Our weeklong visit to Vietnam and Cambodia - Part 2

After having stayed for three days in Ho Chi Minh, we were ready to pack up and leave for our next destination, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  It was a seven-hour trip by bus.  My grandson who is forever a chatterbox, conversed with a Cambodian co-passenger.  The Cambodian said he completed his studies in Germany as a Master Brewer.  He was delighted talking to my very smart Jed!

 

It was already 9 pm when we arrived in Phnom Penh.  The following day, after breakfast, Pastor Eduardo Tamayo picked us up and brought us to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.  There we saw the former school building which was transformed into a detention center for the Cambodians who were arrested, tortured and later killed.  We saw many pictures of the people who were killed by the Khmer Rouge under the leadership of Pol Pot.

Later, Pastor Edu brought us to his home which also served as the church.  We saw his family and were treated to luscious fruits!  Then he brought us to the Agape Student Center, a place where the Cambodian young people were invited to learn the use of computer and at the same time it was an opportunity to teach them the love of God.  I found it easier to communicate with the Cambodians than the Vietnamese because Cambodians can speak English better.

 

The following day we rode the tuktuk, a kind of  public transportation system of Cambodia, and went to see the Royal Palace and the Killing Fields.  We saw the gruesome tools used in torturing and killing the victims.  We saw the huge trees where babies were repeatedly hit against the trunks until they died.  We were aghast by the manner in which tortures were conducted and how even women and children were subjected to this kind of carnage. It is even scary to use the word without being mentally tormented. It was really nerve wracking.  My daughter was not able to sleep that night because of the things we saw.

The pole in this picture which has cables attached to it was formerly used by the students to conduct their exercise. When the place was transformed into a detention center, this pole was used in torturing the prisoners and interrogators tied their hands and lifted the prisoners upside down until they lost consciousness, then their heads were dipped into a smelly filthy water, and when the victims regained consciousness, the interrogators would continue their interrogation.

The following day, a Sunday, we attended the English worship service at Sekadaysrolanh Baptist Church which is headed by Pastor Eduardo Tamayo.  It was a good to worship the Lord with the Cambodians who also love the Lord!

 

After the service, Pastor Edu told us that Pastor Jojo and his wife Nena would be coming to Phnom Penh, so we got ready to meet them at Shabu Shabu where we had a good fellowship over  lunch.

After spending three days at Phnom Penh, it was time to go back to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam where we spent a full 24 hours before we got ready to go to the airport to fly back to Manila.

Although the experience was a bit tiring, it was undeniably another exhilarating and learning experience for me.  All travels are, for that matter.

Thank you very much, Jeff and Jen for this wonderful gift!