Today will probably go down as the most depressing day on this SEA tour. I visited both the Cambodian Killing Fields at Choeung Ek Genocidal Center and the S-21 prison at Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. As a former high school, the prison was converted to hold and torture the victims before their brutal deaths. I think only 12 people out of around 18,000 survived from this prison. One survivor was there signing books and taking pictures.
Our tour guide enthusiastically detailed the cruel atrocities that happened at these places during Pol Pot's Khmer Rogue regime from 1975 to 1979. Around 2 million Cambodians and foreigners perished. At the time this was about 25% of the 8 million people living in Cambodia. At times, the tour guide gruesomely detailed the cruel punishment and methods of murder to the point where it was hard to listen anymore. I don't understand how people can be so evil. Power can go to the head but this was something more sinister. I didn't snap many pictures out of respect for the dead.
Following this depressive tour, I needed some cheering up, so I got some snacks and went back to the hostel to watch some "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson." For dinner I found a homemade noodle shop. Although it attracted tourists and was a bit overpriced, the fried beef noodles were soft and delicious. The beef could have been better. The steamed pork gyoza tasted fresh and the make-your-own-sauce box helped with creating a pleasant dipping sauce.
Feeling the need to do some intense coding, I ended the night coding up a life calendar for my website based on the article by Tim Urban from Wait But Why.
I plan to get a haircut tomorrow. My first ever in a foreign country. Hope it goes well.
Other notes:
Cambodia's Angkor beer is a decent beer.
