Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital, was a very sobering visit. Aside from blatant examples of sex trafficking and prostitution, Phnom Penh is also the site of the Killing Fields; one of several hundred locations in Cambodia where tens of thousands innocent civilians were brutally beaten to death by members of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge. These acts of genocide were carried out during 1975-1979... During which nearly 5 million Cambodians were systematically erased off the planet. After the Khmer Rouge were finally overthrown by Vietnamese troops in 1979, the Khmer Rouge retained presence and funding support for 10 years from countries such as Great Britain and the United States. A majority of the leadership of Khmer Rouge remain free, while a few select leaders still await trial, charged with crimes against humanity and genocide. I strongly encourage anyone reading this to inform themselves about what happened in Cambodia in the late 1970s. Some of the things I learned about in the Toul Sleung Prison and the Killing Fields tour would even make Adolf Hitler flinch.

While the somber nature of this city in repair brought about long faces and early bedtimes, we still got plenty of lighter moments, such as playing chess in a smoothie shop or watching the Buddhist monks' tunics flow elegantly from the Mekong river breeze.