I have crossed the one month waypoint of my trip and my passport is becoming quite colorful. I recieved my new visa from a Cambodian truckstop of sorts…and made my way towards Kratie. Kratie is a very small town on the way to Phnom Penh set right on the river.
Kratie was a simple town and my only main activity was a 12 mile bike ride to see a Wat. Riding through the back roads of Cambodia has its perks…everyone wants to say hey and all the kids run out to give a high five. In a way it is like being a celebrity…all you have to do is be in the Cambodian countryside. Easy right?
The next logical stop was to head to the capital city of Phnom Penh…a bursting area with a horrific history. Though the streets are now alive with modern restaraunts and tourists…a mere 35-40 years ago, the city endured a massacre under the Khmer Rouge reflective of the Holocaust. Quick history…the Khmer Rouge took over in 1975 after Cambodia was drawn into the Vietnam war and leadership was lost. A 'restructuring” began under the rule of Pol Pot which consisted of eliminating nearly 2 million people. Phnom Penh became a ghost town and anyone who was deemed intelligent was sent to be tortured and executed via the S-21 Prison and then the Killing Fields. I toured both the converted prison followed by the killing fields. Needless to say, you leave each of these places with a heavy heart knowing the atrocities which occurred.
On a lighter note, the city of Phnom Penh is quite expansive boasting its own Royal Palace and a network of high end restaurants situated along the Mekong River. The city is growing rapidly, yet daily markets and old architecture reveal a mesh of the old and new ways of life…similar to that of Boston.
With the Cambodian New Year Approaching, (13-16) the city will empty out as locals go home to celebrate with their families. I booked the last bus seat out to Sihanoukville and will most likely be crammed into the back of a bus for 5 hours with Cambodians. It will all pay off however, as Sihanoukville is the gateway to the islands surrouding the Cambodian coastline and I will have my first swim in the Gulf of Thailand.
Thanks again for reading and be sure to check out the pictures from Kratie and Phnom Penh!
Worth the 20km bike ride
Kratie colour
S-21...school turned into torture prison. Only 7 survived to tell their stories.
Photos taken upon entry to S-21. The halls go on and on with these photos.
After/Before : I simply recreated a photo of one of the final 14 who were found during the liberation. Their graves are now centered in S-21 and incense is burned in remembrance.
The original items still remain in many of the cells averaging about 4x10 feet.
A dance group broke out while I was inside the National Museum. Currently one of my favorite shots from the trip.
Pick your fish!
I couldn't skip over the compostiton of this photo...and there is a cat.
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Eye on Kyle 
Great narrative and pics.
Wow, such a powerful message Kyle! Thanks for sharing so many things that I will never see in my lifetime! I know your mom enjoyed the “cat” picture! Wish you could save the video of the dance group!