Thank you Cambodia

Hello everyone! Mark is reading a book on our beach bungalow deck, and I am in a tiny internet room with a few geckos. I am really excited to share our experiences in Cambodia with you all - it has been amazing and I think Mark would agree that we are leaving large pieces of our hearts behind here.

From Singapore, we took a plane to the capital of Cambodia, Phonm Penh, via a brief stopover in Thailand. From the moment we stepped off the plane, the magic began. Riding down the busy streets in Tuk Tuks, sharing smiles with children yelling 'hello' from the side of the road, and listening to the horrors of the Khmer Rouge, our emotions ran in every direction. Prior to coming here, we had read a book (can't remember the name) about the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge regime -- it was a collection of children's memories. It moved me to tears on more then one occasion. Needless to say, I was already invested in Cambodia prior to our arrival.

For those who, like I was, are not aware who/what the Khmer Rouge was, I will give you a brief summary as I understand it. This summary will not do it justice, and really, the passion and compassion will likely be lost in these words --- but when we return we can talk more about it!On December 31st, 1975, the Khmer Rouge (like an army, but really Cambodian teenage solders; under the leader Pol Pot) made all the Cambodians living in the city leave for the country. They told them that the Americans were going to bomb the city, and that they needed to leave for a few days - it was not an option to stay. What inevitably happened was that they were all separated into groups (men, woman, children), forced to work in rice fields, starved, beaten, and killed. Killing was the solution to everything - you complained, dead; you looked the wrong way, dead; you were educated, dead; you looked like you stole a grain of rice, dead. About 2 million Cambodians were killed in 3 years. Of course, those that were not killed were tortured. The Vietnamese eventually over took the Khmer Rouge, and the Cambodians slowly returned to their destroyed cities to find what ever family they might have had left. I still can't believe that this happened in my lifetime.

It is important to mention this history in order to appreciate what Cambodia is today. Not a day goes by that I am moved to tears by the smiling faces of people who experienced hell. The Cambodians wounds are still fresh, but you will not see any of them complain. The cities are developing, the traditional arts (that were forbidden and destroyed) have started to rebuild their roots, and the people continue to survive. No matter what happened in the past, they never forget, but they keep moving forward --- and smile the whole time doing it!!! One cannot help but discuss the differences between the Cambodians and some of the people we work with .... but that conversation is for another day!

Having had some understanding of the recent history it was essential, in fact mandatory, that Mark and I visit Prison S-21 and the killing fields. Prison S-21 was a high school that the Khmer Rouge turned into a prison, complete with torture rooms. Mark and I walked in and around the torture rooms -- we saw the battery boxes that the prisoners used as a toilet, and the iron claps that kept them chained to their 'beds.' We also saw the exact items used to torture the innocent inmates and the pictures of how the (dead) bodies were found in the room. It was horrific and, for me, a life changing experience. There were other rooms with rows upon rows upon rows of pictures of men, women, and children that had been killed at the prison (the Khmer Rouge kept notes and data). Mark and I were only able to make it to the second room -- seeing the children proved to be too much for us to handle. The air was thick at Prison S-21, and we knew we were walking with ghosts. Although the last killing was about 30 years ago, the fear of death is still alive there.

The prison has rightly been renamed the Genocide Museum.

After wiping our eyes and taking deep breaths, we went to the killing fields. These are huge fields with big divots in them .... bodies were just thrown there and left to rot. Seeing them reminded me of seeing the bodies being thrown on each other during Hitler's regime. There was also a monument there, filled with the skulls of the bodies that were later found in the fields. We payed our respects and, exhausted from emotion, headed home to our guest house. The ride home was silent.

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Despite seeing some pretty heartbreaking things, Mark and I were also able to explore and have some fun! We left Phomn Phen and went to Siem Riep -- we went to the Russian Market where we saw REAL fresh fish for sale .... so fresh it was still jumping! We also went to a mall and got a detox and played a few games of bowling!!! There is no 10 pin in Whitehorse so needless to say, I was soooooooooo excited!

We spent a day seeing some of the temples of and around Ankor Wat and Mark was in heaven. He has a real interest in the temples and I would do an injustice trying to even talk about what we saw! The pictures are up on facebook ....

We also took a Khmer cooking class which was great fun! We made 2 dishes each and despite not writing the recipes down, have a pretty good idea what to make when we are itching for some Cambodian food. The class did not teach us how to make fried crickets or tarantulas, but have no fear, Mark and I were still able to try them! During our bus ride to Siem Reap we stopped at a roadside market. Crickets, beetles, tarantulas .... you name it, they had it! And we bought it! We tried the crickets and spider, but not the beetles. The cricket was gross but the spider was sweet. I tried a leg, but Mark went straight for the arse and abdomen. He didn't like it.

Following Siem Reap we went to Shianoukville, where we are now. We are staying at the beach, in a bungalow, just relaxing until Vietnam (2 days). Our time in Cambodia is coming to an end, but we will not say goodbye when we leave; instead, until we meet again.

As many of you know, I was really looking forward to volunteering at an orphanage during our time here. After doing some research and being completely disgusted at some orphanages being used as ''tourist sightseeing destinations" I did some soul searching. I decided that now is not the time -- 2 weeks volunteering would be for me, not for the children, and that is not what my goal is. There will be a next time.

Thanks for reading and for commenting! We love hearing your thoughts and miss you all!

Until Vietnam,
Liza