Cambodia was not like I thought it would be from all the reading I did.

 

Upon arrival, the first you see as you exit the airport is a Dairy Queen.  The roads are good, and the buildings are all very nice... but don't be fooled, this is the capital city, so it is cared for very well, and there are secrets lurking in those French - colonial buildings...

 

The terror of the Khmer Rouge is very evident.  Everywhere there are people missing feet, hands, or eyes... it is like nothing I have ever seen.  You probably see 50 or so of these people a day. 

 

I also went to S-21 - one of the torture camps of the Khmer Rouge.  I debated whether to go because I thought it might in some way condone this evil.  But in the end I went because I thought it would be good to understand Cambodia. 

 

S-21 used to be a high school...  I cannot tell you what it felt like to have a lump in my throat and a sick stomach at the same time.  The Khmer Rouge took before and after pictures of those they tortured - women with their babies, senior citizens, children, handicapped people.  There is total silence when you leave this place, no one dares say a word (although, some tourists were snapping photographs of the torture rooms!??!?!)  It is estimated that 3 million out of 17million Cambodians (17MM at that time - the population is 13MM now) were put to death.  So, everyone in this tiny country was affected in some way.

 

The owner of the guesthouse in Siem Reap is my age and we got to talking.  Only he and his sister survived out of their family - he was 7 years old, parentless (they were killed by the Khmer Rouge), and got word on the street to walk to the Red Cross - he was saved there, they evacuated him to New Zealand. He has now returned to his country.

 

This explains Cambodia - anyone who was intelligent, political, or religious was killed, leaving a poor and uneducated population.  And the current government is highly corrupt.  But the people need help - there are a lot of foreigners there doing just that.  It is interesting to see how the world has come to the aid of these impoverished people.

 

Phnom Penh

What a city!!  You can stay and eat on a breezy riverfront, then have fun all night long at one of many watering holes.  There are beautiful temples overshadowing almost everything - they blend in perfectly with everything else and give the city a unique atmosphere.  The way this city looks and feels belies its recent history.  This may be my favorite city of those I have visited on this trip. There are a lot of foreign aid workers, and a lot of European and Chinese tourists, so there is an interesting mix of people, and everyone blends together.  The Khmer people lived in terror only a few years ago - so they are ready to really do it up now that times have changed!!!   They even have a new 6-story American-style shopping mall.

 

Siem Reap

Home to the Temples of Angkor...  And 1/2 the Discovery Channel documentaries ever produced!  (OK - maybe more were produced for Area 51)   I spent 4 1/2 days here in order to savor the temples at a slow pace and avoid temple "burn out".  They say to visit as many temples as you can, then revisit your favorite. This is true.  Each temple is so different from the others, they are all unique.  My favorite temple was Ta Prohm - I spent an afternoon there

 

     http://cambodia.adventure.freeservers.com/photo9.html

 

Of course Angor Wat was amazing - the sheer size of it and the ornate detail can make you think we are living in a dark age.  I went there for sunrise...  there were a lot of people there.  So, I was surprised when I went there for sunset - everyone was in the front, I went to the back and got to enjoy my last sunset in Asia behind Angor Wat - alone!!!  Perfect.

 

Interesting note for those who have had recent weddings - my guide in Siem Reap got married three months ago and he spent his life savings on his wedding for 200 people - $1,000 USD.

 

And another interesting note - the country's currency is the Riel, but everyone uses US Dollars.  All prices are in dollars, and the exchange rates listed at the banks are from Euros, Yen, Pounds, etc to the dollar (the French people totally hate this!!).  You only get Riel if your change is less then $1.00 - they don't use US coins!!

 

I really have enjoyed Asia and cannot wait to go back.

 

Hope everyone is well.  Please, let me know what is going on with you.

 

steve