The Killing Fields (Choeung Ek), Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Cambodia has experienced a Civil War from 1970 to 1975 resulting to a lot of people dying. There were a number of Killing Fields in Cambodia where large number of people were killed and buried by the Khmer Rouge (communist). There were at least 1 million to 2.5 million people who died of disease, starvation and killing. This is the sad truth about the world which I hope will be stopped one way or another. 

The Choeung Ek, is one of the biggest killing fields in Cambodia, that people should visit to know the history of the place. Men, women, children and even babies were killed during the Khmer Regime because the leader during that time, Pol Pot want to kill all the people who goes into his way and he wants the children to be killed so that nobody will seek revenge. 

The Killing Fields is really a sad place to be in if you are the type of person who could not take gruesome stories then this is not your place but if you seek history then this will be the greatest place to learn more about the Cambodian Civil War. As you enter you need to pay $6.00, a map and a recorder shall be given to you to guide you throughout the area. The field I must say is quite big and there are numbers in each station and in your recorder you must press the corresponding numbers. In this way you can get the flow of the story and understand deeply as a person will be speaking and you are looking and imagining what happened during the Civil War. There is only one rule in this place and that is for you to Keep Quiet so you could learn more and not disturb the other people listening and contemplating the place. 

Actual Expenses: 

Tuk-tuk ride for the whole day                                $25.00 USD 

Entrance Fee                                                            $  6.00 USD per person 

Recorder and Map that is provided once you paid the entrance fee of $6.00

This is called the hanging tree. People are hanged here or killed here by shooting them and a background music is being played so that it will cover the shouts of the people being killed and the gun shots. 

There are chairs available where visitors can sit down to rest while listening to the recorder 

Each station is numbered corresponding to the number in your recorder where it will tell you more about the site you are looking at

These friendship bracelets are made for the children who died during the event 

Babies were killed by throwing them in this tree or throwing them high up in the air a few times without catching them. They will repeat this process until the babies or children dies 

Last stop is the memorial where all the skulls  and memorabilia are found 

I know the image is quite disturbing 

At the end of your tour there is a museum where pictures are displayed 

Inside the museum 

Will I come back again?
No I will not. A one time visit is enough for travellers like me. Though it was a sad place to be in I learned a lot about the history of Cambodia (partly). It will forever be in my mind and it taught me that every history has its ups and downs and I am willing to learn more about it. This is one of the reasons why I travel. It’s not only for fun but it’s all about learning and experiencing first hand information. I am recommending you guys to go here if ever you are in Phnom Penh 

Location and Contact Information: 
Choeung Ek Genocidal Center
Sangkat Cheung Aek
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Budget: 
Entrance Fee                    $6.00 USD/ PHP 268