hi, this is day 2 of trip to cambodia
The above pic is of the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, was built in 1958 to memorialise Cambodia's independence from France in 1953.
First place to visit is S21 otherwise called the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum right in the heart of the city.
The lady in the above pic is one of the survivors of the genocide that happened in cambodia between 1974-79. She explained the whole story as it happened at that time. People were tortured in different buildings in cambodia to get information about their enemies during the years of 1974-79. Polpot was the leader at that time. he wanted to bring in a new regime based on communism. He imagined a country flourishing just on agriculture without depending on anyone outside. Whoever were not useful for doing agriculture were killed.
People were chained to the bed and given a box to do their restroom jobs.
These were the conditions under which they were kept there.
representative pic of how people were tortured using the arrangement shown above.
People were chained like in the above pic with the chains shown in the previous pic.
People were allowed to have a bath once a week in the manner shown above.
People were held in such small chambers.
Different torture methods used by the polpot regime. The last image of the torturers pulling out the nipples as a means of torture.
Top people during the polpot regime who were arrested and are on trial. Three of them have died in prison and two are still alive awaiting their trial.
Next place to visit is the killing fields or the place where people who were supposed informants or who were not useful were killed.
People were brought in trucks to this place to be killed. Initially one truck used to come once a week with around 250-300 people. Towards the end of the regime 15 trucks used to come every week.
People were also killed as families in whole so that there would be no next generation seeking revenge on them.
People were killed and buried in such pits which were dug up. later on and even now whenever it rains bodies or remains used to surface.
mortal remains of people who were killed which used to come up to the surface over the years have been preserved.
This tree is the gruesome reminder of the events that happened during those 4 years. Towards the end of the regime the soldiers in charge were short of guns, ammunition etc, so they used this tree to kill people. How you might ask. Simple, just bang their head against the tree trunk. Kids, children, elders all were killed similarly. Loud communist songs were played on speakers to drown out the cries of the people that were being killed.
A large building has been erected at this place in remembrance of the people who died during those 4 years. 2.75 - 3 million people were killed eventually out of a total of 4 million.
Inside the building all the mortal remains of people over the years which have surfaced from the killing fields have been kept in ten floors as a grim reminder.
Above is the person called polpot who was responsible for all the killings.
After all that intense history lessons, it was depressing.
the tour was over. the tour was booked online at getyourguide.com
got dropped of in the city center on the riverside a little later than 2pm.
Came to an indian restaurant called phnompenh india restaurant. had a thali for $8, with a beer of course, and thats extra.
Next i went to visit a beer factory. Kingdom Breweries. Now comes the fun part.
The above pic is the tap room. this is where you get to sample their beer and get free beer.
That's kanya one of the hostesses. She was charming and came out friendly.
The above is the sample that is handed out to you. you can choose any of the varieties and can have more of the above for free from 1pm - 6pm. make sure you land there at the earliest possible.
Above is the mixing area where hops and other ingredients are mixed up.
Above you can see the fermentation tanks. The beer once made is left to ferment for 10-15 days depending on the type of beer in these tanks.
Above is the bottling plant.
Fellow visitors at the tap room. this guy is from turkey.
These guys are brothers from spain.
and the best pic i like of today, me with kanya. we were able to discuss a lot about their country. She gave her perspective. i gave mine. we had a long conversation long after everyone was gone. after this i returned to my hotel room to call it a day