A little history.....

Today, as with the last few days have been a mixture of heaven and hell. The bus ride from Bangkok to Angkor Wat in Cambodia is a fine example of hell. The Temples themselves are awe inspring. The horrors of the Killing Fields and of S-21 were an even darker glimpse into the destruction and depravity that human beings are capable of. I was walking on bones of the dead today. Teeth, femurs, skulls, all intertwined with cloth, dirt and grass. They weren't too noticeable at first, until a young child hoping for some cash said "Theres bone over here Mister!". After that it was hard to walk anywhere without noticing fragments, teeth, and cloth.
For those of you who havent the slightest notion of those two places, I will elaborate briefly. Cambodia has had a ruff time over the years. After 5 years of civil war (not to metion the US's kindness during Vietnam)the Khmer Rouge took control on April 17 1975. Basically they pushed all the people out of cities into the countryside to work camps. Those who had worked for the previous Government were eventually interrogated and usually killed. More then less. To not waste bullets, beatings seemed the norm. S-21 was the place where prisoners were brought to be interrogated and tortured, while their bodies were dumped in the Killing Fields. Although they were killed and tortured there too. It would seem that under the ideals of Khmer Rouge Communism, those with a blank slate are much better for the next step. Anyone corrupted with education was obvioulsy not a blank slate, and scheduled for reeducation. For this reason, people from the counrty and young kids were to be the sucessors of the regime. More like pawns. For while those at the top, many educated and teachers themsleves, reaped the harvest the masses suffered long hours with little comforts in the fields under constant fear of being sent away. Thankfully Vietnam stepped in in 1979 to subdue the Khmer Rouge. Unfourtualey for the people of Cambodia, it was very late. At worst estimates are 3,000,000 dead at best 700,000. Either way, way too many. The poverty here is by far the worst i've seen in my travels as of yet. The elderly are few but the young are many, which i hope means that the current generations will learn and flourish like wildflowers of peace from the ashes of hell so many experienced. If i could only give to every reaching hand.... -Z