It was barely 5:00 a.m. but in fact, we were. I had awoken to the sound of one of Sneaky's colossal, Shofar-like farts, and as a result, he and I both had a serious case of the giggles. Fritzy was snoring up a storm, the sun was rising, and Phnom Penh was beginning to wake up.
We decided to make good use of our morning hours, so after enjoying at lovely little breakfast at our hotel (which included the elusive dragon fruit) and a dip in the lovely pool, we took a short stroll over to the National Museum. We were delighted it was actually open at 8:00 a.m., because it was relatively cool(er) out, and we had the whole place to ourselves.
From there, we walked around, enjoyed breakfast #1/lunch #1, and then made our way to Tuol Sleng, formerly known at S-21: Pol Pot's torture camp for enemies of the Khmer Rouge. It was my second time visiting, so it didn't quite drum up the emotion and horror I felt as a first-time visitor. There was a very interesting, new (since last year) photo exhibit by a Swede who had visited Cambodia during the Khmer rule as part of a propaganda tour. He admitted that, due to his Maoist sympathies, he bought most of what they were spoon-feeding him--However, the exhibit had been put together by him to show how mistaken he was about the Khmer Rougue. He was extremely apologetic about the role he played in their propaganda machine. Very interesting stuff.
Not to dwell too much on genocide (those of you who know me well know that I could go on and on...) but despite its obvious effects on modern Cambodian society, it is quite amazing how the country has been able to repair itself, at least emotionally. It's a very tranquil place and apart from the extreme poverty and the land mine victims begging in the streets, you would have no idea that they had suffered through such a horrible civil war in such recent memory (I say this comparatively speaking, having spent time in the Balkans in 1999-2001.)
Great efforts are being made, especially on the part of NGOs, to create a functioning civil society in Cambodia. We felt great about supporting
Friends, a restaurant that is run by an NGO and trains street kids in the hospitality business. We had a great lunch there before leaving Phnom Penh for Siem Reap this afternoon.
Which brings me to the present (I am finally caught up! Back to live blogging!) We arrived in Siem Reap this afternoon by taxi, which took close to five hours. It was a fascinating ride through the countryside into Siem Reap, which is the town in and around the Angkor Wat temple complex. We'll spend the next three days doing our best Indian Jones/Lara Croft impressions, bouncing around Bayon, Tah Prohm, Bantay Srei, and of course Angkor Wat. I am so excited to be back here. I absolutely love exploring ruins, and these are probably the most spectacular ones in the world--certainly the most spectacular I have ever seen.
We have a great suite-like room and I'm on the daybed in the living room area, so hopefully I won't be awoken by any colossal farts. The boys have already been asleep for over an hour while I've been typing away, so I should probably get to sleep as well. Lots of exploring to do tomorrow!
