The Yangon Circular Train tour is open to anyone who can find their way to a train station in the southern city of Yangon in Myanmar.

Inside the main entrance of Yangon train station.

Taxi drivers outside the station, waiting for a fare.

Three ladies; two with cell phones and one lost in thought.

I went with a friend I had met the day before, a lovely lady from Holland who turned out to be a fantastic travel buddy. We met at Yangon station, grabbed our tickets for only 200 kyat (approx. 0.23 CAD) and waited for our train to arrive. The route goes around the outskirts of the city of Yangon in a leisurely 3 hour circuit.

The main circuit shown is the route of the circular train.

Locals board the train as well so this isn’t some ritzy, bedazzled tour. It’s simply an inexpensive way to see the countryside and enjoy some time observing your surroundings.

A view from behind: local housing.

The backside of a local cemetery.

Passengers are free to jump on or off at any stop on the circular train. If you buy a ticket for the round trip, you’re covered all the way around so you’re welcome to take off and explore whenever you like. There are passenger control officers strolling through checking tickets though so make sure to keep it on hand. Some stops are busier than others. Some have roadside restaurants next to the platform, some have vegetable markets springing up and some have nothing but a gate and path that leads into a village.

Even the locals like people-watching on the train.

If you’re curious about this train ride, I say give it a go. You can always get off when and if you’re bored and it’s a relaxing afternoon out of the sun. There are local vendors selling pre-cut fruit and cold drinks throughout the ride, so you’ll never go hungry and the views are unique compared to what you see in town.

***WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT***

In 1975 Pol Pot, a Cambodian national who dreamed of a utopian peasant society, brought his politics to a boiling point. He and his communist party, the Khmer Rouge, took control of Cambodia and went after intellectuals, killing doctors, scientists, students and anyone who disagreed with his vision of a communist Cambodia. Cut-off from the media, the outside world had no idea of the extent the Khmer Rouge’s quest for total submission had gone to until it was too late. 

The memorial of skulls at the killing fields.

Inside the memorial: floor to ceiling skulls of those who were murdered in the killing fields.

Different coloured stickers on the skulls denote the method of murder.

During Pol Pot’s four-year rule (1975-1979), records show at least 1.5 of 7-8 million Cambodians were killed under his command. Many historians say the body count is much higher as more bones resurface every year after heavy monsoon rains wash away the dirt. Most prisoners had no clue why they were being arrested and when they didn’t follow the rules (shown below) or admit to treason, the torture began. Some were held for days and weeks, until they confessed to things they didn’t do in hopes of reprieve. Once confessions were gained, they were shipped off to the killing fields.

Rules for prisoners at S-21.

Cloth and bone still protrude from the earth today in the killing fields.

Recently unearthed bones. Victims unknown.

The most infamous detention center from the reign of the Khmer Rouge was called S-21 where locals say only 7 of over 20,000 prisoners lived to tell of the horrors. S-21 was a high school-turned-prison. The security center got its code name from S for Santebal, the Khmer word meaning “state security organization” and 21 for the walky-talky number of former prison chief Nath. Today it remains as a tourist attraction where travellers can see the terrible fate that fell on Cambodia during those 4 years.

One of four buildings in the compound, this one used for interrogation and torture.

Former classrooms used for torture and interrogation.

After early prisoners jumped to their deaths, all windows and corridors were laced with barbed wire.

Another of the four buildings; this one used as holding cells.

Soldiers broke down walls between former classrooms so they could see straight through and keep an eye on prisoners.

Some may think it’s morbid to want to visit a place like this but I believe that if you want to understand a country and its culture, you need to know where they come from. A people can be most appreciated when you can see their darkness and their light. 

All S-21 tours offer a trip to the S-21 detention center and then out to one of the many killing fields where the bodies of Cambodia’s finest minds were murdered and dumped into mass graves.

Craters left in the ground from dug-up mass graves.

Another mass grave, not fully excavated yet.

“The Killing Tree.” Soldiers beat children against this tree before throwing them into a pit, on the right.

“The Magic Tree,” used as a tool to hang loudspeakers playing music to cover the moans of the executed.

Bullets were too expensive so various tools were used to murder Pol Pot’s victims.

If you have read this far you can see that this is not your average tour. It’s horribly sad and quite frankly, physically sickening. The gravity you feel walking through these buildings and fields is thick with sorrow but gives birth to a new perspective and respect for a nation that is so emotionally scarred. If you’re spending a few days in the capital city of Phnom Penh I highly recommend this somber historical tour.

~Bus fee with hotel pick-up and drop-off = $15USD

~Entrance fee to S-21 = $6USD ($3 entrance + $3 English audio guide)

~Entrance fee to the killing fields = $6USD ($3 entrance + $3 English audio guide)

Seeing the Angkor temples in northern Cambodia is something I never thought I’d get to do. Angkor is made up of multiple temples and former capital cities of kings. The grounds were built between the 9th and 12th centuries, according to archeologists. They were mostly Hindu but later leaned towards Buddhism. To this day Angkor remains the biggest religious monument in the world although little is left compared to its former glory. After some preliminary research, it seemed that this dream of wandering the forests of ancient gods and giant trees could actually come true. Fast forward a few months later and I’m arriving in Siem Reap to kick-off a three week vacation in two countries and five cities.

The very first morning of my stay in Seim Reap I had a tuk-tuk driver arranged and was off to see the remains of the temples of Angkor. You can rent the services of a tuk-tuk driver for $15USD, plus tip. That covers him for an 8 hour day of work and allows him to wait for you to poke around at the different temple locations and drive you from spot to spot. You will need a tour bus or tuk-tuk, as the distance between sites is quite large.

My ride for the day.

En route from Angkor Wat to Angkor Thom.

A map of the grounds of Angkor.

The first stop was the site the grounds are known for; Angkor Wat. It’s the first stop once you pass through the admission gates ($20USD for one day or $40USD for three). I was told that the word angkor means “city” in Khmer and that the entire complex was the former capital city of the Khmer empire. Here’s a look at Angkor Wat:

I thought this was a pool. Turns out it was a pit for human sacrifices.

My next stop was the majestic Bayon temple. This spot known for the many-faced towers that keep watch over the former capital city of Angkor Thom. When we pulled up to the Bayon temple, it took my breath away. I couldn’t see the stone tower faces at first due to the tuk-tuk canopy but once I was able to look up, I had to take a moment to appreciate what stood before me. Here’s a look at the beautiful temple of Bayon.

The final place in Angkor I’d like to share is perhaps most famously known for being a shooting location for the 2001 action movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.  This temple is called Ta Prohm and is known for the huge trees that erupt through stone in a slow battle for dominance over the land. Some researchers say that these powerful tree beasts will someday erode the foundation of Ta Prohm and leave what’s left in further ruin once the forest has claimed its throne. This was one of the reasons I wanted to get there sooner rather than later. Without further ado, I present to you the temple of Ta Prohm.

I do not know this man, but he would not leave the tree.

Seeing these three main temples and a few other smaller ones took me 6 hours to walk through. If you’re planning on heading there and want to see a longer tour of the grounds, I suggest the 3 day pass. It’s really busy around sunrise and sunset at most locations since tourists are hunting down that perfect temple picture. Starting my trip in a place like this was incredibly humbling and hard to top. That being said, there were more adventures had and they’ll be published over the next few weeks. Thanks for reading and be well!