Dark Tourism

Hi,

My friend and I are talking about going to The Killing Fields in Cambodia. Has anyone visited this site and why did you?
Why did you go to this site? Was there a specific reason?
Do you feel that visiting this site should be so widely promoted?
What was the mood like at these places? Were there many people there?

Any response would be much appreciated. Thank you!! :)

I went and here is what I thought about it.

I have been there, first time visitor to the country i wanted to know about the history of the country even the dark history. the audio guide was very informative and yes i was overwhelmed with grief but it was also a place of reflection. I was by myself and walked slowly around.

The generator sound and the music is what stung me, the last thing they would hear.

Nice article malvolio

I have just had a look at the OPs posting history and he/she seems to have a thing about "dark tourism" going by the other posts.

I think the expression "dark tourism" is not much more than simple rubbish. S21 and, in part, the many killing fields are places to inform on the atrocities committed. They are a warning to us and they also honor the victims while condemning the perpetrators. These sites are essential for the struggle against the efforts to make us forget. Especially in Cambodia, this is an important issue.
To denounce people who visit these sites and pay they respect to engage in a form of "dark tourism" reflects very negatively on the poster. His serial posting about such sites of remembrance suggest that he is not simply asking questions but follows an agenda.
Are you trying to commercialize the remembrance of the victims in a new guide book?

I think you would do better be being a bit transparent about your postings. Otherwise, the members here will do good to ignore your activities.

We visited both the Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a lot of grief for one day but definitely worth the visit. I hope this link works:

http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/royandclaudia/3/1359714372/tpod.html

We spent several hours at the Killing Fields with no crowds. The audio tour is very good and allows you to go at your own pace. It is hard not to come away from the place with tears in your eyes, but it is also a very important piece of history we should not forget. Perpetrators to this day are still being tried and punished. Tuol Sleng is also worth visiting, equally sobering but on a somewhat smaller scale. We negotiated a tuktuk at the market for $20. The driver took us to both places plus Wat Phnom, and would have also included the market as well if we had desired.

I would endorse what others wrote about the excellent audio sound track. I think it is a place you only need to go to once. Even with the crowds there, there are still some places for quiet reflection.

On arrival in Cambodia the first day I was met by local students from the Bunong tribe in Mondulkiri who were currently studying at the university. I was quite surprised that The Killing Fields was the very first place they took me. They had obviously been before , but were in no rush, prepared to linger and showed enormous respect for the memories. This is not just a place for tourists.
In contrast, they were quite bored by the whole Royal palace experience.
Later, near Battambang, the headteacher of my school took me to the Field where his father was killed. He wanted me to know.

Our tuk tuk driver in SR also took us to a monastery where they also had their killing field. Widespread throughout Cambodia.

Our tuk tuk driver in SR also took us to a monastery where they also had their killing field. Widespread throughout Cambodia.

Yeah, about item #79 on the Top 100 Most Upsetting Things About Cambodia is how genocide is a major tourist attraction. Hope to Buddha the Burmese don't figure this out.

#100, in case you're curious: the sign in your hotel room specifically forbidding the use or storage of nuclear weapons in your room.

##??

I have Cambodian friends here in NZ who had a history with the Pol Pot regime and they were actually pleased (if thats the word) I'd taken time to learn more of what went on then. They fled to Vietnam but the husband used to sneak back over the border at night to get food for them.They were in a refugee camp where one daughter was born.