Like
Tuol Sleng in Phnom
Penh, I kept the heavier stuff (e.g. Genocide museums)
last. Why? Was I afraid to view the gruesome pictures that
so realistically drawn by eye-witnesses? Was I afraid of
experiencing the pain and desperation that I would have
felt if I was a prisoner myself? Was I afraid of the level
of insanity that human beings can reach? Or maybe, just
maybe that I was simply afraid that beer will run dry in
this world?
I first watched Schindler's list when I was 20
via a pirated VCD bought in Malaysia. I sat through the
entire 3 hours motionless. I didn't cry; there was no need
to because it was just a black and white film. Perhaps it
was all made up. I didn't know what was going on; could
something (this bad) happened just 60 years ago? Somehow,
it did (after my visit to Auschwitz).
Woke up at 530am in the morning and gave the receptionist
a scare (she must had thought I was a ghost who couldn't
sleep and wanted to surf net early in the morning). Did
a "quick" march to Krakow Glowny Train Station
in order to catch the train to Oswiecim (Auschwitz in Polish,
64km from Krakow) at 710am (10.5zl). Asked the ticket inspector
on when it will reach my destination. He wrote on my ticket,
822am.
The train pulled into the quiet town of Oswiecim at 822am.
It was that exact.
After 20mins of walking (from the train station), the all-famous
gate "ARBEIT
MACHT FREI" (Work Makes Free in German)
stood in front of me. I often stop in front of important
monuments and contemplate about my life. Being here was
simply too emotional; I wondered what will happen next.
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Remuh
Synagogue, 40 Szeroka, Kazimierz. There were alot of plaques
installed in memory of the Holocaust victims. One family
had lost 88 members.
There was also a Jewish Cemetery which requires an admission
fee of 3zl (I assume that only applies to tourists). |
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Zurek,
a rye-flour zupy (soup in Polish) thicken with sour cream,
hard boiled egg and pieces of sauages. That was supposed
to be my dinner for the day. On second thoughts, I think
it was my lunch. Hmmm.. Maybe it was breakfast.
Somehow I could only remember having only beer throughout
the day (minus the KFC I had).
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Nothing
much. Just to tell the whole world that I am on a train
to Oswiecim, alone. |
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Oswiecim
train station. Although it looks just like any dull east
European town (the greyish clouds didn't help much), it
seems to be a nice quiet town and definitely away from all
that fuzz and rush.
It probably would not have this much of tourists if not
for Auschwitz and Schindler's List. |
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The traffic
sign probably meant to inform drivers that they are leaving
Oswiecim. |
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Railway to Auschwitz I Concentration
Camp. It was a poor attempt to take a signature shot of
myself.
*Don't worry, I checked and make sure that there was no
train coming*
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I stopped
in front of the gate and said a quiet prayer before entering
in the camp compounds. Like what I said previously, it was
all too emotional. |
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HALT!
Freedom was much more expensive than the lives of the inmates
in Auschwitz I. |
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After
the doors (to the gas chambers) are firmly closed, the Nazi
will poured these into special openings in the ceiling.
Block 4, Room 4 lies a cold and rusty can of Cyclon B. 12
cans of these can kill 600 inmates with Hydrogen Cyanide
within 15 to 20 mins.
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Me taking
a picture of the human hair exhibit that was found by the
Soviet Army after they liberated Auschwitz I. The Nazi shaved
the hair from the corpses that they had just gassed. These
were sold to factories as raw materials for the manufacturing
of tailor's lining (hair cloth).
Some of which are still tied up in
braids.
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Pg 2 |
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