We met Monday morning in the lobby at 900am ready to head to the Russian Market. The Russian Market is unlike anything I've ever seen before. We walked into something that might slightly resemble a smothering flea market and were immediately bombarded by Cambodia shopkeepers trying to sell us anything and everything they could. The overall experience was very interesting and unique to say the least.
After we left the Russian Market, we went swimming. Swimming, even for just an hour, was such a wonderful relief from the heat. It gave us all a chance to talk and spend time together as a team. Once our hour at the pool came to an end, we jumped in a tuktuk that took us the Tuol Sleng. Tuol Sleng was a prison used during the reign of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. it was used to detain and torture people believed to be against the Angkar (the movement led by Pol Pot). The prison looked frozen in time.
We walked around the 4 buildings of Tuol Sleng and some of us even ventured into the individual cells that were less than 0.8 x 2 meters. Because the Khmer Rouge took pictures of all of their prisoners, some of the rooms were filled entirely with photographs, showing people ranging in ages from approximately 1 to 70. I wish that I could describe the experience better, but Í'm afraid that only upon seeing Tuol Sleng and learning what happened behind those tainted walls, can anyone ever truly understand the emotionally draining experience that visiting Tuol Sleng is.