A Slice of the local life

---

Well we have arrived in our second city in cambodia by boat. It is a huge difference from the first. The first city had so many beggars and was very tourist orientated. Battambang is the complete opposite. Because there are no tourists they are no beggars.

When we arrived in the city we found 2 friendly moto drivers that could speak very good english. We hired them for the next 2 afternoons of exploring the city. We first went and explored all the surrounding villages and the country side. We went to see rice paper being made, oyster mushroom farm, fish paste factory and the killing fields of Batambang. The killing field were very sad. There was a bunch of carvings of stone that showed the different ways that the khmer rouge tortured the people. When they were tortured and killed in the fields they were then brought into the stupa across the street and left to decompose. It was pretty creepy knowing we were outside a building that had thousands of bodies inside. Our moto drivers could give us alot of information about the history because it was their parents that died and they saw alot of what happened and they both survived it. They could explian all the different places very well.

Today we took a Khmer(cambodian) cooking course. We learned how to make amok, ginger beef and sweet and sour soup. Both the cooking courses we have taken so far have been very fun. When I get home I can't wait to make a dinner for everyone of all the dishes we have learned. In the afternoon we set out on another motorcycle journey. I have learned this is my favorite way of transport, except for the cambodian snow (dust). Today we went through some more villages seeing how all the locals lived ,with no electricty and no rooms. Just shacks of bamboo and tin. It is quite sad,but yet again they dont know it any other way. They are all also very happy and they love to see us in the villages. They come up screaming hello and chasing us on our motorbikes. We then went to the killing cave. This is another area where the Khmer rouge torured and left all the bodies. There were 2 cases filled up with skulls and bones of the women and children that were killed. Again a very creepy feeling of where we were. Im learning alot about other cultures and history on this trip. Probably also gaining more knowledge than i ever would in school. Tomorrow we are off to Phnom Penh the capital city of Cambodia.

---

Photos

Floating Village
This village was in the middle of wetlands in the middle of nowhere!There was atleast 10 other villages along the way also.

Rice Paper Making
Rice paper is used for spring rolls

Comments

[mom]

What an awsome virtual education!! This experience will last a lifetime. Hope you are all well, and miss you all very much. Always thinking of you!! Love Mom

[Scott]

Lexi
Hello globetrotters!! I saw lexi at work yesterday she said to say hi Bye for now Miss you Scott