Backpacking, Beaches, Bikinis & Board Shorts: Time To Get A Wee Bit Deep...

We hear it all the time...how lucky we are as Canadians. We have democracy, freedom of speech, and most of all peace. Obviously, I have always known that I come from a peaceful country, but it all kinda snowballed into a huge realization when I visited a place fresh out of war and civil unrest. I say "fresh out of war" like it just happened yesterday, and it didn't. Cambodia's war technically ended in the late '70's, but the effects of that war, the millions that were killed, and the ongoing struggles after it "officially" ended are still happening today.

Phnom Penh stole my heart almost immediately. The city's appeal might not appeal to everyone...the streets aren't necessarily the cleanest, the tuk tuk drivers are still lined up on every street corner saying they will give you "cheap price!", there are kids much too young begging on the streets, as well as adults, and many people walking around who have been visibly wounded by their country's struggles. If nothing else, Phnom Penh is a city that is clearly working towards getting better, step by step. It's a great place to take in a lot of culture and history if you are willing. Leif and I decided to dive right in. Our first day there, we hired a tuk tuk to take us to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum where mass amounts of people were tortured, imprisoned, beaten and starved. They have literally kept this place in almost the exact condition as when it was found, to the point where we saw blood on the floor of a jail cell. We walked around for a few hours, jail cell to jail cell, torture device to torture device...and we went back to our hotel pretty amazed and humbled at how lucky we truly are. I find myself looking at old women and old men, just wishing we spoke the same language; they all lived through such hell and survived, it would be amazing to hear just a snippit of their life story.

The next day, we dove right in again...another tuk tuk ride a few kilometers out of Phnom Penh to the Killing Fields. They couldn't have coined a better term. Walking in, you are greeted by a gorgeous pagoda. Inside though, are the skulls of about 9000 people that were found in this mass war graveyard. Pretty friggen intense to say the least. There are pathways to walk around and see where the pits holding bodies once were. The bones and clothes of many people still stick out of the ground. Walking down the path, I came across some molars just lying on the ground.

One of the best parts of the killing fields for me was hearing kids laughing and playing in either a school or a field nearby as we took it all in. We were walking through blatant evidence of the hell they had gone through, but we could hear kids laughing....it was just so awesome to hear....a much needed reminder that things are getting better.

After Phnom Penh we headed to Sihanoukville where we lazed around because Leif once again pushed his limits with tanning oil and looked much like a tomato. We found a place online where you can stay in huts shaped like mushrooms, so we made our way there, and can now say we slept in a mushroom :). We rented a bike on our last day to see some rice paddies and the countryside. Though it was a long ride and I thought I would never feel my ass again, it was pretty worth it...and fortunately, I can feel my ass again. The best part about renting a bike is being able to get out of the city and see places completely unaffected by tourism.

We took a night bus to Siem Reap and checked in at a gem of a guesthouse. To see Angkor Wat of course! We woke up at 4:30 in the morn, met our tuk tuk driver at five, and made it there for sunrise. Angkor wat is ridiculous. So gorgeous, so old, so historic. Leif and I walked around all day and put on 15 or more kilometers in flip flops, thank goodness it was somewhat overcast!

While in Cambodia, we had to decide what to do next...Vietnam or back to Thailand for the last month of our trip. After the first few days away from Thailand it kinda became obvious what we wanted to do. The second we leave Thailand, we talk about little things we miss...and after being told by a ridiculous amount of people on our trip thus far that we are crazy folk for not seeing Chiang Mai and spending as much time as we have in Thailand, we decided to give the Thai embassy a visit. It was a wee bit stressful handing over our passports for the day so they could process our Thai visas ahead of time, and it probably cost us more than it should have...but we got it done, and I am finishing this blog from our amazing little room in Chiang Mai. Sorry Vietnam, maybe next time :)

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum: