Just a quick note on a REALLY slow Cambodian computer. (Blackberry still not working!!)
Made it to Phnom Penh yesterday via public bus. The capital of Cambodia has no taxi cabs and dishes out US dollars in their ATM machines. Need I say more?
Over the past few days I've visited the War Remnants Museum in Siagon, Vietnam. Not exactly a fun experience as an American. Some incredible enlarged LIFE Magazine photos from the '60's and '70's. As depressing as that was, it was nothing compared to today's visit here in Phnom Penh.
This morning we awoke and headed over to Tuol Sleng or the Genocide Museum. It was formerly a school and was turned into a detention/torture center by the Pol Pot regime. Awful. Absolutely awful. Our local guide, Run, was amazing. He lost five brothers and his father to the wretched government. He was extremely open in discussing how little hope he had in the current government and how it was more of the same and included lots and lots of Khmer Rouge still. The Prime Minister of Cambodia was a Captain in the K.R. Boggles the mind. Pol Pot went from being an elementary school teacher and a monk for two years to exterminating 30% of his population.
The torture described was painful to even listen to. I just started to type some of them, but you really don't want to hear it. I WILL tell you when he showed us the waterboarding table, he said, "can you believe I just saw on television that the Americans still use this?"
Anyway....the rest of Cambodia would seem to have a little more pleasure involved. Tomorrow we fly towards Angkor Wat. Definitely one of the sites I've most looked forward to from the start of my travels.
The other day we traded out Hue, the world's BEST Southeast Asia guide, for Con, who I hope ends up being the second best.
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