Hey There everyone.
SOO much has happened its difficult to recap it. Some highlights are as follows: Our group did a Tuk-Tuk ride for peace on International day of peace in Battam Bamg(No idea if that’s the correct spelling, seen many version for the name of this city). Lots of fun, we got some advice there from a Buddhist Monk. He guided us through mediation telling us the the importance of breathing. “We often hustle through the day and our breath becomes subconscious. To breath is to live, it is the gift of life. Let your breath become conscious and enjoy your life”. I found his words powerful.
The next day we left Battam Bong and took a short six hour bus ride to Phenom Phen the bustling capital of Cambodia. In Phenom Phen we went to the Russian Market and all bought cheap bootlegged dvds and tv shows. Alecc and Tessa also each bought really cute clothes. I am sticking with my Cambodia Jeresy I bought way back in Siem Reap. We also all indulged in massages! It was my first massage ever, and I am definitely a fan for life now. Amanda indulged perhaps the most in the massage as she got two or three here.
However, these past three days in Phenom Phen haven’t been all play. Yesterday we went to S-21 and the Killing fields. S-21 was a prison for enemies of the Khmer rouge which kinda turned out to be everyone. In s-21, we saw blood stained floors, make shift prison cells that are smaller than what a person would put a dog in, thousand of photos of the inmates the Khmer rouge killed, old torture devices, etc. At the killing fields the sights included a tree used by guards to beat babies to death, hundreds of mass graves, signs informing us that the chemical storage room used to stand here. Needless to say, we were all very traumatized. We had many good discussion over the subject at dinner that night, which helped. One being why no schools in the U.S. teach about the Khmer Rouge genocide. Our answer was probably because many can argue that America is in a large way responsible for the genocide and the Khmer Rouges rise to power. Of course, France, Thailand and China are also in fault as well. I suggest anyone reading this does a simple google search about the Cambodian genocide, it is enlightening.
Well…seems a bit of a bad note to end this blog on but…
The group is packing up for Laos tomorrow and new adventures.
Peace to all
Steph
