Phnom Penh

Royal Palace Phnom Penh

Grill on a door at the Palace

Stupa at the Royal Palace

Beautiful tree- Shorea Robusta Roxb

Riverside at sunset

Mike going native in a tuk tuk

Cambodia has been my favorite place so far. Probably because, in spite of all of the hardships the people of the country have had to overcome, they remain cheerful and even optimistic. I learned (through a bit of research before arrival) of the history and the horrible 3 years, 8 months, and 20 days of the Khmer Rouge dictatorship, as well as the hardships before that as a result of the war in Vietnam. Over 2 million people were murdered during the Khmer Rouge reign. That means about 30% of the entire population. One in three. No one was unaffected by the horrors. We see warnings about UXO- unexploded ordnance (land mines) as we travel through the countryside. Also plenty of men and women who are missing limbs from landmine explosions. It is estimated that there could be as many as 4-6 million UXO in the countryside. There is a lot of poverty, but it’s rare to see a beggar. Another huge problem is human trafficking in the sex trade.

In Phnom Penh we visited both the Genocide museum and the most famous of the “Killing Fields.” It’s just one of hundreds of mass grave sites scattered all over the country. It feels morbid and strange to visit places like this but seems necessary to help you understand what these people have experienced. In every town we’ve visited we’ve been in restaurants and businesses that provide opportunities for street kids and women who were either in poverty or involved in sex tourism. They are great little places to get a meal or buy a handmade trinket or get a pedicure from someone who has escaped that world. We also see men and women who have been maimed by landmines selling books, cards, or making music and selling CDs. Yesterday I had an amazing foot massage and pedicure from a young women at this organization-  http://daughtersofcambodia.org/  They also have a side project to help the male transsexuals who have been involved in the sex trade. 98% of the people who go through their programs do not return to the sex trade.

Phnom Penh is an amazing city. It’s hard to believe that it was completely empty during the Khmer Rouge years.  Interesting architecture, a great river walk, a beautiful royal palace and lots of temples. The food is also amazing- lots of international choices as well as great Khmer food. We stayed in a beautiful guesthouse in an old French-designed mansion a block from the palace. Breakfast included a pot of French press coffee, delicious baguette, juice and fresh fruit. Last night we had a drink at the Foreign Correspondents Club looking over the river. Really cool place where the journalists sent out dispatches during the war in Vietnam and as the city was evacuated when Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge “liberated” the country. Gin and Tonic- mmmmm.

We booked a VIP bus (which we’re on right now.) Definitely worth a few extra bucks.  We’ve got WiFi on the bus. Weird when you look at the scenes outside the window. I do have some cash on me as well as my passport. I also pinned the name and address of our guesthouse on to each of our shirts in case we get separated. Right now we’re on a bus to Sihanoukville. A four hour ride from Phnom Penh. It’s a holiday destination on the sea, but we’re using it as a stepping off point to go to an island called Koh Rong Samloem in the Gulf of Thailand. It’s a two hour boat ride. Sounds really rustic- no WiFi, and electricity only during certain hours of the day. We’ve rented a bungalow about 30m from the sea. We did receive our Vietnam visa but were only granted a 30 day stay. We plan to head there next week so we can travel up the coast for a couple of weeks before we meet Mike’s sister in Hanoi on April 22.

We’ll be back in touch in a few days.