Heartbreak and Hope in Phnom Penh

Great descriptions
We stayed above an Irish Pub across from the Palace. It was an interesting place. Next time I see you remind me to tell you about the rat. You have described Pol Pot's madness very well. The smells were sometimes over powering in this city with all the humidity. Do they still drag all the garbage out to the street in front of each business and let it sit until it gets removed? Stay safe and enjoy.

Such contrasts!
The Royal Palace photos are stunning, and such a contrast to the stories from the torture center and the killing fields. Good thing you started and ended with beauty! I've a Cambodian colleague whose professor father was taken, tortured and killed when she was a tiny girl. Her mother took her and the other children into the jungle in the dead of night to escape into Thailand where she grew up in a pretty terrible refugee camp. It sounds as if life is still rough for many Cambodians; thank goodness for organizations helping young women escape the sex trade. Palaces and prostitution--contrasts indeed!

PP Love
Love your photos of the Royal Palace. Have you been to the Foreign Correspondents Club yet? I know it's an expat hangout and not very local, but a sunset drink at the window overlooking the river is pretty cool :)

A very sobering read this time. But the rest of Cambodia is really rather lovely. Good result for the election we thought. Lucy staying for a couple of days as it is her holidays now. Still packing fragiles.

Reflections
I couldn't visit the Killing Fields...I know enough about it to definitely not think I could cope. That said I agree it is inescapable to not see its effect on the population. Yet the people exhibit smiles that not only reflect their hope but makes me feel they may have the disposition to succeed in having happy lives. I hope so.