Sobering Up in Phnom Penh

Following another incredible day of touring the glorious temples of Angkor (the 8th wonder of the world), including Ta Prohm where the jungle is overtaking the ancient temple (and where Tomb Raider was filmed), we departed Siem Reap for Phnom Penh, a 6 hour bus trip.

Here we have been reminded that life is not always fair. The capital city and former headquarters for the Khmer Rouge has been to hell and back. We have toured both the Killing Fields (the largest of over 300 in the country) and the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (former school turned into a detention and torture chamber), and thought both places did a very tasteful job of depicting their haunting past (just over 30 years ago) although it was a very sobering experience. While history often reflects events before our time, the Khmer Rouge, under Pol Pot, tortured and killed over 2 million of their own people (in less than 4 years....1975-1979) during our lifetime. The stories of survivors at these sites, who are our own age now, was chilling. More incredible perhaps is that none of the leaders have yet been convicted for their war crimes with trials for the remaining top 4 leaders plodding along (Pol Pot cheated justice by dying earlier). This may be reflected in a very interesting conversation last night over dinner with an ex-pat married to a Cambodian woman who indicated that the Khmer Rouge influence still remains within the current coalition government, who operate in a corrupt environment. He didn't approve but also didn't have a major concern.......he just understood that pay-offs to gov't officials at different levels (commune, district, province, country) was the way to get things done, and more quickly depending on high up the ladder you were prepared to pay.

On a more pleasant note we have enjoyed our time in Phnom Penh. The Cambodian people are very friendly, living in the moment and trying to forget their horrible past. They are thankful for even the smallest tip since the average person makes less than $100 per month. They especially love us since we don't bargain quite as hard as other tourists........the inexpensive prices don't justify finding their 'give-up' point in our minds. On our first day we walked to the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda and the Central Market. Last night we walked around the Independence Monument and the Tonle Sap Riverside areas and they were both very busy with local families playing, eating and generally enjoying the park areas available to them. It was wonderful to see how happy they were considering their history.

Tomorrow morning we will leave for Vietnam. Our original plan was to travel to Ho Chi Minh City via the Mekong River but the trip we researched and wanted was fully booked so we decided to travel by bus (6 hours) and then do a river tour of the Mekong Delta when after we arrive in HCMC.