Thy, my Khmer companion

After a long nap, I emerged from my room refreshed and ready to learn about modern life in Cambodia. My friend from the night before, Thy and I made arrangements to meet up at 6pm and go get some traditional food. We went to the central market and had a great meal of fish and chicken soups. I learned quickly that for every Khmer life experience I had, Thy wanted a western one in return. Thus we ended up on Bar Street (yes, this indeed is the name of a street in Siem Reap) at a pool hall where we ended up meeting some great folks from around the globe and playing pool all night long.

The following day I explored Siem Reap on foot. I ventured into the fabric market and bought some raw silk for my mom and sisters. I wandered down the streets and into the residential neighborhoods to see what kinds of housing arrangements the urban people lived in. I also took a long rest at a cafe and enjoyed several cold beverages as it was about 85 degrees and humid as hell. My afternoon was spent avoiding small children selling all sorts of crap - mostly postcards, books and bracelets - and wandering the grounds of the Royal Palace.
That evening Thy and I met up again and this time we joined a couple we had met the night before for dinner and drinks. Then it was time for another taste of Khmer culture. This time Thy took me to a popular local disco. When I walked in, it reminded me of a 7th grade dance. Boys on one side, girls on the other. Groups of friends danced together and there is very little mingling between groups. I wasn't the only westerner there, but I was the only western woman. The western men were all there with their Khmer girlfriends. My favorite aspect of it were the "girly boys." A well known cultural group in Asian society of young men who dress and act feminine, but do not consider themselves homosexual. They were hilarious. They were actually friends of Thy and so impressed that he brought a western woman to the club.

In Khmer, as in most developing countries, relationships are based on wealth. Because westerners are the ultimate sign of wealth, to be seen with a westerner is one of the most impressive things a local can do. The minute we walked into the club, all of the people were starring at Thy and I. It was really bizarre. After a couple of minutes, I knew that this was the effect he was going for when he decided this is where he was going to take me that night.

We only stayed until about 1am and then it was time to go home. I had an early bus to catch to Phnom Penh the next day, and Thy had decided he was going to come with me and visit his friends and family back home.

The bus to Phnom Penh was long. There were several delays including the fender-bender accident we got into as we pulled out of the Siem Reap bus station. But at 7:30pm, we made it into the city and I found a super cheap guesthouse to spend the next 3 nights in. Thy and I had dinner by the riverside that night and made plans to visit the Killing Fields the next morning.

Visiting the Killing Fields was a mixed emotional experience. Although I felt great compassion and sadness seeing the 8,000 skulls housed in the white memorial pagoda, I was also incredibly angry when I left. It seems in this world, our governments will spend large amounts of money to build memorials for genocide victims, but they won't spend the money or political capital to stop it from happening. In 10 years from now, am I going to visit the Sudan's genocide memorial where thousands of visitors will write in the reflection book, please don't let this happen again? Why is it that we can all sit by and watch and not do anything to help the innocent people who are subject to such hatred and torture? Here I go again.

After spending the morning at the Killing Fields, I needed a bit of a break from the Khmer Rouge Regime history. Instead, we went to the National Museum and the Royal Palace. Both great places that remind you that countries are run by humans, they have horrid periods and magnificent ones.

The next day, I continued my Khmer Rouge tour and went to S-21. This prison camp was were the people murdered in the Killing Fields were jailed and tortured. There are amazing photos of the prisoners as well as some who worked for the regime at the prison. The exhibits are really amazing and eye opening. Hands down this was the most powerful place I have visited in the past 7 months.

The rest of my time in Phnom Penh, I spent with Thy. Asking him questions, riding around the city on the back of his moto, meeting his friends, etc. I was very lucky to be found by such a wonderful ambassador. He's working really hard to upgrade his status, but is really happy and content with what life has handed him so far.