Wat Phnom and a few tears.

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Had a bit of free time today so wandered over to Wat Phnom to take in a bit of culture. Wat Phnom is considered the founding place of Phnom Penh. Legend has it that in 1392 Lady Penh fished a floating Koki tree out of the river and inside there were four Buddha statues. So she built a hill (phnom) and a small temple (wat) at what is now the site of Wat Phnom. Later, the surrounding area became known after the hill (Phnom) and its creator (Penh).

The site is impressive but I wish I had been warned about the number of limbless beggars around the temples. I thought I had already seen quite a bit in my first week, but I was not prepared for what I saw that day. All the NGOs and literature you read says not to give beggars money - especially kids - due to the corruption, sex trade, and pimping of handicapped and marginalised people that happens in this country. However, that day I could not walk away from any of them without a smile and a little riel placed in their hats. I left after only about 20 minutes with tears streaming down my face....

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