The 20th Congress of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association (IPPA), held last January 12-18 in
Siem Reap, Cambodia, was attended by yours truly with her friends in archaeology. Since late 2013, we had been dutifully saving up for this conference, and had been chatting almost everyday to talk about our itinerary. Of course, listing down places we like to see was easy because of our similar background. We all love museums, old buildings, local architecture designs, and we all have one goal aside from learning from on-going archaeological projects--- see
Angkor Wat.
We chose the route Saigon- Phnom Penh- Siem Reap- Saigon because one of our friends who booked earlier, bought round trip tickets from Manila to Saigon, justifying that it's cheaper that way. I told her too late (the booking had been done) that she failed to consider land travel which could eat up one whole day. Because of this, I was hesitant to go, seeing that the trip would cause tempers to fly (mine included). So I told them that if I encounter a cheaper plane ticket, I would go; if not, then the trip was not meant for me. But it's a good thing Cebu Pacific had a promo later on so I got cheaper plane tickets. I initially wanted to do Manila- Saigon then SR-Manila but my friend pleaded that I go back home with her. So there... Though on the brighter side I did get to buy Vietnamese coffee and milk tea right before we went back to Manila.
We stayed at Tan Son Nhat Airport for some hours, resting and trying to sleep. Before 6AM we boarded a taxi to Pham Ngu Lao, had breakfast of their famous pho in a narrow alley, and bought bus tickets to Phnom Penh via
PP Sorya Bus (10USD). We slept all the way to Phnom Penh, waking up only when we arrived at the immigration office. It was my first time to cross a national border by bus and it was very inconvenient but since we were on tight budget, we really couldn't complain much.
We arrived at Phnom Penh mid-afternoon and met up with a friend who had just finished her conservation workshop there. She stayed at a flat with two bedrooms for free as part of her scholarship so we also got free accommodation there for one night because her flatmate had already returned to her country. After resting for some time and taking quick baths to freshen up, we went out and visited the
National Museum and strolled near the baywalk which reminded me of Roxas Boulevard and Ermita because of the presence of many tourists there. We also spent some time outside the
Royal Palace, marveling at the architecture and taking photos as pigeons flew to the plaza grounds.
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| Royal Palace, facing the baywalk |
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| inside the National Musuem |
An unfortunate thing happened as we were in a tuktuk on the way to the National Museum. The Samsung Galaxy tablet of a friend was snatched by two men on a motorbike. It happened so fast and we were all shocked at what happened.
So always be mindful and alert. As much as possible, never bring out flashy gadgets and wear simple clothes.
The following day was spent at
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a depressing place, to say the least. During Pol Pot's regime, the school was converted into a prison house and was code named "S-21", was where those suspected of resisting Pol Pot were tortured until they die. What is interesting is that prisoners were documented. Each had his photograph taken and basic information was also recorded.
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| prison rules in Tuol Sleng |
The visit to the genocide museum drained all energy I had. It was unthinkable how the human mind is creative at designing torture techniques aimed at fellow humans. Even more baffling is the cruelty and oppression inflicted on civilians just for the political elite to establish and maintain power, and just for a twisted ideology! It should be noted that despite the evil caused by the Khmer Rouge, it still aimed for the nation to be self-sufficient and to develop fervent nationalism, but at the expense of education. Still, the nationalism it promoted was to the extent that it mirrored Hitler's desire for a pure race, thus resulting in ethnic cleansing and genocide.
After a quick, cheap lunch at an eatery, we headed for Choeung Ek Genocidal Center, also known as The Killing Fields. It is where the Khmer Rouge executed more than one million people during Pol Pot's regime. It is a serene place, perfect for contemplating on the nature of man, as one navigates through the site accompanied by an audio system which details key historical events that happened there.
One of the touching stories was about a survivor who recounts that as a child he met a fellow prisoner, an adult, who kept on pleading the guards to let the child go for he is innocent. Later, the boy learned of the death of the adult prisoner who was killed because the guards got annoyed at his constant pleas, and recalls how he was touched at the concern shown to him by a stranger.
I love the ending track where it was commented that the Buddhist stupa, having sacred Hindu and Buddhist symbols, have both garudas and nagas in it. The nagas are said to have fathered the Khmer people and are the enemies of garudas, but when they come together, they are a symbol of peace.
Before we went back to the apartment, we bought some vegetables. That night, I cooked chopsuey, making do with what is readily available in the kitchen. Still turned out to be delicious. After dinner, we proceeded to Giant Ibis bus for our night trip to
Siem Reap. It was my first time to experience such a comfortable sleeper bus. Fare from PP to SR was 15USD.
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There is a whole lot more to learn about Cambodia. When we talk of crimes against humanity, genocide, and ethnic cleansing, we often discuss Hitler's Nazi regime. In highschool, Asian History was all about memorizing dynasties and names of rulers. I can hardly recall anything from that class. I think maybe if we discussed key important events that contributed to how a nation is shaped at present, students would be more receptive and more appreciative of history and culture. It was only during this trip when I learned of the Cambodian civil war so I made sure to buy at least one book: Ben Kiernan's The Pol Pot Regime: Race, Power, and Genocide in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, 1975-79 (2nd edition). I always wonder what makes an ideology so powerful that it can influence a large number of people, and how people are persuaded to accept an ideology as it is, without questioning the morality and underlying interests it may hold. I have been reading the book since we were in Cambodia and have yet to read it from cover to cover. It did, nevertheless, make me understand the circumstances Cambodia was in prior to Pol Pot's regime.
