evacuation of the capital. Money. banks. schools. medical care and the justice system were done away with. and (‘ambodia became one large work camp run by a few thousand chosen Khmer Rouge supporters. lior four years. their opponents were commonly tortured iii interrogation centres such as 8— ll. or csecuted in the notorious Killing fields.
It felt mildly e\ploitative to watch the film iii the very city where so much blood had been shed. but I felt compelled to visit the places I had heard so much about. The next day l parted the mosquito net and stepped out into glorious August sunshine. where the streets were drying otit from the previous night‘s
showers and the high. rank odour of
refuse and exhaust rose from the warming tarmac. Bicycles. cars and
mopeds bullied for an inch of
space. dancing to a melodic soundtrack of horns and the rasp and pop of two-stroke engines. Weaving in death-defying fashion through the congested late morning traffic. it was hard to imagine this city devoid of life.
From the dusty side street. S-Zl looks like a decrepit. shell-shocked
travel lodge. In fact. if it wasn't for
a liberal decking of barbed wire. it would still resemble the unprepossessing former school at
96 THE LIST to F01) 2006
TRAVEL
a. ‘9.
Tuol Sleng that Pol Pot commandeered for his own nefarious purposes. A one-legged beggar approached me by the heavy gates — one of the countless casualties of landmines in (‘ambodia — how could I refuse him here'.’ In its brief history as an interrogation centre. over l7.()()() people passed through these gates. Only seven came out alive. S-Zl survives as a genocide museum. and it is possible to walk through the torture chambers and dormitories. to gaze out on the courtyard like a condemned man. The same beggar caught me on the way out. With two legs. He gesticulated to his moped and tapped his artificial limb. I liked his entrepreneurial style. Shifting on the hot vinyl seat of the bike. we roared off towards the shrinking countryside and (‘houeng lik Killing Fields. 15km from Phnom
Penh. 1 had seen naive paintings of
the hideous atrocities carried otit here. in the gallery at 8-21. The childish hand and primary palette made them all the more immediate. So I was not prepared for the bucolic scene that met me there. Butterflies flitted over lush grass. aged botighs swept over gently undulating pastures. and a gaudin crowned srripu glinted in the midday sun. Children laughed. playing in
_ 525’?
ii In”? -'
P" 'l
"."'a
31 years after Pol Pot reset the Cambodian clcck to zero, the infamous Killing Fields now resemble a bucolic glade (above). But among the bushes there is still evidence of horrific brutality.
the dtist. ()n closer inspection. however. the idyll faded. The sunken turf marked the death pits where prisoners were bludgeoned to save ammunition. Rags and shards of bone protruded from the earth. where paths had worn out the grass. A sign indicated where steel yourself — babies‘ heads were dashed against the tree trunks.
My new friend let me steer the moped along the dusty. pockmarked route back to Phnom l’enh. until I narrowly missed a cow gra/ing contentedly in the middle of the road. My pillion passenger cracked a betel—stained smile. I would leave it to the experts. I loved this terrible. beautiful country. whose people
were still fumbling their way out of
the darkness. Despite the remonstrative effect of turning a nation‘s horrific past into a money- spinner. the memorials to Cambodia’s genocide have been hitherto attended to with dignity and sensitivity. I hope it continues so.
The Killing Fields Special Edition DVD is released on Mon 6 Feb
Where have all the singles' travel companies gone?
As a single traveller. the woud really should be your oyster. You can go when and where you want. and Choose yOur own activities. But the reality isn't always so easy. especrally when many tiig companies still charge .i hefty Single person Suppleinrmt this seems scandalous given l'lt: number of independent travellers in the UK today. but. as Mike HOlSOri of wet) fOruiti Singletravelcook points out. the Situation rs improvuig slowly. ‘As Single peorile become better recognised in society more companies are starting to do special offers for lone travellers, but the majority of agents can still charge up to 40% extra for single occupancy'
It is surprising then that there are Still relatively few srngles' holiday specialists. As one of a handful. Solos Holidays offers a range of activrty and Sightseeing breaks for the unattached traveller and manages to keep its prices competitive by playing up the advantages of its clientele. “The Singles market IS incredibly flexrble.‘ says managing director Gill Harvey. ‘80 most of ()ur bargaining is in the low season when we can get better rates and negotiate harder to get rooms for Single OCCupancy.' Other companies should watch and learn from this attitude because. as Harvey pOints Out. ‘the singles market is growuig rapidly year on year. In five years' time Single households will probably make up 40% of the population, so more and more pressure wrll be put upon toor operators and hotels to take the singles market into acc0unt.'
There's further evrdence that the company is really onto something on its Sister website. solosreunited. co.uk, which helps solo travellers continue friendships which were formed while away. Photos posted on the Site come from such far flung locations as the Tunrsran desert. the Five Finger Mountain in Northern Cyprus and the mountainous heart of the Garfagnana region of Tuscany.
I w. solosho/r’days. co. uk