Hello from Phnom Penh! We’ve had another jam-packed week here in Cambodia. Our last few days at PTD in Battambang included a field trip to the Phare Ponleu Selpak Circus, which is run by a nonprofit arts school that helps disadvantaged children. We really enjoyed watching all of the complicated acrobatics. Although we were sad to leave the children and staff members we befriended during our time at PTD, all of us were really excited for our visit to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap.
On our first full day in Siem Reap, we woke up before dawn and took tuk tuks to Angkor Wat where we watched the sun rise over the temple, which was stunning. The temple complex was not what most of us expected. We had no idea how ridiculously large it is; at roughly 500 acres, it’s the largest religious complex in the world. During our one day visit we weren’t able to see all of the different temples, but we definitely got a good feel for the enormity and beauty of the complex.
The next day, a group of us visited the Siem Reap War Museum, where our Cambodian guide gave us a bit more insight into the age of the Khmer Rouge Regime.
We arrived in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, yesterday, and today we visited the Killing Fields and S-21 Prison (Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum). Learning more about the Khmer Rouge’s brutality against the Cambodian people took an emotional toll on everyone in the group. “It still seems unreal, how could people do this to their own people?” says Alondra. It’s sickening to think about all the barbaric violence that happened just 40 years ago. Walking through the rooms of tiny wooden cells in S21 and seeing pictures and the clothing of the victims made the atrocities that happened here seem much more real. “Today I feel more grateful to be alive and hope I never have to go through something like that in my life” says George. Tomorrow morning we leave for Kampot for a mangrove restoration project and some kayaking and paddleboarding.
Until next time, Caroline and Phong
