Final Days…

     The final days in Cambodia flew by.  Thursday night Andy and I were invited to dinner at Sokry’s home (my tuk-tuk driver), which was by far the most cultural experience I had.  Sokry picked us up in his tuk-tuk, along with my friend Theresia, and we were taken to his house in a nearby Muslim community.  His house was nicely constructed with a beautifully tiled entry/living area where we sat on the floor. 

Enjoying an amazing spread of Khmer food!

Sokry has 4 children, one of which lives in Phnom Penh, and he seems like a fabulous father.  In all the time I spent with him over the month he frequently talked about his family, his love for his wife, and for the strong family ties he had with his in-laws.  It was such a gift to be able to go to his home, meet his wife (who owns a store in one of the markets), 3 of his children, and his in-laws as well!  Sokry is the only one who knows English, but it was still neat to all share a meal together!  We sat on a carpet on the floor as we were served a large spread of food including prawns, chicken, rice, vegetables and a plethora of fruits.  It was the most delicious dinner I had during my entire travel experience in Southeast Asia!  I was deeply touched that he made the effort to have us over and to feed us like kings and queens.  After dinner Sokry pulled out some of his certificates from his educational experience, as well as a history book on the Khmer Rouge, and he was very open about his experiences as we asked him questions.  The night was a fantastic and unique experience!

     Friday morning Andy and I were able to squeeze in a few temple visits (with Sokry guiding the tuk-tuk of course)!  I saw some for the first time and some again with Andy, which was so much more enjoyable than touring them on my own!  We had a great time and made it back to the guest house for lunch (the heat in Cambodia is certainly exhausting!).  This was followed by my last “rounds” at AHC.  I am still amazed at how wonderfully this hospital operates and how impressive the education is.  We talked a lot about resistant bacteria – it seems as though Cambodia has some scary microbes that cause pretty bad infections in fairly immune-competent children.  The study AHC is currently working on will no doubt impact the future care of children in Cambodia, but there are several other epidemiology studies and other areas of potential research to do!  The opportunities for research seem endless.  Rounds was great, I really enjoyed my month working with these doctors and nurses and saying goodbye was a bit difficult. 

     The cross-cultural experience I was blessed to have will certainly impact my future career.  I learned a lot from the Khmer physicians, and am so thankful for their patience with and acceptance of me.  The last patient discussed on rounds was a 12 year old girl who had a hemoglobin level of 2.4 and platelet count of 6,000 and was in need of whole blood.  Sure enough, we shared the same blood type and I was able to leave a pint of blood for her that afternoon; this was an incredible way to walk away from the hospital and feel really wonderful about the experience there.  Angkor Hospital for Children is an amazing place, with incredible staff, and with great compassion for the children of Cambodia.  I was blessed to have the experience of working there for a little while, and would love to return again in the future.      

     Thank you to all who have followed along on the blog!  It has been fun to be in touch this way and I have appreciated all the responses and comments.  It will no doubt be the most memorable trip of my life and I am thankful for all those who “tagged along”.  Hopefully it has been a fun experience for you too!

Mobile Clinics

     My favorite day working with Angkor Hospital for Children was by far the last full day.  Two or three times a year doctors from AHC volunteer their time off and do health-screening for children at a near-by orphanage, and they asked me to be a part of their most recent trip.  The whole day was incredible and was one of those little pearls that reminded me of why I went into medicine and why I get so excited about working internationally.

Dental Nurse and Pharmacy Stations

     The Home-Care/Mobile Clinic services AHC provides are quite remarkable.  With a van packed full of medication, patient charts, nurses, a pharmacist, and three doctors (including myself), we departed AHC at 8am and headed a few kilometers just south of Siem Reap.  Within 15 minutes we arrived at an orphanage/school run by a very nice Christian couple who started the orphanage around 17 years ago.  There are now 190 children living there with host-families, as well as a Christian school that teaches over 320 children daily.  As we were setting up the mobile clinic (which took less than 5 minutes because the AHC team is so fluid and experienced), I learned that of the 190 children at the orphanage, 33 are HIV positive.  I then spoke with the director, Tim, and asked about his ministry in Cambodia and he shared many stories of how the orphanage has grown and how it started out as a Christian Leadership Training program which then game him staffing resources to foster such grow.  They have built the place one wall at a time (quite literally) and are now able to provide housing, food, loving homes, and solid education to so many children. 

My Corner "Office"

     The day was very busy and I enjoyed all of it!  Each child filed trough the “triage area” where they were vitaled and handed their charts and then they entered the next big room where each physician had been seated in a corner with a table and basic supplies.  The orphaned patients carried their charts and huddled around doctors waiting to be examined.  I was blessed with a phenomenal interpreter (an ICU nurse who donated a day off to work with me) and we laughed together as I rushed through patients – there were hordes of children just crowding around us and being sat next to a window I had multiple school children also staring at the “tall white doctor” through the barred windows.  My interpreter also knew a bit of Spanish so we bounced around with phrases from 3 languages!  It was so fun to see so many children between 2 months old to 20 years.  Chief complaints were usually fever, cough, occasionally some diarrhea, and I handed out about 40 prescriptions for Mebendazole (each child gets “de-wormed” every 6 months) as well as a multivitamins, ibuprofen, antibiotics, etc.  I saw a lot of interesting skin rashes, a few children still recovering from malnutrition, several patients with HIV, and even diagnosed a child with an acute dystonic reaction due to a medication he had been taking for the last several days.  My favorite part was making the kids smile and seeing how mature they are at such young ages.  They all seemed so happy, nourished, and are obviously well cared-for. 

     As is typical in the Khmer culture, we took a break for lunch and I was able to meet Andy for a quick bite at my hangout (The Blue Pumpkin) before starting again in the afternoon.  I was lit up with excitement; the whole day was rewarding and flat-out fun.  The afternoon heat was lessened by a torrential downpour, but the kids just kept flooding in to be seen.  All told, between the three of us we saw 169 patients.  Though my hand ached from writing in so many charts by the end of it, the day flew by and I was energized by the fun camaraderie I had built with the AHC Khmer staff over the last month and the joy of seeing so many children.  (You should also know that I didn’t sleep at all the night before because of the surprise and excitement of becoming Andy’s fiancé!)  Though the children have access to AHC if they become acutely ill, the mobile clinics are often the only care they receive.  Is seems crazy that we were able to see so many patients in such a short time, but it worked surprisingly well and was definitely the most rewarding and fun day I experienced in Cambodia.  I want to create my career around experiences like this one; I want to provide access to care to those children in need and overcome cross-cultural boundaries that so often have a negative impact on quality.  It was truly a gift to have such a day be my last day of working in Cambodia!  

*Many thanks for all the well – wishers regarding Andy’s awesome proposal and our engagement.  I am still in disbelief that this just happened!

Tuk-Tuk Rides

     During my time in Cambodia, I have spent quite a bit of time in the back of a tuk-tuk.  The moment I was picked up from the airport I learned that tuk-tuks (mopeds with a little cart attached behind it) are a main mode of transportation and are about as ubiquitous as a yellow taxi in New York City.  I have been on some good tuk-tuk rides and some not-so-good tuk-tuk rides; some filled with the beautiful scenery of the temples and countryside and others surrounded by immense poverty and gravel streets.  Well, on May 26th at 10:15pm, I had the tuk-tuk ride that will forever change my life…
    

Me and Andy

   One of the most difficult challenges I have faced while being in Cambodia has been separation from someone I love- my boyfriend Andy.  This separation for the last five weeks has only been bearable with the aid of daily Skype Video conversations and lots of prayer asking for strength and patience.  When he went “camping” this weekend and cancelled our Skype date, I thought nothing of it.  Then, on Wednesday, I came home from buying fruit at the market and just after dropping my bag down after a working at the hospital, there was a knock on the door – I opened it, and to my COMPLETE shock and surprise, Andy was standing there with a bar of chocolate in his hand (he knew I missed chocolate too).  I nearly collapsed out of disbelief.  Wow – no man has ever brought me to tears like that.
    

    After I composed myself, we enjoyed a nice dinner on Pub Street, me still in total awe that a man would fly to see me for the last few days I am in Cambodia.  I was so excited to show him Siem Reap and eat Amok (my favorite Khmer food) sitting next to him. 
     A short tour followed before we decided to head back to the guest house (Andy had cleverly booked a room at the same place without me knowing) and, given the long walk down a dark road, I bargained a decent price for a tuk-tuk.  Though I was utterly clueless, you probably all know what is coming next…

     Right there, in the back if a tuk-tuk riding through Siem Reap, Cambodia, Andrew Randolph asked me to spend the rest of my life with him…and handed me the most beautiful diamond ring I’ve ever seen.  And in the back of that tuk-tuk in Cambodia, I became the happiest girl in the world and said “YES!” to marrying the love of my life.

I even got Minnie Mouse wedding ears from my future in-laws!

So, dreams do come true, blessings can be abundant and overwhelming, and Cambodia will ALWAYS be a special place for me (and for Andy).

(Many apologies to those who should have heard the news in a media other than the worldwide web – the Pacific Ocean is a bit of an obstacle to communicate across!  Trust me, I wish I could call everyone and tell them personally!)

Teamwork Approach

 

     It is hard to believe this is my last week at Angkor Hospital for Children.  I am really enjoying the experience here and am learning new things on many different levels.  There have been difficult clinical decisions to be made, patients that will change me forever, cross-cultural experiences that will carry me far in my future practice (and life in general), great spiritual growth, and so much more.  Every day I learn something new about AHC and their integration in the Cambodian healthcare system and every day I am amazed more and more, and proud to be able to spend a little time here.  AHC is having a lasting impact on the future of pediatrics in Cambodia.

     The Satellite Hospital about 45minutes from Siem Reap is one such example.  AHC has recently opened its doors in collaboration with the government hospital, seeking intentionally to meet the poorest of families in the community that are unable to come to AHC’s main campus in Siem Reap.  Due to challenges the poorest of families often face, many families wait until it is too late to seek medical care.  I have seen extremely sick children come in hoping for a miracle.  Miracles do sometimes happen here, but AHC is trying to help prevent such extreme illness by improving access to care.  The AHC satellite hospital is officially part of the government hospital, but has some of its own employees there and then incentivizes the pay of the government workers to maintain quality.  AHC sets high expectations for its staff and treats them well, and the staff responds with an amazing sense of teamwork and strong work ethic.  The quality of care given at both hospitals is well above any government health center or other hospital.  The satellite hospital is seeking out the poorest families to let them know they have open doors and can provide free care to those without an income.  For the non-poor, the care costs about $1-$2 (which is used to help supplement the government employees to improve services), but this fee is waived for the poor through the use of a special government Health Equity Fund (created with finances from both an NGO and the Ministry of Health). 

Main patient ward at the new Satellite Hospital

AHC has a role in improving the national healthcare system in other ways too – this hospital is always bustling with people coming here to continue their education.  The teamwork approach the staff uses crosses over to non-AHC employees too.  Right now there are several nurses from all different provinces in the country spending time at AHC learning about implementing clinical preceptor-ship, improving their nurse leadership skills, and advancing their own education.  Today I just observed as the AHC nurses stop what they were doing to help educate the government workers, teaching without complaint or any sign of irritation.  I also met a general physician who is here following some of the doctors to improve his clinical and management skills.  The government physicians in Cambodia are hard to come by, and it isn’t unusual for a physician to see 100-200 patients a day in a community health center.  This doesn’t afford any time for physical exams or any meaningful explanation or discussion with a patient.  AHC is truly a different place, and it is incredible to see such teamwork on the part of AHC that is just focused on the health of Cambodia’s children. 

     As for me, I am continuing to learn new things daily.  Cross-culturally, I am learning to speak slowly (believe it or not!) and choose simple words and make short sentences.  Though most people who work at AHC know English fairly well, there are some that I am still having a lot of difficulty communicating with.  While it is easy to feel frustrated with this at times, I realize that I am the outsider who is benefitting from this experience.  The staff has been incredibly patient with me and very accepting!   

     Outside of the hospital I am always meeting new people from all over the world and making new friends!  My friend Catherine is a nurse practitioner from Boston and we’ve been spending a good deal of time together and enjoying some fun cultural experiences like Apsara dancing and traditional Khmer foods.  “My Home” guest house is working out well, and this week I am the only guest despite 20 rooms.  I have my own bicycle and enjoy the company of the generous staff.  The Khmer hospitality is remarkable!  I have this odd sense of “feeling at home” here in Siem Reap; it really is an awesome town. I leave in just a few days!

Exploring the Temples!

From the NE side of Angkor Wat

     Siem Reap is the gateway to the most photogenic structures in the world (in my opinion anyway).  The Angkor Temples are complex and intricate structures built between 800 – 1300 AD, mostly made out of sandstone boulders (some carried over 50km by elephant and bamboo rope).  I had no idea how truly massive and amazing the temples are; in fact, I am embarrassed to admit that I didn’t know they existed until I began planning to come to Cambodia.  The temples were constructed under the leadership of several different kings, and the remains of the Khmer Empire truly show the magnificence of the time period.  This weekend, being my last in Siem Reap, was dedicated to exploring the temples.  Words just won’t do it justice, so I took pictures (over 815, no exaggeration).  

     The first day was long and hot but incredible.  Sukry, my faithful tuk-tuk driver, picked me up at “My Home” at 4:30am (I am insane).  I made it to Angkor Wat for the sunrise and was shocked to see the masses of people who are equally as insane.  The view was worth it – Angkor Wat is the world’s largest religious monument, a microcosm of the Hindu universe with over 600m of bas-relief and 5 enormous peaks, all surrounded by a 190m moat.  I had seen the sunset over Angkor Wat a week ago and was then able to navigate through empty halls and galleries without seeing another tourist, but this time it was packed! 

Bayon Temple, within Angkor Thom

     After Angkor Wat, Sukry and I headed to Prasat Kravan where I was the only person exploring (more my style).  This temple is made of reddish smaller bricks and is remarkably different from Angkor Wat, not to mention MUCH smaller.  Next was Banteay Kdei, one of my favorites, and my experience there was benefitted by more solitude from masses of people.  I found all the people at Ta Prohm, my next stop, and famous for the filming set of Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider.  Ta Prohm is undergoing significant restoration, but the cranes and rock dust didn’t distract much from its unique photogenic nature.  The roots of trees are literally destroying the structures in this centuries-old abandoned town, but this adds to its captivation.  Ta Prohm was followed by Ta Keo, where I learned that I have a previously unknown fear of heights!  The stairs to get to the top were very narrow and steeper than even my long legs felt comfortable with!  Next I hit Thommanon and Chao Say Tevoda before visiting Angkor Thom!  Angkor Thom is the last capital city of the Khmer Empire, and home to Bayon, Baphuon, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace, Royal Palace Grounds, and a few other impressive structures. Following this was Preah Khan, another temple worth the visit and concluded a long day, but the pictures and experience were certainly rewarding!

     Along the way I got to know Sukry a bit more – he is really cool and the only Khmer I have seen with stunning blue-green eyes.  He has 4 children, including a set on twins, and speaks English well.  We talked about how Cambodia has changed over his lifetime, as he was a child during the Khmer Rouge Regime and was stripped of all he knew – forced to work, eat, sleep, and denied any education.  He later moved to the Thai border where he did intensive learning for almost 2 years, including studying English.  We talked quite a bit about Cambodia’s history (which he referred to as “very salty”), but then commented on the resiliency of the people and how much the country has recently begun remarkable recovery. 

     On Sunday Sukry picked me up at 7am and we were off to see more temples!  Neak Pean was first and by far the smallest temple I have seen, then came Ta Som which was starting to crumble a bit more than some of the others but had a very cool tree growing through the rocks of one of the entrances.  Next was East Mebon, a 10^th century temple built with more laterite bricks than some of the more famous temples.  Sukry and I then left the center of Angkor and drove about 37km through the Cambodian countryside to the beautiful and intricate Banteay Srei, a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.  Though very small in scale, the red sandstone with detailed wall carvings was breathtaking.  I am still amazed at how well things are preserved despite the elements. 

Notice the immense detail in the carvings of this ancient temple.

     After another 15km tuk-tuk ride through rice fields and palm trees, Sukry dropped me at the entrance to Kbal Spean.  I didn’t know anything about it, and Sukry said “be careful, I’ll see you in 3 hours”.  Well, what a neat surprise!  Kbal Spean is at the top of a small mountain and requires quite a beautiful trek to get there.  I was alone on the trail through gorgeous vines and trees with fantastic views of the lush landscape below.  At the top there is a creek that runs over massive rocks with carvings dating back to the 11^th century.  There was even a small waterfall running over some lingas.  I hiked back down through clouds of butterflies and enjoyed a quick lunch with Sukry, and then we were off again – only to abort plans due to a massive downpour of rain.  Sukry and I just sat in the tuk-tuk until the cloud passed – poor guy was soaked! 

     This weekend further enhanced my experience in Cambodia; to me the temples are just a physical representation of the beauty and endurance of the Khmer culture.  The people here are equally as amazing as the most glorious temples and have survived great tribulation.  Cambodia to me is simply beautiful. 

(And for those of you who may be wondering, yes, I am still working; I am just packing a lot into a few days off…and the internet has been unfaithful!)

Finding a Niche

     It is hard to believe I am halfway through my third week in Siem Reap!  This week has been fun so far, and I am continually seeing things I haven’t seen in the U.S. and finding a new niche in the hospital.  I am learning a great deal about cross-cultural communication and finding ways to handle language barriers, and also picking up new Khmer words here and there.  My work in the hospital this week has bounced around a bit.  I start out in the mornings in the in-patient unit and help the junior doctors with notes and have the opportunity to follow many interesting patients.  It is still astounding to see the amount of malnutrition that comes through the doors at AHC.  Many of the patients are extremely slender and undernourished, presenting with severe edema.  I am learning a lot about nutritional rehabilitation and treatment of the sad, preventable health issue.  It is rewarding to see the care that AHC provides and the education the families receive about prevention and nutrition.  One thing about the in-patient setting I have noticed are the amount of non-patients that are present.  All patients have a family member there, but often it is a young sibling or elderly grandparent attending the sick; there was a six year old boy looking after his 9 month old sister in the ICU the other day.  This is just a small example of how different the Khmer culture is from the US.

     This week I also started spending time in the Out-patient department (OPD).  You never know what is going to walk in the door here!  Each day up to 500 children come to the door of the hospital and wait in line for a number.  Patients are then called up to the triage station in groups and state their complaint.  There are certain “complaints” that automatically get further work-up and the triage nurses filter through the children deciding which are urgent cases and which patients can afford a longer wait in the big waiting area.  (Many patients arrive the night before and sleep in the waiting area, something hard for an American to fathom).  The process works very well.  Each out-patient physician sees about 40 patients per day, but somehow the pace doesn’t seem that crazy.  Here, the doctors each have their own exam room/office with all necessary supplies and patients are brought in one by one.  If there is further testing that needs to be done, patients are sent out and come back once the test is completed.  If simple sutures, debridements, casting, etc is needed, they are sent to the “minor procedure” area where doctors and nurses are dedicated to that.  The patients are sent with a prescription and walk straight to the pharmacy where it is filled.  The flow works!  Again, all treatment is free of charge.  One patient didn’t have money to get home, so Dr. “Tray” handed them a slip to go get money for a ticket home.  As for pathology, the OPD sees a lot of standard URIs and gastroenteritis cases, but also a lot of meningitis and I had a girl with measles come in to see me too! 

     As for Siem Reap, I really like this place!  In a weird way it has all the fun things I love about Chicago (my old home):  1) Ample public transportation, albeit in the form of mopeds and tuk-tuks. The drivers can hassle you though if you are walking by, so I am getting good at saying “Od te, aukun, Meanh Kong!” (no thanks, I have a bike; spelled as pronounced, so if you know Khmer I probably slaughtered the spelling).  2) Fun city streets through which to navigate on a bike and smells and sounds galore! 3) Really fun and interesting people with whom to strike up conversations and excellent people-watching opportunities.  4) Rich culture and diversity.  5) A river where people hang out and an appreciation of the outdoor/sidewalk café.  6) An active night-life (though mostly tourists). And so much more!

     More to come soon! Oh, and for those of you who are wondering, given the recent events in Bangkok I decided to avoid the area and will not be journeying back there as originally planned.  Thank goodness for understanding airlines!

Lone Traveler tackles Phnom Penh!

 

Samnang taking me around Phnom Penh

     With a few days off due to the King’s Birthday celebration, I decided to explore a bit more of Cambodia.  After a fairly short 5hr bus ride through the beautiful countryside passing fields of lotus flowers, ox, water buffalo, and many bamboo huts high above on stilts, I arrived in Phnom Penh: Cambodia’s capital city.  Phnom Penh is large and dense, some streets displaying great wealth and others a reminder of the deep poverty here – but all streets chaotic and filled with motos and tuk-tuks!  Compared to the small feel of Siem Reap, I was initially overwhelmed.  However, within 30min I had negotiated a good deal on a hotel room and I was off to do a walking tour of the sights, Lonely Planet book in hand.  This was perhaps not the best idea to do on such a hot day (104 and humid) in flip-flops and on my own, but why not?!  Well, after I turned just one corner and was walking down the riverside, I ran into my friend Micky who works in the lab at AHC – a reminder of how small the world is.  After a quick chat, I continued my course, camera and map openly displayed (Geek or Tourist could have easily been written across my head, but this is a benefit of solo-travel).  

      I came to Wat Phnom - a huge Wat on the only hill in this city which is quite impressive.  It was here that I first noticed that Phnom Penh has some very nice parks that are all extremely well-manicured.  I took some pictures after climbing to the top, but then got a little turned around and took about 15 min to correct my path.  I walked quite a bit, passing the US Embassy (which appears very secure), the “Hotel Royal,” and headed toward a big market (Psar Thmei) – unfortunately it was under construction and all the vendors had been displaced to the frenzied streets.  I then found the Sorya Market (akin to the modern-day mall) and retreated from the heat and enjoyed 20min of A/C and a Mango smoothie. (A local woman came up to me as I was literally dripping sweat and said “You don’t look like the weather here is good for you.”  Thanks.) 

       Back to the streets – then a HUGE detour! Oops – the city looks a lot easier to navigate than it has proven to be!  The very wrong turn probably added a mile or so onto my journey, but it gave me the opportunity to explore more and look even more geeky and confused with every street corner I hit.  I finally self-corrected and found my way to The National Museum.  This museum is filled with hundreds of 6th century sandstone sculptures and tablets from the Angkor Empire.  It is so impressive to think about how old these pieces of art are given their preservation.  The museum is really incredible and rich with history, but Buddhist sculptures and icons were the dominant theme.  

      Then, in the museum, the rest of the day took a different turn.  I met Samnang Heng, a Buddhist monk wandering around the National Museum in full Buddhist garb.  We struck up a conversation and before I knew it he was giving me a personal detailed tour of the rest of Phnom Penh (including 2 more hours of walking to a few more monuments and Wats)!  This was a real treat – and by now I had only been in Phnom Penh for 4 hours!  On our journey past Independence Monument, we talked quite a bit – he lives in Battambang Province and here on holiday as he is finishing his studies in High School.  He speaks three languages and teaches Khmer to Australians living in his province.  We had a long talk about Buddhism, our beliefs, differences in our culture, his studies (he wants to go to England and train to be a surgeon), his family, etc.  The whole thing was incredible!  I got a personal tour of Cambodia’s Capital by a Buddhist Monk in full orange attire!  

      Saturday I woke early and enjoyed a nice breakfast on the Riverfront of the Tonle Sap River before embarking on another FULL day!  I found a good tuk-tuk driver named Jon and he took me out to Choeung Ek Killing fields.  

      Time for a little history lesson:  On April 17^th, 1975 there were over two million people living in Phnom Penh when the Khmer Rouge (under the Democratic Kampuchea and Pol Plot) took the city.  As part of their radical social program, they evacuated the entire city within hours, forcing everyone into the countryside.  The educated were killed and the families were massacred alongside them (due to fear or future retaliation).  The Khmer Rouge abolished all schools (turning one into S-21 Prison), all sense of former government, families were separated, and the population was forced into a peasant-dominated agrarian society, working as slaves for 12-15hours a day in the fields.  People were told when to eat, work, and sleep, etc by cooperative leaders in camps throughout the country.  During the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 until the Vietnamese arrived in 1978 hundreds of thousands of Cambodians died by execution, starvation, disease, etc.  Throughout Cambodia there are over 350 work zones containing more than 19,440 mass grave sites – the largest of which contains over 450 bodies.  The memorial for the victims of the Khmer Rouge Regime has been built at the sight of this largest grave site – a place where prisoners and educated were taken to literally dig their own grave and then brutally murdered.  Now there is a large monument filled with the bones and skulls of the victims (very hard to see), and clothes, teeth, and bones still come to the surface during heavy rains.  It is hard to imagine that such brutality happened so recently that many of the Khmer Rouge Regime are still just finishing their trials and recently imprisoned. 

     After the sadness of the Killing Fields, I headed over to S-21 Prison (Tuol Sleng Museum) where over 17,000 prisoners were held before being taken to the Killing Fields.  During 1977, the prison claimed 100 lives a day.  Many of the former classrooms still had chalkboards on the walls next to the shackles used to strap people to metal beds.  The sad mood of the morning was lightened when I ran into a couple from Switzerland that I had met in Siem Reap at my guesthouse!  Again, travel seems to make the world smaller. 

       Next on the journey was a trip to “Russian Market” (Psar Tuol Tom Pong) and again I was over-stimulated by smells and sights – you can get EVERYTHING there (including things you don’t want)!  Coming to Cambodia during low season enables easy bargaining!  I then had tuk-tuk driver Jon drop me off at the Royal Palace.  This was a striking contrast to the morning’s journey, with impressive gardens, gorgeous throne room, and magnificent Silver Pagoda (with over 5 tons of silver tiles and a life-sized gold Buddha decorated with 9,584 diamonds, the largest of which is 25 carats).  Roaming the active palace grounds I ran into my Buddhist monk friend, Samnang Heng!  I laughed again at the way I run into people so randomly. 

       My trip to Phnom Penh concluded after I met up with the friendly Swiss couple for dinner along the river and then took the bus back to Siem Reap Sunday morning.  Phnom Penh was a great weekend-excursion: rich with history, wealth contrasted by great poverty, and serene parks sandwiched between chaotic streets, but I have to say that I was happy to be back at “My Home” in Siem Reap and gearing up to get back to work in the morning!