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Published: November 10th 2006
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The Good We are healthy and eating local food. There have been no serious illnesses save a head cold for the both of us, but other than that our digestive systems are working as they should. Also, if you look at our old entries we have added pictures so check them out. I think Lucy’s modeling skills will WOW! you.
We loved Cambodia. I must say, it was difficult for both of us to leave without Maddox II. The children are so beautiful. Maybe in a couple of years we will get one over here. Cambodia was much more westernized than we had thought it would be after our 7 hour journey over 150 kilometers of land (for the Americans divide by 1.6 and you get the miles). But both Siem Reap and Phom Penh were highlights for me. The dragon boat festival in Phom Penh was an unexpected surprise and a huge highlight for both of us. Surprise fireworks and delighted Cambodian children were definitely huge plusses for me after the gastro-intestinal drama. We also saw the Silver Pagoda (which houses a gold Buddha that weighs more than me made of solid gold and is covered with more than
9,000 diamonds the largest being 25 carats), Buddha’s footprint, memorial Stupas for the royal family and Big A (the greatest supermarket in all of Cambodia).
Vietnam is awesome. We ate breakfast, a very filling one at that, for less than a dollar. The Vietnamese coffee is pretty great too. A very strong blend poured over ice with a dollop of condensed milk. Not a bad way to start the day. Ho Chi Minh aka Saigon was the Paris of the orient. I still think it may be from what I have seen of it. The tree-lined avenues, Romanesque churches, and patisseries on every corner only add to the Parisian feel. The Vietnamese are much like the Cambodians very warm and friendly (one even asked me on a date today) and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the country has to offer. We had a delightful time at the History Museum and even got to see a Vietnamese Water Puppetry show, it was a visual delight.
The Bad So I am going to pretend like no one has a clue about Cambodian history, my apologies to those who do but I feel like I need to
provide some background. Cambodia has a very sad history full of wars between Asian invaders, colonial powers and like every nation-state themselves. In the later part of the 20th century there was an internal war by the Khmer Rouge that caused much death and destruction for the Cambodians. It was a horrible war and the death toll is still unknown with estimates from half a million to three million. I would imagine it is somewhere in the middle. Anyway you look at it that loss of life is a tragedy. Moria and I went to the S-21 prison where 20,000 traitors - I use that term loosely - were kept for fear of going against the socialist revolution. Out of the twenty-odd-thousand prisoners only seven survived. The prison was an old school and the KR turned it into an interrogation and torture center. I know that it is important to see what human beings are capable of doing to each other, but being in the room that a woman was chained to a bed and beaten until she was unconscious and seeing the photo is quite a difficult experience. Both of us were overwhelmed. To me, I thought it was
S-21 Cell
This is where the Khmer Rouge kept their prisoners. The prisoners were attached to the cell with a foot-long chain and had to ask permission to go to the bathroom, cough or roll over while sleeping. amazing that the Cambodians were so lovely. They have seen so many atrocities and yet know how to enjoy life to the fullest. I am waxing poetic here so I’ll stop. The day after S-21 we went to the killing fields where thousands and thousands of Cambodians, not to mention some others from the US, UK, Australia, France, etc, were slaughtered. The Khmer Rouge had a saying “Life is cheaper then a bullet.” This phrase was applied to their killing methods and instead of shooting their victims they bludgeoned them to death to avoid wasting money on the bullets. Because beating people to death took longer than shooting them they were unable to keep up with the numbers. Frequently, they would beat their opposition until they were unconscious, throw them into a mass grave, and pour chemicals on them that would kill them in a timely fashion and cover up the smell of decaying flesh. It has been said that the KR’s genocide was worse than Hitler’s. I am sorry to be morbid, but you should know the other side of Cambodia. If this was too much, please ignore the rest of this section and move to the ugly.
Killing Tree
Here is a tree at the killing fields where the victims of the Khmer Rouge were women and children. Vietnam is the first place on this trip we have gotten the anti-American vibe and it was only at the War Remnants Museum. This museum was important for us to see because we thought it would give us a new perspective on the war. It was a very moving display. There was a bunch of displays about the aggression of both the French and the US against the Vietnamese but this was all told from the Vietnamese perspective and of course all we saw of the Viet Cong was their struggle. Fine. They struggled and we did awful things. I never knew how awful Agent Orange was. The pictures of skin dangling from people’s faces that were sprayed with it were more than disturbing. Other images included cleft palettes, skin diseases, missing limbs, warped digits and every other deformity imaginable. Agent Orange was awful and it was not fair to use it in this war. The thing that made me most upset about it was that the US Army dropped this “weapon” on the Viet Cong and the people that were really harmed was the next generation-infants and children that had nothing to do with the war. It was a
Skulls at the Killing Fields
These are some of the remains of the victims of the Khmer Rouge. very hard thing to see. It gave me nightmares. That being said, I hated that nothing negative was said about the Viet Cong. They weren’t entirely innocent either. In the guestbook there were messages of death to America, kill Bush, and destroy America before they do the same to the Middle East. Fine. I understand much of their sentiment, but it really bothered me that they did not even acknowledge that there are three sides to every story: mine, yours and the truth. In the end, I am glad I went and I encourage all of you to read When Heaven and Earth Changed Places to hear the story of a woman who lived through the conflict. It is very eye-opening.
The Ugly This is my attempt to lighten the mood. In the US and Europe we neuter our animals and most of the time the strays are put to sleep. In Asia the strays are everywhere and none of them are neutered. The amount of teets and testicles I have seen thus far have been more than one person can handle in a lifetime. Moria has begun to time how long it takes me to say “eww” when
Eww
Dog teets are gross. I don't care how you look at it. a huge set of dog teets or nipples or testicles runs my way. I don’t know why I am so disgusted by it but I had to mention it because it has been a huge part of the trip. I hope you like the photo.
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tess
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lovin' the education
yeah for first hand knowledge of the world!! thanks for sharing all of that. as much fun as you're having, your dialogue about the world around us is so important in helping others open their eyes to what we are never taught and might never see but will now possibly pick up a book and learn. Miss you, Kate.