Phnom Phem, Cambodia

Royal Palace

Phnom Phem is the capital of Cambodia.  The capital was moved to Phnom Phem when the military of Thailand were constantly attaching Seam Reap.  Thailand had superior weapons and the people of Seam Reap could not defend themselves. By moving the capital farther south the Thais could not reach them as easily.

Fried Crickets

After the Vietnam war, which they call the US war, the Kamenroush controlled Cambodia. Their power became so consuming that they told eveyone in Phnom Phem that they had to leave the city because the United States were going to bomb the city.  The mass exodus from the city forced everyone into the country side. Everyone become farmers and were forced to grow rice for export to China.  People were treated poorly and had little to eat during this time.  To survive people started to eat anything that had protein including bugs and spiders.  You can still find deep fried bugs, larva and spiders at some markets.

Fried Lavara

Fried Tarantula

Memorial that contains skulls and bones recovered from one excavation.

Visiting the Killing Fields  of Choeung Ek is a sobering experience if you take time to learn about the history of the region.











During the Khmer Rouge rule the leader Pol Pot became afraid of anyone that was educated.  The Khmer Rouge had workers identify if they were teachers or educated by promising them that they would be treated better.  This was not the case and they were taken  to S-21 prison which was the former Tuol Svay Prey High School. People were tortured until they confessed to being spies for the United States.  At that point people would disappear from the prisons.  They were taken to the area now known as the killing fields and executed. The bodies were left in open pits and covered with the chemical DDT. Most of the 17,000 people taken to S-21 were killed.

Open Pit Area located in the Killing Fields

Thousands of women, children and men were killed because they were educated, wore glasses or someone in the  family was educated or a teacher.  Remains for most of those killed have not been excavated as they can not be identified because there is no remaining DNA to cross reference.

Bracelets for Remembering the Dead

This was a very dark time in Cambodia's history.