Day 1 - Shooting Guns: The Inappropriate Pit Stop

I guess I should start with day 1. After flying for the better part of a day going from San Francisco to Taipei and finally to Phnom Penh, I welcomed the idea of getting some rest and exploring Cambodia's capital with a full energy bar.

I was never that good at Mortal Kombat

Unfortunately, that was not to be the case. Our hosts at the Marady, a 5 star resort (on a scale of 1-100) were kind enough of to organize a trip to the "Killing Fields" on our first day unbeknownst to us. The "Killing Fields" was one of the things I really wanted to see, so I had no problem forfeiting a shower and some rest to soak in the history. After dropping our stuff off, myself and the other 5 teachers to be were put on 2 Tuk Tuks and set off to our destination accompanied by our trusty guides.

Charming at first, Tuk Tuks and I would develop a 

love /hate hate/hate relationship over my time in Cambodia.

Our guides had mentioned something about shooting guns, but I didn't think much of it I just attributed that to something being lost in translation + jet lag. We arrive after a short ride in a place that is not the "Killing Fields", how did I know this? Because we were at restaurant looking place. I'm thinking "oh yeah I guess we should eat, we have been flying all day." We sit down and they give us menus. We open the menu and to my surprise it was not traditional Cambodian cuisine. In fact we were at a gun range. The assorted guns plastered on the wall should have gave it away, but hey I like themed restaurants so I guess I didn't put that together.

Just to run-of-the-mill Mom and Pop shooting range

After a look through the menu one thing stuck out to me. For a low low price of $200 you could shoot a rocket launcher into a mountain! I had read about tourists being offered to blow up cows with rocket launchers during my research of what to expect in Cambodia but, we were at a reputable place I guess and that was not an option. Unfortunately, $200 was out of my price range so I settled on an assault rifle for a nominal fee because "When in Cambodia...." (a phrase our group would use often). 

Sketchy at best

A couple things to note: There was some malfunctions my scope flew off during my rounds and another girl had her gun jam then go off unexpectedly. All in all no one died or got shot so I'll chalk it up as a positive. It was clear that this was a sort of deal between the guides and gun place to bring new business from the new teachers, but hey can't knock the hustle. 

After that we were off to village of Choeung Ek and the infamous "Killing Fields." It just felt weird going from shooting guns to a place where so much atrocities occurred, but I digress. 

                

For anyone coming to Cambodia I don't think there is better first place to visit than the Choeung Ek memorial site. I knew the bare minimum about the Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian Genocide and after the self guided tour a very vivid picture is painted. Accompanied by audio, going through the different sites is an eerie experience to say the least. Learning about gruesome details about how women, children, and men were executed for no reason is an experience that will last throughout my travels.

Until next time. Here's some music.