It’s not an easy walk down history lane, but we chose to spend our first day checking out the haunting killing fields. Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields), 15 kilometres (9 mi) away from the city, where the Khmer Rouge marched prisoners from Tuol Sleng to be murdered and buried in shallow pits, is also now a memorial to those who were killed by the regime. Monuments and memorials to the genocide during the Khmer Rouge era in the 1970s exist throughout the city, but we only visited the killing fields. It’s a lot to take in, especially when you stop & think about how recent the madness erupted. How cruel humans can be to each other, and their children. The Khmer Rouge between mid 1975 to December 1978 executed approx. 17,000 men, women & children here. This was only 30 years ago! It makes those bright Cambodian smiles even more impacting, when you stop and consider the hell they’ve been through as individuals, families and as a nation.
We had our friendly Tuk-Tuk driver hang out with us for the day, Wooty. He drove us from the fields, and helped us plan our next day’s explorations & visits. I have to say, trying to dress modestly as a tourist in this city (with no cool sea breeze) is tough! We were dripping in sweat (I refuse to be a lady and use the word perspire- we were dripping!) with Thai fisherman pants (we refer to them as anti-rape pants) and T’s. Phew! And then you look around and all the men are dressed so classy- with long sleeved button-up shirts and pants! Jeesh, it would take me years to acclimatize.
Would you like a BUDGET for the day? Although the currency here is in U.S. dollars, Cambodia is a great place to stretch your dollar out:
- - Tuk Tuk to Choeung Ek $1.50
- - Breakfast (Omelette, Baguette, & Fruitshake) $4.00
- - Internet $1.50
- - Entrance to Killing Fields $2.00
- - Spring Rolls & h20 (lunch) $2.25
- - Splurge of Indian food dinner $4.00
- - Tuk-Tuk to dinner $2.00
- - 1 hr. Thai massage $5.00
- - h20 $0.25
- - Accomadation @ OK Guesthouse $5.00
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TOTAL: $29.00
There you have it! This country still has great needs, and it’s amazing to see how far your money can go when you do give! We didn’t do any aid work or volunteering this trip, but we did spend a day at an orphanage in Phnom Penh. We stopped at a rice supply shop with our Tuk-Tuk driver, and bought a massive bag of rice for $30 (U.S.). We visited the Lighthouse Orphanage (http://www.lighthouseorphanage.co.uk/) : got a tour from the director, met some of the 107 kids they provide a home for, and watched as a Korean missionary taught a very ambitious group of children Taekwondo. They just blessed our hearts, and planted a little seed in each of us to want to return & volunteer at an orphanage here one day. Hopefully! When we discovered that this massive bag of rice we bought would disappear in just a day with all those hungry mouths, it screamed a need for donations & volunteers. 107 kids, 3 meals a day, 7 days a week. Wowzers. Bless you! d.
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