For our last day our guide Teng took Paul and I to see some sights around Siem Reap. We visited the floating village of Chong Kneas by boat. The river is home to about 200 Vietnamese refuge families.
Next, we went to a monument to those lost in the Killing Fields. While most of the torture and killing was done near Phnom Penh from 1975-79, Siem Reap also lost thousands in the fields. It was hard to learn about the mass murder of so many Cambodians.
Next stop on our cheerful tour was the Land Mine Museum. I didn't realize that 80 nations including Cambodia still have land mines. There were children without arms and legs around the museum and it just broke my heart to see them!
To end my observations on Cambodia on a more positive note, we met some great people here. Our guide Teng was wonderful and works very hard! We ate dinner with our Aussie friends a couple of nights at our favorite restaurant the Red Piano (think verandas, big rattan chairs and ceiling fans). We invited another Aussie to join us, Darren, who is an engineer on loan to the UN for three months building wells for schools. Hearing about Darren's assignment makes me think about all the good I could do in the world!
I have enjoyed my taste of Cambodia. The Cambodian people are lovely. Although there's an extreme amount of poverty and begging is pretty constant, I feel very safe here. I believe that this country will prosper and develop with the increase in tourism and the hard working nature of the Cambodians! I look forward to visiting again one day.
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