Phnom Penh and the Killing Fields

Well, so now we are in Cambodia. And it is a totally different scene than Thailand. It is a very, very poor country and there is a lack of jobs and the majority of people just stand/sit idle in the streets - or sleep in the streets, just waiting for another day to pass. The children are taught to beg - in English - and it totally breaks your heart. However, we have been instructed not to purchase things from them or give them money, as it just perpetuates the problem and keeps the children from school. So needless to say, our arrival into the Phnom Penh airport was greeted with taxis, tuktuk drivers and motos, all up in our faces to take us into the city for the "cheapest" price. The constant begging and poverty of Cambodia is overwhelming and begins to wear on you eventually - and I have only been in this country for 5 days thus far.

So, we could only take one day in Phnom Penh at this time. We went to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda...which is yet, another Buddha for our enjoyment. :) We also went out to the Killing Fields - which upon entrance you see a large white structure with over 8000 skulls, serving as a memorial to the approximately 17,000 men, women and children who were executed in PP by the Khmer Rouge just 30ish years ago. It's quite disturbing to me that just 30 years ago something like this happened here. There is a museum in PP that will educate us about it, and Lani and I plan to go back there, as it will likely help us understand Cambodia's past and present.

We did have a drink at the FCC (per Veronica and Liz's recommendations - nice tip!). I drank coconut milk out of a coconut shell - my first time - and watched a sunset over the river and the impressive flow of traffic below. I don't know how they do it, but between cars, motos and tuktuks, they seem to make it work - going opposite directions on the same side of the road and people just take a stroll out on the street and the vehicles will go around you. It's quite a scene that I can't really describe.

The next day we were off to Sihanoukville - which is a small beach town on the SW coast of Cambodia. It was only a 4 hr bus ride and there's no real adventurous stories to tell about that yet - though I'm sure our bus travels will bring something to write home about soon. We're still here in S-ville and plan to enjoy our 3rd day on the beach. I'll let you know how the suntan is coming along...