Campuchia

Imagine a country that as short as 30 years ago had a population of approximately 7 million, endured a civil war and then was systematically decimated by their own government, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. Over 2 million innocent people were tortured and killed during this unthinkable genocide which lasted for just over 4 years. Today Cambodia is a beautiful, peaceful, quiet country with the most loving, warm, friendly people. Our exploration started in the capitol city with a Small party of seven consisting of Carin's baby brother Lee, Hannah, Sue & Dani and Kim (Lee's friend from NY). Phenom Penh like other Asian cities is a bustling place located along the Mekong Delta. During the Khmer Rouge the city was evacuated, the people told to take what they could carry and go to the country side, where they would be safe from the Americans who were planning to bomb Phenom Penh (not true). Schools were then turned into prisons of torture (SS1). The people, mostly the educated including teachers, doctors and old government officials were rounded up in the country side, interrogated and either killed right on the spot or sent back to places like the SS1 prison in Phenom Penh where they were tortured and sent to the Killing Fields, approximately 18 kilometers from the city. The killings took place all over the country but Phenom Penh's S-21was known for some of the worst atrocities on man kind. The record keeping was very similar to Hitler and the Holocaust. This really hit home when we toured the S-21 prison and saw all the before and after pictures they recovered and read the stories of the many people who perished. Towards the end of our tour Mike asked the young Cambodian women guiding us what she remembered, and we all were very saddened to hear that at 13 years old she was witness to her father and brother being killed by the Khmer. We then went to the Killing Fields where mass graves were found and more than 200,000 people were killed and buried. Today in remembrance of all the innocent people that were murdered there stands a Buddhist stupa housing the uncovered remains (bones) behind a giant pane of glass for all to pay their respects and remember. We came full circle as we dined at the wonderful restaurant Friends and witnessed the love and goodness in people. This place in an institution in PP. Their mission is to take very poor children off the street, educate them( they have their own school with boarding if necessary) and provide job training in their restaurants. They learn all aspects of work in the industry including cooking, serving and even English. They also run a store with many great items the kids make plus their own cookbooks and the proceeds go back into the school. The young people were amazing and the food absolutely delicious!
The temples of Angkor are not on the old Seven Wonders of the World list. They are also not one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. We are wondering why. Back in the 9th century Angkor was the heart of the Khmer empire for aproximately 300 years before being abandoned. At its peak Angkor had a population of one million. From our observations you would need at least that many workers to build these massive Hindu temples which today are Buddhist. There was Angkor Thom with huge faces carved into the rocks, Ta Prohm sometimes called the “Tomb Raider” temple not only where the movie was filmed but also where the jungle had engulfed the walls of the ruins which made for a very surreal experience, Banteay Srei which means citadel of women was the smallest of the temples we visited, but had the most intricate, beautiful carvings that they believed could only be done by the delicate hand of a women and last but not least Angkor Wat the largest of them all. This one required a 4:45AM wake up call to see the sunrise over the temple and started off with quite a bang when we stepped out of our hotel and realized Lee had mistakenly booked a third Tuk Tuk, we only needed two. After 10 minutes of watching the drivers try to straighten this mess out Lee stepped in and said he would pay the extra driver for the inconvenience, when we got back , and assured the driver not to worry, “I’m a man of my word”, which we all found very funny because just the day before Lee had scheduled the same driver but we ended up taking a van instead. Eventually we made it to the temple with a hundred of our closest friends and just in time to be escorted to our free plastic seat in the second row where we were offered coffee or Tea for 1 dollar. After drinking the lukewarm cup of instant Nescafe, Lee & Kim realized there was a real opportunity here to set up a Cappuccino & Espresso stand and make a small fortune. The sunrise really wasn’t as magnificent as we had hoped but all the early morning hoopla made it quite fun. After visiting Angkor Wat we went back to the hotel for a little R&R, before heading out to explore a floating village. Our captain looked to be 14 and his first mate 12 but they assured us we were in good hands. We spent the next hour or so cruising the river, exchanging hello’s, waves and smiles with all the villagers we saw along the way. It turned out to be a special treat on our last day in Cambodia.
Hannah left for Cape Town and we were now a Small party of four heading to the beaches of Ko Phi Phi & Railay for one last hurrah, before it was time for Kim & Lee to head back to the Big Apple. We rented a house on Railay, had a chef cook us a fantastic meal, snorkeled at Mosquito Island, Jumped off a cliff and sipped some wine thanks to Kim as we watched the sun set on the beach.
This time of the year is always a bit tough for us but we were thankful to be on a beach, one of Rachel’s favorite places, doing “cartwheels in the sand “, eating Thai food which she loved so much because of its sweetness and watching the oranges and pinks paint the sky each evening. The big, beautiful smiles and open hearts of the people of Southeast Asia will always remind us of our Sunshine as we continue this journey.
Shoutouts,
- To all our guest travelers Now that your seasoned how about a reunion in Morocco?
- Bonjour Brittney have fun in France and remember the three B’s
- Liz & Rick This batch of pictures is safe and sound thanks to you.
- Ivi Where are you?
- Hedy Surfs up in Costa Rica!
- Hannah Our Drama Queen no longer. Have fun in Cape Town and you remember the three B’s too.
- Jess & Rich Thanks for taking such good care of little Gus