Shop til you drop in Bangkok

Shopping at the MBK Center

While the islands of Thailand seem to be fueled by the laid back sounds of Bob Marley and the constant hum of the ocean, Bangkok takes on a slightly quicker pace. We chose to spend 3 days in the lively city of excess and we knew that would be plenty. Our goal was to shop, shop and shop...

Because the heat was so intense during the day we opted to take a taxi to the shopping mall, MBK to pursue some indoor, air conditioned shopping. It's lovely to have this as an option since air conditioning was nearly non existent in Cambodia, Vietnam and the islands of Thailand. I have to say I was blown away by MBK. The shopping center is HUGE. I've actually never seen anything like it. It's similar to a market, housing vendor after vendor selling whatever goods you might possibly desire. Seven floors contain everything from jeans to cheap watches to designer goods. The sheer size of it is rather overwhelming. I'd say it's on par with the mall of America, but it is laid out completely differently. What's equally as crazy is the fact that the shopping center is surrounded by tens of others! And many look comparable in size. We also spent one afternoon seeing a movie at a gigantic imax theater near MBK. The buildings here are so big and swanky and many of them are so very well kept up. For some reason I didn't quite imagine Bangkok to be quite like this. High end designers can easily be found too, if you've got deep pockets. It was fashion week in Bangkok so we were able to check out some of the local designers pieces on display which was pretty cool.

Market Reserch

As the heat became slightly more tolerable, we spent our evenings scouring Khao San market just next to our hotel for gifts and such. We also spoke with local vendors who sell wholesale, just in case. We've been loosely toying with the idea of opening a shop when we get back home, so we are using this trip as an opportunity to meet wholesalers and seek pricing. At this point it's just a thought, so we'll see if it ever materializes. All in all we got just what we wanted out of Bangkok. I am still dumbfounded by the amount of shopping centers and markets to be found here. The traffic is reminds me of LA. It seems rush hour is round the clock and there is always a traffic jam in central Bangkok.

Chillin on Khoa San...Great vintage Vespa

Miguel found some of the vendors to be rather jaded and a bit rude. When he low balled one guy bartering for a pair of shorts, he was met with pure attitude. When Miguel asked for a a price on another pair the vendor simply responded, "they're too expensive". (I couldn't help but be reminded of Pretty Woman here) One of Miguel's bartering experiences ended with a vendor telling him to go back to his country, which by the way was as uncalled for as it sounds. He showed real restraint by simply smiling and walking away. So not everyone here was overly kind. My experiences were milder and no one was ever out right rude to me. I was mostly met with smiles and respect.

While I enjoyed Thailand and the time that we spent here (how could you not?) I don't think I'll have any sort of overwhelming desire to return (except for the excellent shopping). As I think back on the trip thus far, Cambodia still takes the cake. By the way I want to thank you all for your comments. I've been getting home sick because I miss you all sooo much and the comments help. -K

Enchanting Kanchanaburi

Welcome to Kanchanburi

After arriving early in Bangkok we decided to set out for the small town of Kanchnaburi. We were only aware of this beautiful place from Amber and BJ's trip around the world. They sent back some of the most beautiful pictures of the water falls they visited. When I first viewed them I knew this was a place we must see for ourselves. After a two hour bus ride we arrived in Kanchanburi. We found a cheap guest house and settled in.


On the second day Kristen starting coming down with a sore throat. We decided to take it easy and give her a chance to rest. It gave me a chance to see some of the town, which turns out to not contain too much. On the third day she hadn't improved much. So I went to go see the Tiger Temple without her. She really didn't care to touch the tigers anyhow. The Tiger Temple is a sanctuary ran by Monks . It is an actual Temple, so you must dress appropriately. After a one hour ride I had arrived.

I followed a trail to "Tiger Canyon" where you are allowed to take pictures with these massive cats. Upon entering the canyon you see several of the large cats peacefully sleeping while chained to the ground. They explained to me that they were taking their nap after lunch. It appeared that not only were these cats sleeping, they were barely breathing. Tourist were allowed to pose and even cuddle with the tigers. I would say from closer inspection that their lunch probably consisted of raw meat and a heavy dose of tranquilizers. As the guide led me from tiger to tiger they snapped photos while I petted the heavily sedated cats (speculation). For an additional fee, the monks would even curl you up in the tigers arms. After a few photos I headed off to explore the rest of the grounds. I came upon an area where they allowed you to pet and play with tiger cubs. I have always wanted to pet them and this was a real highlight for me. They were so cute as they swated at the water bottle I carried. I could of played with them all day. As I conituned, I noticed all types of animals wandered freely about. There were water buffalo, peacocks, cows, and varieties of deer. It also appeared that the place was undergoing large renovations. It seems that in the very near future it will be a safari zoo.
Miguel aka Beast Master

Please don't wake up big kitty

On our last day there we decided to do as much as we could. Kristen, being the trooper she had been through this trip, toughed it out. Our first destination was an elephant camp. We took a thirty minute journey on the back of the great beasts. We did a brief trek through the jungle, then a quick stint through the river Kwai. I was even allowed to ride on the back of the neck of the elephant, just like their mahouts (elephant keepers) do. It was absolutely thrilling to get so close to these great mammals.

Thai Taxi

Mahout training

This elephant was over 70 years old

After the elephant trek we headed to the Erawan waterfalls. There are many waterfalls surrounding Kanchanburi, but these are by far the most popular. The Erawan waterfalls consist of seven different tiers. It's about a forty five minute hike in steamy hot weather up a hill from the first to the last tier. Even though Kristen was still not feeling well we managed to make it to five of the seven. Each tier is different and they are all enchanting in their own way. The water is a emerald green color and is full of fish. You can swim freely almost anywhere you like. The third tier even has large boulders that act as water slides. It is very popular with the locals. After our steamy hike the water was pure refreshment. It was cool and clean. I was completely overwhelmed by the beauty as I swam through the water and sat under the waterfalls. The fish made sure that you were in constant motionj, for if you stopped they began to swarm around you, pecking at you for a free meal. They were quite aggressive. The guides claimed that they were beneficial because the cleaned your skin. If they had teeth I am sure they would have devoured me in seconds. After my refreshing dip we took a local bus back to our hostel. The following day we were off to Bangkok for some hardcore shopping. If you are ever in Bangkok, look at a day trip to Kanchanaburi. The short two hour journey is easily worth seeing some of the spectacular waterfalls.
Tier 3... So beautiful. Best swimming pool ever!

Tier 4. You can almost see the magic

Tier 2. The water slides

Fish waiting for their next meal... enter at your own risk!

Tier 1. Just breathtaking

Only in Thailand

Wake, eat, walk to the beach ... repeat

Day 94

Day 95
Day 96

You get the picture

Sorry its been so long since our last post. Until recently it has been very uneventful, but in the best way possible. We accomplished one of the things we originally set out to do, find a nice beach and sit there for as long as we could stand it. Turns out that's about 12 days.

Since leaving Cambodia we high tailed it to Ko Samui, which is a nice little island in he Gulf Of Thailand. We spent two days in a great resort and then moved to a beach on the other side, Hat Lamai. We stayed there another 3 days in a little bungalow about 40 feet from the water. The water and the beaches were beautiful but they weren't the best for swimming. That's why we decided to head to Ko Pha-Ngan many days earlier then anticipated for the Full Moon party on March 10th. We figured go early because we knew in the days following up to the Full Moon Party tens of thousands of people would be arriving. We headed to the northeast corner of the island to the bays of Ao Thong Nai Pan Noi.

There we found yet another bungalow on a beautiful stretch of beach backed by turquoise water. We figured we would sit there until the party and then head out. So we spent our days laying on the beach. Occasionally we got up and ate something. Our hotel had a restaurant right on the beach. I don't know what it is, but food always tastes better when your barefoot on the sand. Most the time was spent walking up and down the beach while working on our tans.

Ao Thong Nai Pan Noi

What a view

We were very excited about the Full Moon Party. Everyone had told us so much about it. The day had finally arrived. The night was perfect with a clear sky and cool weather. The big bright moon beamed down upon us from above. Transportation was a bit of a hassle, since we had retreated to the secluded part of the island and it was about a fifty minute ride in the back of a pickup on dirt roads.

By the time we arrived to Hat Rin, the beach where the party takes place, we were covered with dirt. The roads were clogged with taxi's from all over the island delivering tourists to the party. We had high expectations for the part and I must say personally we were super disappointed. The great part was that it was a huge party taking place in a beautiful location. Thousands of people gathered on a beach all getting down. The part we didn't enjoy was the fact that the sound systems were so closely placed. Each bar had a great sound system, but they were so close together that all the music bled together. So unless you were right in from of a huge speaker, all you heard was the train wreck of music around you. The music was another major disappointment. All the djs seemed to play the same type of spring break club music. It was some of the worst, most generic music I've ever heard. When Sandstorm is one of the better tracks being played, you know it's bad. We expected to hear a wide variety of music, but that simply was not the case. Around 1 am the beach was so covered with bottles and buckets you could barley walk on it. The water was also off limits due to the amount of people using it for a restroom. We planned on being at the party until 4 am, but at 2 we were looking for a taxi
Full Moon Party

You pick the bucket and they mix it all in it

In general, there were thousands of people who had a really great time. There is a lot to be said for that. The fact that so many people from around the world can get together for a good time is in itself a beautful thing. It just wasn't our party. I imagine it's what Ibiza must be like with hoards of drunk people getting down to cheesy dance music. Anyhow, we were there and I have the wrist band to prove it.


We left for Bangkok two days after the party. We decided an overnight train was the best option. The trains here are quite comfortable and nice. They regularly come by with food and beer. We met two Americans from Oakland, CA sitting in front of us. They offered us some of the Thai rum they had and things progressed from there. In a few hours we were drinking with the beer salesmen and had a small yet lively party going on around us.

The train was mostly filled with people returning from the full moon party, so the party atmosphere was still heavy in the air. I have to admit that night we were the stereotypical brash Americans getting drunk and causing a ruckus on the train. We were not alone however. We had people from Austria, England, and Israel all helping to create the spontaneous party. We awoke early the next morning in Bangkok, my head spinning and my stomach turning. The heat in the train station did little to comfort us. We left the fellows from Oakland asleep on the benches and made plans for our next adventure. Kanchanaburi....yea that sounds good.


-a loose interpretation based on a true story seen through the eyes of Miguel

The rollercoaster that was Cambodia pt 2

Welcome to the jungle

In our last very exciting episode your hero's had toured the grim compounds of S21 and the Killing Fields. After a short bus ride the fantastic 4 had arrived in Siem Reap... Siem Reap where have we heard that name before?? Have we heard that name before? No, i don't think so.

As we departed the bus we were once again assaulted by tuk tuk drivers screaming "tuk-tuk" from every angle. At least this time there was a ramshackle fence to keep them at bay. We talked to a few then chose the cheapest two rides. Midway through our journey to our guesthouse, the driver stopped and began to negotiate with Adam about touring the temples the following day. Adam threw them a low ball offer which we seemed to think was fair considering we had just arrived in town and these were the first two we spoke to. They declined and we wouldn't budge. Since we would not book them the following day they said they would no longer take us to our destination. So we gathered our stuff and they left us in the middle of the street at night. We exchanged some colorful goodbyes and proceeded on foot. We eventually arrived at the Yellow Guest House. It was at the end of a dark alley, but so it ended up being the hotel find of the trip. For $8 we had a twin rooms with hot and cold shower as well as air conditioning! On top of that the place was built in 2007 and was kept really clean. We made ourselves at home and prepared to see the temples the following morning.

Daniel and Adam had awoke at dawn to see the sun rise at Angkor Wat. Kristen and I, who had a more flexible schedule, slept in. We met up with the other two when they came back for lunch. Our guesthouse was about a 20min ride from the temples for $15 a day you could hire a tuk-tuk to take you where ever you liked. We all had lunch then made plans to see the temple of Ta Phrom and then sunset. I was giddy with excitement. This was one of our main destinations on the this trip. It lived up to every expectation.

Our first Temple was Ta Phrom. Recently made more famous by the movie 'Laura Croft Tomb Raider'. As you approach you see an ancient crumbling temple with large trees soaring out from it. Once you get inside and explore it, you see that these trees are actually growing on top of the remains of the temple. Their long massive roots snake their way down the walls and devour the temple beneath them. It was one of the most awe inspiring sights I have witnessed, something that only hundreds of years of undisturbed time could produce. All these amazing scenes almost make you forget that the heat was hovering somewhere around 100 as well as the high humidity percentage. This is after all a jungle. Everyone looked as if they had just walked through a shower. Still each new area of the temple we wandered into drew you in deeper and deeper. Everywhere you looked, it took your breath away. We spent about two hours there before hitting a few smaller temples on our way to sunset.

Outside Ta Phrom
Roots dripping down the walls

My favorite in Ta Phrom

Another Ta Phrom goodie

Anyone seen Laura Croft??Kristen maintains gaurd
Adam and Kristen conquering the steep steps
How excited they were

We arrived at the temple for sunset. At the base of the hill we haggled for six cold beers ( should of had 9) and began our journey to the top. It was a twenty minute walk to the base of the temple, then a steep ascent about 200 metres to the top. That night we joined about 400 other people to watch the sunset. In the distance you could see Angkor Wat on one side as the sun set on the other. The crowd oohed and awed as the horizon changed color, everyone snapped photos with each passing moment. Between the four of us I believe we took somewhere around 150 photos of that sunset. It was glorious!

We were all feeling on top of the world once we arrived back at our guesthouse. We decided to hit the town and a few of the popular drinking holes. The first was "Angkor What?" a bar that was recommended to us by some other travelers. The special this night was $5 buckets. There were about 8 different concoctions you could chose to fill your bucket with. We went with vodka and red bull. They fill a tall rocks glass with vodka add about three Red bulls and ice. The red bulls they serve here are not your mother's red bull. In the states they contain about 150 mgs of taurine. In Cambodia they contain 1000 mgs of taurine! They pour out like syrup. We had three buckets between the four of us and headed to our next bar. All I can remember about this place was that it was called the Temple Bar. I am sure I had something to drink there but I could tell you what it was. We got back to our guesthouse around 1:30 am...i think.

The morning of the second day I awoke to severe stomach pains. It may have had something to do with the buckets of red bull vodka, but it felt more like food poisoning. The meals of roadside chicken and skewers of unidentifiable meat had caught up with me. Needless to say I spent the day in bed. Kristen stayed by my side. She was feeling a little under the weather as well although no where near the state I was in. Adam and Daniel headed off to the temples and I stayed in and watched football (soccer) on TV. (BTW...Football is huge in SE Asia. There are at least four channels showing it at any time. Mostly English teams but also their local favorites)

Later that evening I started to come around. It was our last day with Adam so we met up with a Greek person they met earlier and all went out to dinner. We had some really good Indian food and then watched a slide show of the Greek's trip. What started out as a few photos turned into an hour long event. Anyhow it was informative. That night we said our goodbyes to Adam. He had an early bus back to Ho Chi Min City (12+ hours of hell) and we were getting up early for sunrise.

On the morning of the third day Kristen, Daniel and I went to Angkor Wat to watch the sun rise over it. It was was an awesome site. After the sun rose, we toured the grounds. When you walk into Angkor Wat you first cross a bridge that spans what looks like a lake, but it is not. It is in fact a man made moat around the whole temple. It is just one of the many man made marvels of this amazing place. Once inside you start to notice all the details carved into it. I could only compare it to the Segrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona, where every square inch of the place is carved with intricate designs and scenes. I can only imagine what it must have looked like in its prime.
Dawn at Angkor Wat

Bayon Temple

Entrance to Bayon

Some of the many carved faces

They were everywhere you looked

In the 12th century when it was finished, it would of been unlike anything man had every seen. Sure the pyramids in Egypt are also a wonder of the ancient world, but the temples span an area many times greater, each decorated in the same detailed manner. The ancient Khmer's were truly brilliant engineers. After we finished with Angkor Wat we went to the Bayon Temple, not as large as Angkor Wat, but still very impressive. There were originally over fifty peaks in this temple with each one having four faces carved on each side. Many of them are still in tact. We spent close to two hours in the oppressive heat taking pictures before we retreated back to our guesthouse.

Stone carvings inside Angkor Wat

Inside Angkor Wat

For our final night we planned to see the sun set over Angkor Wat. We returned at sunset, this time with an appropriate amount of beer. We leisurely walked the grounds with Daniel and discussed all that we had seen. After the grim days in Phnom Pehn this was exactly what we needed. Constantly surrounded by wonders of such intense beauty we were truly in a magical place.

That night we went out for our last meal with Daniel. In the morning he was off to Hong Kong to spend a few days with his girlfriend and we were headed to Bangkok by private taxi. That night for dinner I had a pizza with pepperoni, mushroom, and two fried eggs on top. They like fried eggs on their pizza in Cambodia and I must say it was quite delicious.

My one hope for the succsess of thier future is that with the continuing popularity of Angkor Wat they use the money flooding in to maintain and protect the temples, as is also the case of Ha Long Bay. May local buisness's are so eager to take advantage of all the tourist coming to see their wonders that they are only concentrating on the short term gain. They are erecting mammoth four star resorts instead of putting any money back into protecting these wonders. I recently heard that there were so many new hotels in Siem Reap drawing on the limited water supply that it was threatening the foundations the temples. I suppose this is also the responsibility of the tourists. Try to support those who are environmentally responsible. It just so hard when you are new to an area and only have a guide book to lead you.

I have to admit we are quite taken with Cambodia. The people were some of the kindest people we had met on our journey, especially considering what they have been through in the last forty years. It has a feel of a country starting over from scratch, this time with history as their guide. Sure they have one of the hardest living conditions of all of SE Asia, but the people remain optimistic about the future. The individuals at our guesthouse were so sweet. Even as we left one the guys ran out to bring us to bottles of water. He made me promise to take good care of Kristen, "his sister". He refered to her as this because appearantly when she spoke the few words in Khmer she knew, she did so with a Cambodian accent. The people here are beautiful and the children are adorable. Their infectious laughter and smiles will stay with us for our lifetimes. Looking back I wish we had spent more time in Cambodia. Although, I have a strong feeling this will not be our last trip there.

To Adam and Daniel-

Thanks for making Cambodia such a wonderful time!! We had a blast traveling with you two. It would not have been the same without you. Please try to keep in touch and we will do the same. If you ever in the Midwest look us up!! We will do the same when we are in your neighborhood.

-Miguel and Kristen

The rollercoaster that was Cambodia pt 1

In our last very exciting episode, Miguel and Kristen were perched on the edge of Cambodia. They had joined forces with two fellow adventurers, Adam, a 30 year old engineer from Melbourne and Daniel a 26 year old student from Cologne, Germany. Now their stories can be told...

WARNING: This contains graphic material.

As the long narrow boat made its way up the Mekong river towards Phnom Pehn, the capital of Cambodia, the plan was solidified. Smash the main attractions in 5 days and get out with our health and a better understanding of this relatively unknown country. In order to do this we devised an ambitious plan. Once we arrived in Phnom Phen, we would find a place to stay for the night, get tickets to Siem Reap for the following day, purchase tickets to the killing fields, and see the prison, now a museum of the notorious S21. So the plan was in motion. Within half an hour of hitting the streets we had rooms for the night ($10), air-con bus tickets to Siem Reap ($5 pp), tickets to the killing fields in the morning ($3 pp), lunch, and a tuk tuk driver waiting in the wings($6). Arranging the tuk tuk was the easiest part. As soon as you arrive they basically swarm you like paparazzi. We chose one at random and headed off the see S21. The mood inside the tuk-tuk was jovial. It was every ones first time in Cambodia and contradicting the rumors, it was actually less chaotic then Vietnam. Sure the streets we were buzzing with scooters going in every direction, but it seemed a more organized frenzy then Ho Chi Min city or Hanoi. We were excited to be there. We soon arrived at our first destination.

S21 Prison

Torture Chamber

The mood quickly turned from jovial to somber. S21 was a former grade school turned prison when the Khmer Rouge seized power in 1971. Anyone who was part of the former regime, along with their families, were sent to prison here. Anyone else they thought may be any bit of a threat was imprisoned here as well. In its peak there were over 17,000 people held in four separate buildings. Many of the cells were made of brick and were no more than 3x5 feet wide, with barely enough room to stand. People were not only imprisoned here, they were also brutally tortured and executed. As many as 100 a day were being slaughtered.

A man by the name of Pol Pot took power of the Khmer Rouge in 1975. He recruited poor, enueducated children between 5 and 15 to become part of the new regime. He told the children that if they did they did what he asked them to, their families would live and Cambodia would be a better place. He quickly brainwashed them. He stole their innocent childhood, molding them into thoughtless killers. If they did not wish to join, they were told their families would be killed, ultimately leaving them little choice. The new regimed then killed the educated wealthy people of Cambodia, as they felt the upper class was holding them down.

As we moved from building to building the enormity of the crimes were laid out before us. The whole place contained a negative energy. It just sucked the life right from you, each step heavier than the one that proceeded it. Never the less we continued on. I felt I owed it to the dead to learn as much as I could about their plight. "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it," the phrase ran over and over in my mind. Some rooms were set up as they were in the 1970s, to demonstrate how and where the innocent had been tortured. Pictures of the dead hung on the walls, presenting a graphic display of the crimes. I stared at the eyes of half naked, starved individuals. Their rib cages and hips protruded inches from their bodies. Some appeared dead, some alive, many I fear tottering somewhere in between. The emaciated forms before me seemed to be crying out for help, begging for their lives. Begging even to be put to final death as their pain was so excruciating. Each person who entered the prison was photographed in black and white.

We wandered through room after room filled with horrifying photographs. Some showed before and after photos, as if bragging by what the had done to these poor Cambodians. One building held the people who they thought were the biggest threat. It was surrounded by barb wire on the outside. The reason for this was to prevent the prisoners from throwing themselves from the top floors and commiting suicide. Their capturerers made sure they would die by their hands and as opposed to their own will. A sign in one of the largest rooms still haunts me. It translates into English as, "to keep you is no gain, to lose you is no loss." It was room after room of heart wrenching stories like this. It was almost too much to bear to imagine all these innocent people suffering for no reason at all.

At one point I read the brief story of a girl of 22. She and her husband were eating dinner when the Khmere Rouge appeared at their doorstep. They told her husband to come with them because they were going to bring him to a new job where he would make more money. Just the night before she had had a pregnant craving for coconut. Her husband had readily climbed the tree behind their home to fill her craving. Now he was being sent away. It wasn't until years later when he still had not returned, that she discovered the truth. He had been sent to the killing fields. Her son now has no father. She currently resides in France, though she stated her heart is buried with her husband in the killing fields of Cambodia. At this point I started to lose it, for this is only one of the millions of stories like it... so many lives lost. So many people brutally tortured, killed in vain.

I left feeling depressed, confused and deeply saddend. I left feeling more emotionally and physically exhausted than I had in years.

After we completed our tour we began to leave the grounds. Adam, who was always meeting and talking to everyone around him, found out from other travelers that for $6 a tuk-tuk would take you to all the sights. Since we paid $6 for ours to basically take us 500 meters, Adam decided a tour of the city was just what we needed to pick us out of our slump. He approached our driver (who was named Samali) and in his own way renegotiated our ride. We now had him for the remainder of the evening. Since we all felt a few drinks were in order, we stopped for beers and went about seeing the city.

"One more time round the park Geeves," we called out from the back.

"You know it," he responded. It was our English contribution which we taught him. The night quickly turned to a blur as we proceeded to try to drink our way through it, and see all the sights. The traffic around us whizzed by and we began to yell the few words we learned in Cambodian."Susseday"or hello and "akoon" which means thank you. People would just laugh and return our greeting. Somali introduced us to a few of his favorite local spots. One of them was a food stand that served some kind of sandwich. I watcfhed as the boys devoured ther sandwiches, though they said they weren't terribly tasty. At around 1:45 am we returned to our rooms and hit the sack. We had an 9am tour of the killing fields in the morning then a 12 pm bus to Siem Reap. This was our introduction to Cambodia and what was to become a most memorable journey.

The Killing Fields

So 9 am rolled around on the second day and we dragged our fuzzy heads out of bed and hit the streets. I tried to mentally prepare myself for another day of tragedy. The sun had only been up for a few hours, but the heat was already beating us down. We arrived at Choeung Ek, or the killing fields, as it became known. This was where prisoners from S21 and other locations were sent to be executed. We found a tour guide and began our journey.

The first thing you notice is a tall building built to commemorate the more then 20,000 who died there. The building was filled with skulls which had been dug up from the site. It was a grim introduction to the grounds. As we continued on we noticed dozens of pits throughout the area. Our guide explained that these were just a few of the mass graves they uncovered. There were many more left undisturbed. As we moved in closer we saw clothes of the dead still coming up through the ground. Each year durng the rainy season skulls still surface. Our guide explained there are still many people still buried there.

Blunt trauma to the head

The tour became horrifying once the guide stopped us and pointed to the ground beneath our feet. The path we walked seemed to be covered with what looked like polished white stones. These in fact were the bones of the dead we were walking on. As I scanned the grounds closer I even found teeth amongst the rubble. It was a gruesome site. The guide stopped by a palm tree where some of the branches were cut close to the stalk, leaving a short hard branch about 2 feet long. The edges of this brach were naturally serated and as sharp as a knife. He explained how they would use these branches to slit the prisoners throats. It was a brutal and slow death. Since there so many executions they used the cheapest forms available. Most were dispatched with a blunt object to the head. The most disturbing fact we learned was this was not the only killing field. This site was one of more then 300 scattered throughout the country!

Teeth and bones

A few of the pits they uncovered

Our guide drew our attention to another tree as well that was used to kill infants. The mothers were separated out. Many of them were beaten and raped. As they stood naked and shaking, they were forced to witness the deaths of their babies. The infant was held by his/ her ankle and swung like a baseball bat at the tree. As you can imagine it may have taken multiple swings before the screams of the infants went quiet and their frail bodies gave out. All this as the mothers watched helplessly. I think about this and my own body began to shake, tears formed in my eyes. Imagine your worst nightmare and it doesn't even come close.

When the genocide began, the population of Cambodia was around five million. When it was stopped the population was about three million. OVER 2.5 MILLION EXECUTED. The genocide finally haulted when Vietnam invaded Cambodi in 1979. If it wasn't for that who knows how long it would have continued. I felt sick to my stomach. As I looked around all I could see were empty pits once filled with bodies. Clothing and bones are still coming up from the ground. It is, hands down, the most disturbing place I have ever been.

I will forever be haunted by the experiences that so many innocent individuals endured here. And I am merely saw all this through the eyes of an outsider.

What is most shocking to me is that this was taking place as recently as 1977. Many of us were alive when these tragedies were being committed. The destruction the human race is capable of delivering onto itself is alarming. As far as we have come, we have so far to go. I just hope something good can be salvaged from this terrible event. We left in a daze with our heads reeling, our hearts crushed. We had a bus to catch. Our next stop was Siem Reap, the jumping off point to the Temples of Angkor. We were all looking forward to something uplifting.

p.s. Pol Pot died on April 15th 1998 in northern Cambodia. He never faced trail for the crimes he commited. When we left Cambodia the first hearings were taking place for the surving leaders of the Khmer Rouge. Many had escaped having never answered for thier crimes.

(This was a compilation of Kristen and Miguels experiences)