Cambodia Calling

From Manila, we flew to Ho Chi Min City/Saigon on January 17th and entered Cambodia 3 days later. We traveled via the Mekong River and visited the floating markets,

crocodile farms, fish farms, and vermicelli noodle "factories" to name a few.

The highlight however was just cruising along the narrow waterways while viewing a day in the life of those who live along the river. I am certain that tourist boats run this route daily but nonetheless, the kids ran to the banks yelling "Hello" as if our boat was the first one that they have ever seen.


Vietnam is a country of natural beauty but as always, what makes a place worth coming back to (at least for me) are the people. We will be back!

After a series of buses, boats and tuk-tuks we managed to cross the border and make our way to Phnom Penh, Cambodia where we met up with Paco and AnneCe who we traveled with in China for a while. It is always great seeing familiar faces but it's even better when you love those faces.

Our days there were very interesting as our feelings and emotions went through a roller coaster ride. The first day of "sight seeing" was at the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. A series of mass graves where the remains of 8985 people were exhumed in 1980. All of these men, women, children and infants were brutally exterminated by the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1978. As I walked around the Memorial Stupa ( a tall, clear glass panel showcase housing more than 8000 skulls) I asked myself how something like this could ever happen. When will we learn? Then I looked around and saw butterflies and tried to imagine how a place so peaceful, was once a place of horrors. How?
The graves are now empty pits and as I walked around them, homeless children came up to me and asked me if I wanted to take their pictures. "Sir. You take picture? Ready? 1-2-3 SMILE!" was their pitch in a perfect English accent. To those not aware of the routine, you take their photo for your scrap book (give it a label of authentic poor kid in Cambodia or something to that effect) and then pay them 4000 riels ($1 U.S.) for their "time". If you don't pay them, be prepared to be followed for the rest of the day as they hold out their hands repeating "You take picture, you pay me!" I don't mean to mock these children as they are trying to survive. I guess I'm trying to show that the effects of the Khmer Rouge are felt by these children and many many more 3 decades later. This was the first country that I have visited where the poverty really hit me in the face. One moment I'm enjoying the view as I eat by the riverside and drink a .75 cent beer and in the next moment, a 5 year old boy carrying an infant comes up to me asking for anything. Or a man in a wheel chair comes up to us and wants to know if we could buy him some pants or a shirt because everything has been stolen and all he has are the clothes on him and they are wet after having to wash them (Erin gave food and a shirt respectively). This may be their "schtick" but in either case, we are better off then them. Because of that, it has forced us to really examine our lives and ask what are we doing as we travel and in life in general? How are we contributing to make the world a better place?
After a few days of taking in the local sights and visiting the theater (traditional Cambodian dance/music and shadow puppetry)

AnneCe saw a flyer posted at one of the Internet cafes asking people to donate their time or money at their local orphanage. We all decided to donate our time. Erin and Paco actually did double duty that day as they visited a center that was affiliated with a restaurant that we ate at the night prior (tried to hit as many restaurants labeled "Dining for a Cause" as designated by the Lonely Planet guide book). AnneCe and I went to the S-21 museum that morning which was another gruesome reminder of the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot Regime.
After lunch, we all went to the orphanage and spent the afternoon just playing, talking and laughing with the kids. It was a great day as it reminded us that even though this country (like many others) has a turbulent past, it is now healing starting with the kids and organizations such as The New Cambodia Children's Life Association and The Light House Orphanage. There is still much work to be done however, and if you have some time and can make a donation please go to www.lighthouseorphanage.org . We thank these children for showing us those things that are pure and for helping us to try and answer the questions that I think we all have.

FMP and Erin