I first visited the killing fields in 2011 and then again in 2012. (We hired a tuk tuk for the afternoon and were charged $12 for the round trip from the hotel – S21 – Killing Fields – hotel.) When it comes to sites like these, we always feel that going on a tour with a local guide is the best way to gain a deeper insight and understanding of their past, and how these events are shaping the present-day. Biodegradable Wet Wipes | Keep clean without destroying the planet! S-21 And Cambodia’s Gruesome Killing Fields. Most famous of these torture centers and resulting mass graves were Tuol Sleng Genocide museum, commonly referred to as S21 (the building was a school prior to the Khmer Rouge) and what we now know as The Killing Fields, both located in Phnom Penh. The Tuol Sleng genocide museum was just the first part of the massacre. We collected our audio guides, sat down on a bench, and started listening. The Khmer Rouge's aim? Cambodia Travel Budget: What Does a Trip to Cambodia Cost? It started out horrifying. To cut a long story short, normal life ceased to exist and anyone who didn’t conform to the Khmer Rouge's ideals ended up at one of the many prisons around the country; and ultimately, silenced permanently. It’s thought that there were 300 Killing Fields throughout Cambodia. All around the country more than 300 killing fields were found. A shuttle-bus tour is available with the Phnom Penh Hop On Hop Off service, which includes hotel pick-up from 8am in the morning or 1.30pm in the afternoon. wanted their activities to be kept secret), gratingly loud propaganda music would screech out of speakers set up through the fields. Upon arrival we were given an audio tour, which featured the chilling account of Him Huy, a guard and executioner at Choeung Ek, who takes you through the happenings of this camp. To establish a classless communist state based on a rural agrarian economy, all in complete rejection of the external world, free markets, and capitalism. I could hardly look at it. In the same format as at S21, an audio guide led us through the area, complete with haunting firsthand accounts of the Khmer Rouge and descriptions of the torture and death imposed on the fields. Large torture devices are intact and on display, as well as the cells where prisoners were kept, and (well done artistically but utterly disturbing) paintings done by a former prisoner, showing the conditions of the prison, and examples of some of the torture that happened within its walls. You were ripped from your home, starved, maybe tortured, maybe pulled from your family. Learn our top responsible travel tips to help you, your family and friends travel more consciously around the globe, ECO FRIENDLY PACKING ESSENTIALS | Don’t leave home without our favourite eco-friendly travel essentials. The killing fields are a very emotional place but it is a must see to truly appreciate what happened to this country and its people under Pol Pot. Here on Our Escape Clause, we are dedicated to helping travelers plan their adventures. Welcome to the Killing Fields Museum. When we arrived at S21, it was beautiful: the sun was shining, the flowering trees in the courtyard (leftover from when the building was a school prior to 1975) were blooming, and there was a breeze. RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL | Responsible travel is important. While how far away in time that date appears is a matter of perspective, it was a date that I thought about every time I saw a middle-aged person or older in Cambodia, whether they were working at a fruit stand, or talking on a cell phone, or playing with a child: You survived the Khmer Rouge. Am still digesting our visit, we receive a small commission at no extra to! Left untouched and we were able to walk around and view them genocides in world history stories behind the glass! More haunting than the last tortured at Prison S-21 were transported to and executed matter how ever! 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