Money always talks. But it certainly speaks louder in Cambodia.
In America, $200 buys a new iPod. For the same price in Phnom Penh, you can kill a live cow. With a rocket launcher. Not only are said weapons illegal in the states, but I do not think there is any sum that would allow you to brutally murder an innocent live animal. In Cambodia, however, the cow comes gratis with the rocket launcher rental (pigs and chickens are also available). It's merely a free perk. A sales gimmick if you will. Even as a ravenous carnivore, I feel this activity to be utterly sickening, showing a true lack of compassion or humanity. PETA always makes a big stink in New York City when people wear fur or leather; they should really make a visit to Southeast Asia to see some true offenses.
Visitors to Phkor Lan Shooting Range who opt for the rocket launcher are driven a couple miles away to a shrub-covered valley and instructed how to work the military-grade weapon. The gun, also known as a B40, has a long brown-green cylindrical handle that is rested on one's shoulder with a grey football-shaped rocket at the end. The grenade itself recalls a Nerf football due to its size and shape. Except colorless, made of military grade metal instead of foam, and potent enough to destroy a multistory house. The weapon has a distinct phallic characteristic. As such, one could reason that the tourists who rent the launcher are not only sick, sadistic souls, but are actually compensating for something less powerful.
For the poor souls who enjoy this cruel fantasy (before they're transported to the depths of Hell in a few decades), there are two chances to accomplish the task. The unlucky cow is first positioned around 300 feet away in the middle of the mountain valley. She stands there, happily enjoying the fresh grass and taking pleasure as the mountain breeze rushes past her ears and through her fur. Rocket launcher wielders have only one shot to hit their bovine target. If they miss, however, there is no need to fret as: they've likely burned down around a dozen trees in the nearby forest so they can still revel in their destruction. But even better, the rocket is quickly replaced with an automatic Uzi to finish the planned job. I mean, they've already purchased the cow, and it's not like she could possibly be spared after the miss. It's not like she could be distributed to local Cambodians, many of whom struggle to feed themselves and their families. That would be overly generous. So instead, what should be a sacred Buddhist creature and an honored meal that would last for several days, is left annihilated in pieces in the middle of the outskirts of Phnom Penh, becoming food instead for mosquitoes.
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| From Google |
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| From Google |
