The Killing Cave - Battambang, Cambodia - July 4, 2013

The height of the Khmer empire occurred around the 12th century. When Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge seized power in 1975, the leader hoped to return Cambodia to its glorious past. Pol Pot attempted to achieve the goal by almost overnight transforming the country into an agrarian society and essentially restarting Cambodia from scratch. The leader outlawed medicine,  modern technology, education, newspapers, and even money. Then, he emptied out the cities.

To maintain control, the Khmer Rouge split apart families and relied on widespread torture and executions. Since Pol Pot wanted only farmers, professional people were at the top of his hit list.

If we accept the conservative number of 1 million killed out of a population of 7 million, that means roughly 15 percent died. I did the math to put it into context in relation to the population of America, which is about 300 million. If 15 percent of our current population died, that would mean 45 million deaths.

The so called "killing fields" surround Phnom Penh, but the sites can also be found in other parts of Cambodia, including Battambang, which has a "killing cave."

According to my guide, Tong, the Khmer Rouge imprisoned people in a Buddhist temple, tortured and killed them, and then threw their bodies into a cave with a pit entrance. He said an estimated 10 to 20 thousand died.

There were a couple of smaller, adjacent caves also used for dumping bodies, one of which, at the permission of another guide, I explored, since I had my light. About 100 feet in, I stumbled across bones and shredded clothing. That ended my exploration. I love caves, but I had to respect the resting place of the death.  When I told the guide what I found, he said something to the effect of "I should have warned you."

Earlier in the day, Tong took me though the countryside, where I experienced a transportation first. During this trip, I've ridden on planes, trains, buses, boats, ferries, tuk-tuks, the back of motorcycles, and ridden bicycles, but until yesterday, I'd never ridden a bamboo train. What is a bamboo train you ask?

Until 15 years ago, some outlying villages here had no roads, making it difficult for farmers to get their crops and livestock to market. However, there were railroad tracks, so farmers came up with the ingenious idea of devising a small bamboo car, which sits on top of a couple of sets of wheels that are placed on the rails. The device is powered by a small motorcycle engine.

If another freight train or bamboo train comes along the tracks, the bamboo train driver, with the assistance of one other person, lifts the contraption off the tracks, which takes only a couple of minutes. Then the other train passes.

Speaking of transportation, I believe I'm beginning to understand the seeming traffic chaos. Most of the intersections in Cambodia don't have traffic lights, so it's up to individuals to navigate their own paths. I liken it to a swarm of bees entering the hive. The mass of cars, buses, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians are all moving at once, but they don't run into one another.

The trick seems to be to find an opening in  the swarm and occupy that spot, trusting that the swarm will work around you as you continue across the intersection.

My mistake in Phnom Penh, when I couldn't cross the street, was assuming that the swarm would stop. That doesn't happen. I should have just found my opening, walked a few steps into the street, and waited for additional openings to appear before me.

At first, it's a bit intimidating because vehicles might be crossing inches in front and back of you, but the swarm is paying attention. The worst mistake is seeing an initial opening and trying to run as quickly as possible across the entire street. Then the swarm has trouble reacting.

In Siem Reap, I rode my bicycle through heavy traffic and used the same strategy of finding an initial opening and starting across the intersection, assuming the bees wouldn't bump into me.It worked, or I was fortunate. I assume the locals realize I'm not from around here and give me a wide berth.

At times, bicycles can offer a huge advantage over cars. Outside a temple complex at Angkor, vehicle traffic was at a standstill, so I followed the lead of my bicyclist friends and peddled in between the cars. There were no honks, no harsh words or harsh glances, and within no time I was out of the log jam.

The difference between Southeast Asia and America is that motorcycles and bicycles seem to be an accepted part of the transportation landscape.

Yesterday, I saw the sites. The day before I took care of some business and strolled through the city. All of the countries I've visited this summer issue visas at the border, with the exception of Vietnam, which requires an advanced visa. I could have acquired one before my trip, but I didn't know when or even if I would cross into Vietnam, and the government needs an entry date.

Originally, I thought I'd have to get a visa in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, but to my delight, I discovered Battambang has a Vietnamese consulate just five minutes walking distance from my guest house. A visa can take up to five days. Again, luck was on my side because I applied for it at 3 in the afternoon and picked it up the next morning.

I've given some thought to heading south to the beach, but it's a 12-hour trip, and some gorgeous beaches are waiting in Vietnam, if I so chose to check one out. That means, today, I'm taking a short bus ride back to the capital, where I'll spend a day or two before heading east to Vietnam.

As always, I'll be in touch.