Hello all,
I'm writing this from a bar upstairs in the hostel I'm staying at now with no hot water or air conditioning, but which is only costing me 3.50 US a night. Because I'm in the bar and the internet is free, I think I'll make it a quick one and fill you all in on the details later.
In the past two days I have gone through quite a broad spectrum of experiences, all of which seem to contradict each other and yet are somehow connected, all of which have definitely changed the way I think (particularly about Cambodia, but also about human interaction and humanity in general).
I've been travelling with a group of three Brazilians who I've become pretty good friends with and I will be sorry to see them leave tomorrow, as they are only doing one day at Ankor while I will stay here for at least one more day and possibly two.
Yesterday we were in Phnom Phen in the morning and spent the day learning about Cambodia"s recent history filled with terror and genocide. We went to the killing fields and to the school that was converted into a jail and is now a museum, both of which were really difficult to see, but such a huge and vivid part of Cambodia's history that it seemed a necessary stop. I will write more about it later. Then on the bus on the way over here we hit a buffalo and drove off, while out the window we could see the beast shaking, a kind of green liquid leaking from its mouth and mixing with the blood on the pavement. After a day spent looking at pictures of torture and death it was a really intense way to finish up the day and prepare us for the glory of Ankor.
Then today we woke up to see the sun rise over Ankor and spent the day riding around in a tuk tuk and stopping at all the temples, walking around, and being offered tourist junk. Ankor, as you probably know, is what is left of the massive kingdom of Cambodia's past, and it is really breathtaking. Pictures and more words to come. But for now I'm worried that i'm keeping other people from being able to use the internet so I'm going to sign off.
Hope all is well with everyone.
Martin