious about his riding, there is a reason for it. He is! He came in at 5 hrs 53 min in the Mountains of Misery. If you have done that ride you know what that means.

Here's Shawn near the Col de Bavella on our own tour of misery (and hypothermia), Le Beast in Corsica. It was worth it though. Corsica is a wonderful place to ride.

And here is Shawn on Tour d'Indochine. Piece of cake!

Just to bring back some memories. Here we are with Chez Maddy. What a great place. If you get to Corsica definitely check her place out. She's the one in the hat. :-)