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Published: February 20th 2006
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Yet another chapter unfolds. Already the days seem to blur together. The opportunities to email do not seem as abundant as our time is constantly filled with experiences. And in Phnom Pehn we do not have internet access in the hotel so I have walked about 15 minutes away to make this entry. As is always the case, the question is where to resume…so much has happened, so much has been experienced!
Well today began with me in charge…yes me. I was designated to lead the group this morning as our group leader went on an excursion all her own. She is an interesting individual and our group happens to be her last in Cambodia and Vietnam before she heads to Egypt to lead trips there. Consequently her time is frequently concentrated on saying good-bye to the people she has encountered along the way. Regardless of these bits I shall give you a brief synopsis of each of the other trip participants, I adore them all.
Elizabeth is from Memphis, TN, she went to school at MIT and boarding school at Groton. She is traveling around the world for 90 days.
Catie, my roommate, is originally from Michigan (just
outside of Detroit) and graduated from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. She is a middle school teacher in the San Fran area.
Barry is a dentist from Manchester…and thus he is obviously quite fond of soccer.
Alan and Jill are from Auckland, New Zealand. Alan works in IT and Jill works at one of the major universities in Auckland.
Lionel and Lynelle are from Sydney, Australia. Lionel is an architect and Lynelle is a nanny. Lynelle found out she was pregnant with their first child prior to departing on the trip.
Cindy is from Melbourne, Australia, and she is the manager of the STA Travel Agency at the major university in Melbourne.
Kristy works in the insurance industry. She is also from Sydney, Australia. Kristy worked in London for a year and ironically her brother played tennis in Dortmund, Germany, the town next door to where my dear friend Steffi and her husband Thorsten live.
Sam is yet another Ozzie from Sydney and she has not yet begun college. She will be applying when she returns to Australia.
Matt is a builder and he is from London.
And, our leader, Haya, from Israel, and her previous profession was a sexologist.
Apparently she has her phD in sexology.
So there you have all the key players. Back to the saga of me being in charge…fortunately the group is stellar so there are virtually no problems. The entire “leading” experience brought to mind the trips I lead in college to New York, New Orleans, L.A., and Seattle. During most of those experiences I lead awesome groups of college students to the various destinations (each of which focused on a particular issue—ethnicity and community to racism to homelessness to the native environment)…but this group is phenomenal. I basically had to ensure everyone was present and to pay the appropriate fees for entry and lunch and such. Barry said, “You did a much better job than Haya.” Quite kind.
The day was quite depressing…we visited PS 21, a former high school which was converted into a torture prison during the reign of Pol Pot (Pol Pot was not his original name…and Pol Pot stands for polical potential.). Perhaps it was my imagination but the area smelled of death. Approximately 20,000 people were imprisoned and tortured within the confines of the school. Out of the 20,000 only seven survived. The torture tactics were
cruel and unusual…finger nails ripped off and acid poured on them. Windows and various areas were covered with barbed wire to prevent the prisoners from taking their own lives. Each of the prisoners were documented, and as the years passed the documentation system became more elaborate…with Pol Pot requiring a detailing of who was imprisoned, tortured, and killed. The bodies of these prisoners were taken en mass to the Killing Fields, of which there were several (just as there were several prisons). Mass graves were made and the bodies were dumped…and left to decay. Frequently the people were beheaded…which is completely sacrilegious in Buddhist culture. We made a visit to one of the Killing Fields as well. A very dark chapter of history…events which transpired during my life time.
The mood was somber and quite as we made our way back to Phnom Pehn for lunch. We ate at a lovely restaurant called Friends. Friends is a restaurant where kids who live on the street are provided an opportunity to train in the restaurant.
After lunch we all went our separate ways. Cindy, Catie, and I walked to the local market which is quite extensive. There we witnessed
some of the locals consuming a delicacy in the area---cockroaches. Definitely not for me!! Yuck! Cindy and Catie headed back to the hotel as I wandered around a bit more. I purposely got lost…and wandered to the local Wat (Wat Phnom). In the park outside the park there were a plethora of monkeys roaming freely. Some people were feeding them peanuts while I attempted to take their photos 😊
Phnom Pehn is a cosmopolitan city and the French influence is apparent in many ways—the tree lined boulevards, the architecture, and the French bread served with some of the native cuisine. I think the Phnom Pehn airport is the first outdoor airport I have ever visited. Speaking of the fight, the flight to Phnom Pehn from Siem Reap was filled with conversation between Elizabeth and I. She was trying to convince me to travel to Brunei and Malaysia with her and her friend, but alas I shall be in India at that time (and I am hoping there will not be any more bombings such as the one in Dehli the day before yesterday). Interestingly there is a bar here in Phnom Pehn called the Memphis Pub
which she insists we must visit this evening. Tonight will be our last night in Cambodia as we depart for Vietnam tomorrow.
I hope all is well with all of you!! Happy 1st birthday to Magdalena! And good luck to Cara & Gregg and (separately) Caroline on your closings!
Until the next chapter…
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