Tuol Sleng Museum & Pol Pot

Today was one of those days that will be etched into my memory forever. While 10 of the team headed off to visit their sponsored children, Clinton, Robyn, Pam and I headed in to see the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. This is an old high school that Pol Pot took over in the early 70's and used as a prison and place of torture, prior to sending people to the Killing Fields to be killed.
The first block of class rooms, block A, has one old steel bed in each room, shackles, a tin toilet box and photos of the last prisoner found there by the Vietnamese when they stormed Phnom Penh. It was hideous and cruel what they were subjected to.

Block B housed boards with hundreds of photos on the front and back showing the faces of the prisoners killed there, their clothing, and also the young soldiers of the Khmer Rouge. They were young boys forced to kill.

Block C was classroom after classroom with little cells that had been built into them with bricks. They had barbed wire down the face of the classroom blocks to stop the prisoners from trying to commit suicide.

Block D housed more faces, paintings and the actual items used to torture these poor soles. They say over 20,000 people went through the school. It was a horrid place and it just showed again how amazing the Khmer people really are to have come back from this.

Coming out of the museum we were faced yet again by a number of people begging. Some missing limbs, and others burn victims. We have been told it is not a good idea to give these guys money as it only encourages them to continue begging, but I must admit when confronted with the reality of what they have endured it is heart wrenching to walk away and not be able to do anything. We have all developed such a love for these people. They have an x factor that we can't describe.

After the museum we left for the Russian market, a bustling, hot and smelly place full to the brim with stalls carrying everything. The stench in the meat and fish section was over whelming. After this morning we didn't stay too long and opted instead to go to a cafe down the road called Jars of Clay. This cafe is run by 8 women. A share of the profits goes to help street people and others in need. It was such a lovely place, very peaceful. At least here we felt we were doing something to help.

We then moved on to the Central market where Robyn and Pam did some last minute purchasing and we watched Robyn fullfill her dare to eat a barbequed tarantula. Totally disgusting, but what a trooper. She said it was like eating a chewy bit of meat. Even the locals laughed at her.

Tonite was our last night together as a team, as most of the crew head back to NZ tomorrow morning. we had a wonderful dinner at the Friends Restaurant. Another resturant that trains street kids and gives them jobs in the restaurant. It is totally not for profit. We decided to give everyone a piece of paper with their name on it, then this was passed to each person and we each wrote something about that person on it. At the end we get back the paper. It was so lovely and was a great way to finish the tour.

The feeling was the same throughout the whole group. We all enjoyed each others company immensely and the dynamics of the group. We are all so very different, from all over the country, all walks of life, but somehow we just all clicked. We will miss each other and I know we will try and keep in touch.