This site was one of several similar camps in which people were executed in the name of the Khmer Rouge's anti-intellectual, antediluvian, deranged and atrocious form of communism. In total, 3 million of Cambodia's 8 million-strong population were wiped out in the mass genocide.
At Choeung Ek, which was formerly a Chinese burial ground, adults and children were executed in the most brutal and horrendous ways imaginable - mostly using tools at the executor's disposal, such as bamboo sticks and hoes, as bullets were too expensive - while revolutionary music blared.
Words cannot adequately describe the torture that occurred at Choeung Ek, although the audio guide, narrated by a survivor, did an excellent job of depicting the suffering and truly horrific scenes that happened there. All that remains now is a field, areas marking the mass graves, and a stupor with the amassed bones and skulls of the victims, arranged according to age and categorised by injury.
Subdued by what we had seen, heard and imagined at Choeung Ek, we got back in the tuk-tuk to visit Tuol Sleng (also known as S-21) - a former school that the Khmer Rouge used as a prison to detain and torture 'enemies' to their regime, prior to transferring them to Choeung Ek.
Enemies were considered to be anyone with connections to the 'old ways', such as those who could speak a foreign language, or who was religious, or a doctor, teacher or other educated person. But Pol Pot and many other members of the party had been educated in France, or initiated as a monk, giving a hypocrisy to their insane campaign of discriminatory cleansing.
The Khmer Rouge idolised the peasants and evacuated everyone from cities into the country to forcibly live a rural existence in camps. However they also destroyed crops that prisoners in these re-education camps used to feed themselves when the thin rice gruel was insufficient. The new order called for a completely new social structure, without family bonds and with allegiance only to Angkar (The Organisation). The ideal candidate for this new way of life was a child, who did not have preconceptions and could be moulded to the wishes of the State. This explains why half of the current population of Cambodia is under 22 years of age.
At Tuol Sleng, prisoners were kept in one of the four buildings until they confessed to 'crimes' they did not commit (principally being a spy for a foreign agency). The museum that now stands there contains examples of these written confessions and photographs of the victims.
Having spent much of the morning and afternoon with our heads in 1970's Cambodia and the atrocities that were perpetrated on its people, we tried to lift our spirits and enjoy the current atmosphere. The people here are cheerful, energetic and optimistic. Many of them did not live through this dark time, which ended 35 years ago, as Lucky reminded us.
We made a late and abortive trip to Orussey market, whose stallholders were in the throes of packing up and going home as we arrived at 4pm (they set up at 5am). We had hoped to sample some market food, but trying the surrounding restaurants and finding them also in holiday mode, we decided to hail a tuk-tuk and join the crowds back on the quayside. The tuk-tuk made little progress towards the river as the surrounding roads were blocked and manned by a combination of police and military.
During yesterday's wander, I had clocked a poster for the Himawari microbrewery. This is housed inside a 5-star hotel of the same name, which looks out on the Tonle Sap river. Unable to afford to stay in such a place, we thought that we could buy a little piece of luxury by having a drink at the river-side bar. And what a drink! This is the only place we have visited so far in SE Asia where it tastes as though significant amounts of malt and hops have been used in producing the beer.
The Himawari microbrewery is run by Singaporean head brewer and former Computer Science student Neo Say Wee. He produces four brews, which we were obligated to try.
OatS is a 6.5% stout, served chilled, which masked the lovely chocolate malts a little. As it warmed up, it proved to be an excellent, slightly sweet stout with some nice coffee flavours and a decent weight behind it. K had two, which is testament indeed.
CentenniALE is a 6.5% IPA in the US style and my favourite. With chewy malts and plenty of the eponymous hops it was a fabulous reminder of the pale ales that aren't available here.
Aspara Gold is a 5% golden ale with Nelson Sauvin and Cascade hops. It was a little thin and weak in my opinion, but K liked it. The Cascade was apparent but not much of the characteristic tart New Zealand hop character and the head was primarily big bubbles that dissipated quickly.
Gem and Jade is also described as a 5% golden ale, in which "oriental flavours collide". I'm not sure which flavours these might be, but the name is derived from the hops used, which gave a delicious floral and fruity taste to the amber-coloured ale.
Picking from the hotel's menu, we found our choices again limited and reluctantly ordered pizza for the second day in a row. It wasn't a patch on the wood-fired version at the FCC.
As we sat, dusk drew in and the illuminated floats again woke into life and paraded up and down the river. After a while, they docked and we were treated to a firework display. This was apt given that yesterday was Guy Fawkes night in the UK.
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