Two sites, one history

We left Kampot for Phnom Penh. Along the way was an important stop about an hour and a half outside Phnom Phenh. As we pulled up to the arch that marked the entrance to the site, we prepared ourselves for what we were about to see: the Choeung Ek Killing Fields, one of many mass graves used by the Khmer Rouge to dispose of the suspected enemies of Ankgor.

The body count at this site was in the thousands. We took an audio tour and I was blown away by the firsthand accounts of victims.

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Everyone left taking something different away from the whole experience, but collectively we all had grown and gained a broader understanding of what happened to this country during the Cambodian genocide.

Later that day, we stopped at S-21, a former high school in Phnom Phenh. While the Khmer Rouge were in power, they used the school ground as a prison for suspected enemies of the government. The prisoners were subjected to horrific methods of torture to get an admission to crimes that, most of the time, were not committed or were as menial as having an education.

The next day, we left for Siem Reap by bus and settled into our hotel. After some rest, we regrouped at the front of the hotel and were greeted by a line of tuk tuks ready to take us to  Angkor Wat. Two by two, we hopped in our tuk tuks and rode off. Arriving just 30 minutes before the Wat closed for the evening, we had just enough time to get a taste of what the next days would bring.

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The next morning, we had an early wake up to watch the sunrise over the temple's ancient towers. After exploring the temple, we left to visit other ruins. It was amazing to see the ruins that have stood the test of time, and those that were rebuilt from stone blocks randomly scattered. On some of the original structures, trees had wrapped their roots around pillars, doorways, and windows. It was amazing to see.

It was a full week, with the first days looking at the darkest spot in this country's history and the latter ones enjoying the ancient kingdom's ruins.