Finale

The procession to the Stupa

(Day 6-7)
It was day 7. The day we were suppose to leave Phnom Penh. The day begun with breakfast at the Guest House, followed by lunch and the Messenger of Peace program at the Killing Fields.

Having been to the Killing Fields before just last year in October 2016, I had experienced and felt the sorrow from the fields. Upon entering, one can feel the sadness that feels the entire soul, and the horrors of what the Khmer Rouge had done to its own people. The scent of death, large mass graves, pecks of bones and skeletal remains heightens the level of sadness where it's common, to see people suddenly feeling a tad bit sad while in the compound.

May peace be with you :)

Having been to the Killing Fields before just last year in October 2016, I had experienced and felt the sorrow from the fields. Upon entering, one can feel the sadness that feels the entire soul, and the horrors of what the Khmer Rouge had done to its own people. The scent of death, large mass graves, pecks of bones and skeletal remains heightens the level of sadness where it's common, to see people suddenly feeling a tad bit sad while in the compound.

We begun with a ceremonial march to the stupa at the centre Choeung Ek Killing Fields. After removing our shoes and bowing as a sign of respect, we placed flowers and headed into the Stupa. The Stupa housed hundreds of unknown skulls, skeletal remains and clothing, represented as per how each person was murdered in this very compound. It is hard to believe that hundreds, if not thousands of innocent people were murdered, where most of them include talented and well-educated individuals. The act of cleansing the nation by removing people that are 'not-aligned' with the Khmer Rouge's values reduced the nation's population by around 3.42 million.

Entering Choeung Ek Killing Fields as a seasoned individual, I reminded myself of the crimes that the Khmer Rouge did against humanity and the terrible acts that they committed to innocent people. I remember one exhibit that spoke of how the 'Killers' had to kill innocent people even if they did not want to. Had he not done so, he would had been murdered too as he was thought to be disrespectful to the Khmer Rouge.

As I walked past mass graves and a tree stained red with the blood of babies who died after getting their heads smashed, I recall how the Khmer Rouge was once known to be the 'Great' ruler of Cambodia. From what I understand, it is said that the Khmer Rouge even had a seat the United Nations (UN) where there were internationally recognised for their actions on making Cambodia great again.
Even so, the rest of the world did not know much about the acts of what the Khmer Rouge did to 'cleanse' their people. In eradicating the opposition, the Khmer Rouge exercised control over its people and held the accused in prisons all over Cambodia. One of it, remaining till this day includes the S21 Prison. After interrogation, trialed prisoners from various prisons will be sent to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields to be executed.

From the prisoner's point of view, they had little clue of what happens as the overall experience from prison to death was surrounded in secrecy. For example, loud music played from the Killing Field imitated a joyous occasion to prevent the cries of the prisoners from leaking out from the compound. Simple tools such as pickles, axes and blunt weapons were used to execute prisoners in a mass scale. Once execution was complete, a highly dangerous pesticide called DDT was used to hide the stench that came from decomposing bodies of the dead.

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I'd like to extend my gratitude to Seng Hou in doing his best, out of his duties in caring my other half when I wasn't able to do so

After the walk, the group gathered at a shelter where we were briefly given a talk on the history of Cambodia. Throughout the talk, I became increasingly worried about my other half where I couldn't pay attention to the talk. She was still in hospital and there were no news of her diagnosis. Soon after, the group went off to the media viewing gallery and I remained outside to be alone. I received a call from her and overhead the diagnosis that the doctor gave. She was fine. I was relieved.

Despite the great news, she had to remain in the hospital till the very next day as she chose to be under observation. Next, we headed off to the nearby restaurant and we had our final 'After-Action Review'. This was where we reflected and gave feedback on the good, bad and improvements for the trip. We then went to dinner and the last night was a great one after all.

It's someone's birthday!

The next morning, we packed and got check-out. Our bus took us to the S21 Prison, where some of us were given a choice to enter. I chose not to enter and spent the morning at a nearby cafe drinking some ice cold Angkor Beer. Soon, we headed out to the Central Market, where I purchased gifts for myself and my other half. Very soon, we were on our way to the airport. Arriving at the airport, we helped to unload the baggage, where I gathered my luggage and her's together. Our flight was about 2 hours away and we went through immigration in a breeze.

The perfect drink for a hot weather

Overlooking the seas near Singapore

Back home to Bae <3

​After about 2 hours, we reached Singapore, where we bade farewell to the rest of the team. We did some last minute duty free shopping, and spotted Martyn ^^ I met her parents at the airport, we had dinner and I got home in a jiffy. That's all folks!