Cambodia Mix

Cambodia thoroughly impressed me. The books i read on the country before arrival and the English language newspapers in Phnom Penh that are not government controlled, greatly helped me begin to understand the state of the country and people. At the same time the personal visits with families through Kiva and Habitat for Humanity demonstrated the deep resiliance of Cambodians to overcome their past.

Here's a mix of pictures from around Phnom Penh, some beautiful buildings, some amusing animals, and some reminders of the past. I can not write anything that would do justice to the experience of visiting Tuol Sleng (S-21), the former high school that was used to torture over 14,000 Cambodians of which less than a dozen survived, or the Killing Fields were over 17,000 were massacred over the rule of the Khmer Rouge. The wardens of Tuol Sleng took meticulous records and thousands of pictures of their victims. Many times there were pictures of a prisoners arrival, post-torture, and after their massacre. Thousands of the photos are on display. About 2 million Cambodians died during the 4 years of the KR regime. If you'd like to know more, my friend Jeremy recommended these books to me which were excellent.

First They Killed My Father
Voices from S-21
Brother Enemy
When Broken Glass Floats
and there's also the movie The Killing Fields