Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Cambodia & Singapore

We were looking forward to this trip for a while! Cambodia was a blend of some of the most amazing accomplishments of man coupled with some of the darkest moments in history. We started in Phnom Penh. Everything was cheap, the food was good, but the history was horrible. One hostel had drawings of a girl who was a child sex slave. The pictures were dark and sad.
Across from our hotel was Tuol Sleng (S-21), the genocide museum. Once a school, it became a prison where 14,000 men, women, and children were tortured. Black and white mugshots of everyone of them still haunt visitors.

Not far away were the Killing Fields or Cheoung Ek. A 100-foot tower of skulls marks the entrance, and shallow graves are everywhere. It is estimated that only 8 people from Tuol Sleng didn't end up here. It was one of the most sobering places we have ever seen.
On a lighter note, we took a bus to Siem Reap, the gateway for the Temples of Angkor. This town was awesome! Food and beer for under a dollar, night markets, silk, - the shopping was endless! Then we hired a moto and hand a tour of Angkor Wat and about 15 other temples in the jungle. They were amazing! It was an excellent end to such an emotional trip.

But before we left, we went to Singapore. Although clean and beautiful, this place was expensive!! We had great dinners and ate at the Paulner Brewery, but we couldn't afford to stay long. The Singapore Zoo was one of the best around.

Click to play this Smilebox scrapbook: Cambodia 2008
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