Email to Friends: Phnom Penh and Heading on the Last Leg of my Journey‏

Successfully made it to Phnom Penh. It is hot, dirty, busy, and noisy with lots of traffic. Found a tuktuk driver to drive me around until I found a place to stay that I liked. I made him earn his money, as he had to take me to several places. Some were too dirty, some asking too much for what was offered, some didn't feel safe, and one with a pool in the lobby with all creepy backpacker dudes asking if I brought a bikini. Almost gave up and shelled out the money for an expensive hotel, but he finally took me to a little family guesthouse a few blocks outside the backpacker zone. I liked the woman who owned it right away, as she had an infectious laugh (they rent bikes and one guy was having lots of issues before giving up, much to all of our amusement). She also turned away an older Indian gentleman with an entirely too young Cambodian girl. She gave me the best room in the place on the top floor with a balcony over the city life, ac, a fan, and hot water for only $15. There is a locker for my passport and stuff I don't want to carry and I have my lock from my pac-safe I can use with the locker. And it is right next to their house, so feels very safe.

Met a man staying in my guesthouse who was from India but getting his MBA in China. He walked the city with me and we stopped at an Indian restaurant he heard about for dinner. He ordered for us, and it was really good! He was so happy to be able to have food from home and that made me happy. There is a huge disparity in wealth here, as some drive a big Lexus or Hummer, while the street kids wander in front of them with nothing. I could tell the man has a soft heart for these street kids (perhaps because of where he grew up), as he stops to talk to all of them. We only ate about a third of the food they gave us for dinner, so he offers it to these five adorable kids, making sure they understand they have to share. They are starving, and devour it. I think he will make a wonderful businessman someday. We walk along the waterfront, watching the locals play a game like soccer but with a much smaller ball. The losing team has to do push ups. Short-lived game as it ends when someone accidentally kicks the ball into the river.

The next day, I decided to take in the sights. I struggled with whether or not to go to the Killing Field of Choueng Ek and the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum as I knew it would be very difficult to see, but decided that it is an important part of Cambodian people and understanding the country's history. At breakfast, one if the many creepy, sad, lonely white guys here in the city that is obviously looking for an Asian woman approaches me. They are everywhere in this city and I want to knock out just about every single one of them that eyeballs me when I am walking or sitting alone. Everywhere you look in the tourist area, there is some 60-70 year old man with a young 20 year old Cambodian woman. Anyway, this particular guy pushed my bag out of the seat to sit next to me, even though I told him I would rather not have company. Even before this, I already could tell I didn't like him and the tuktuk drivers on the street instantly made eye contact with me and I could tell they were watching out for me. One made a very subtle shake of his head, as if to say no. I noticed the guesthouse owner had also moved behind me and was just watching. After his few attempts to get to know me and my curt answers, he left. Everyone gave me that knowing head shake as I rolled my eyes and smiled. I hired the tuktuk driver who had shaken his head to try to warn me, and headed off to the Killing Fields outside of the city.

It was an experience I will never forget. The grounds are actually very peaceful now, with a lake and fruit trees. But in the center is this huge temple structure full of skulls, and there are burial pits cordoned off which people have covered in offerings and colorful bracelets. I paid for the audio tour, which is a couple hours full of history and stories, in the voice of people who lived through it, and how they honor those lost and are doing things today to help try to prevent another such tragedy. It was heartbreaking and overwhelming. I sat alone in one of the little pagodas on the lake, listening to the stories and wiping tears away. After, I went to Toul Sleng, as it too was part of this horrible history. Saw the rooms they were imprisoned in before being sent to the Killing Field. Read stories of both prisoners and people who worked at the prison and why. It was really haunting to see the mug shot photographs of all of the prisoners as they were brought to Toul Sleng. Picture after picture, I had to force myself to look at them all, as I felt they deserved that. Some had faces of defiance, anger, sadness, fright, and some even smiling (some people did not know where they had been sent). They have faces similar to so many I have met on this trip, and it breaks my heart.

I left feeling drained when I returned to my tuktuk. The driver saw the sadness on my face and got off his moto and sat in the tuktuk with me and we chatted a bit. Turns out his uncle and nephew died here, and he too cries when he visits. It is strange to realize how recent this has occurred and that people walking around everywhere went through this pain, and somehow came through it. He also filled me in about the creepy guy from breakfast, saying he has hired drivers to find him child prostitutes and to go smoke opium. They were going to try to turn him in, and hopefully get him arrested.

My driver didn't want me to end my tour on such a sad note, so he took me to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. Beautiful place to explore the grounds and watch monks in the park. A much more positive end (except for having to yell at a stupid woman who was refused entrance as she had a shawl over her tank top, which every guidebook and signs posted say are forbidden and she proceeds to belittle the man in the ticket booth, hold up the line, and generally be a huge pain... so I maybe unleashed some choice words on her, much to the amusement of everyone else in line.

In the afternoon, I went to check out a volunteer organization that the couple I met in Pursat told me about. Couldn't get a good read on the owner, but said I would come back in the morning and decide. Was joined by another Australian guy and it was nice to have dinner with him to keep the creepy guys at bay. But then he wanted to go to a bar that he heard was owned by an Australian, and it turned out to be a prostitute bar for expats and more lonely male travelers. But it wasn't too bad, the women were actually really sweet and I talked to them a little about their lives and how they ended up doing what they do for a living, many seeing no other options. It is the seedy side of Cambodia, but it exists and is prevalent, so educational in a way. I actually didn't mind the women so much... Just the men who were preying on the situation. After a drink, we got out if there and the Australian guy made sure I got back to my guesthouse safely in a tuktuk.

Got up early the next day and watched the sunrise and street food vendors set up. Headed over to the volunteer organization, and two French girls and an Irish guy were heading out that day. So I decided to go. We drove out about an hour from the city to a place where families are squatting on government land. Disease is a huge issue as is keeping kids in school. We played with the kids in school and they practiced their English with me. Some of these squatters live in small bamboo huts over a polluted swamp. We also took fresh drink water out to the villages, a few bags of rice, and some formula for the babies who needed it. It was sort of fun, but disorganized and I really think the volunteers did not do or add much to the kids day. I also decided I didn't like the organization's owner, even though I think he is doing some really good things. But all in all, worth the day and only cost $5.

Came back and got ready to meet a friend of a friend/old co-worker in Seattle that had recently moved to Phnom Penh to help train some of the young girls who have been forced into prostitution. It was great to talk to him, and I got to eat the fried tarantula that I had heard so much about. The restaurant we went to is kind of like FareStart in Seattle, but they train the poor street kids. It is really cute to see how hard they are working to be good servers with their mentor. And the tarantula was actually really tasty! I had two. I can see why the Cambodian kids like them as a treat (started when people lacked protein and were pushed out of the cities into the countryside and mountains).

And now I say goodbye to Cambodia. My tuktuk driver from the other day is on his way to take me to the airport in about an hour. Fly from here to Kuala Lumpur with a small layover and then off to Borneo. The next morning I head for the small Mabul Island, and will likely not have Internet. So this may be the last email until I return back to the States on September 12th. I will just have to pass the time scuba diving (I think we are given three dives a day and four when in Sipidan) and swinging in my hammock, reflecting on this trip and preparing for re-entry into life.

Cambodia trip photos are online or you can view them as a slideshow.

Love,
Betsy