Since COVID hit in March (or when we became aware of it in the US), we’ve stayed home and have not traveled more than 20 miles from home, usually to pick up food at a restaurant. But other than that, we’ve been home.
My younger kids are remote learning by choice and I never thought I’d do well without time to myself, but I’ve found I love having the kids home and all together. On Saturday nights we’ve made it a habit to watch a movie together and the kids have gotten into Schindler’s List, Gandhi, and most recently, The Killing Fields. I haven’t been to Poland or India, but I did visit Cambodia when Pol Pot was still hiding in the jungle. The kids asked about that trip and I realized I haven’t posted photos from it on this blog.
Cambodia saw a stretch of peace the summer of 1991 when I visited. UN peacekeepers, missionaries, and Hong Kong hoteliers made up the bulk of the foreigners in Phnom Penh. It was months before the Paris Peace Agreements to officially end the Cambodian-Vietnamese war. I met Cambodians in Phnom Penh and on a day trip to Siem Reap. Back then, flights between the two cities took place once a week, so my choice was to go for a week or a day. Short on cash and scheduled to meet my dad in Bangkok in two weeks, I chose the day trip. (I still had to get back to Vietnam and planned to travel throughout that country, but that’s another story for another day! I could only get as far north as Hue.)
Anyway, you can see Angkor Wat is crumbling. There was some restoration going on then, thanks to an Indian group, I think.
I saw the Killing Fields, Tuol Sleng, and Angkor Wat. Meeting Cambodians there was the best part of the trip and it’s one I’ll never forget.
Before Pol Pot, even before the US invasion of Cambodia, I remember reading something about Cambodia and thinking, The Cambodians must be the most peaceful people in the world. And then, what a shock it was to learn about Pol Pot and the killing fields.
It’s interesting to see the quiet streets in 1991. I’ve been following Lani Cox’s blog. Until this past year, she lived in Cambodia. So she shared pictures of the country. It looks very busy now.
I’ll check out her blog! Thanks for mentioning it.
Yeah, I think the US bombing of Cambodia in the early 70s caused a great spiral. It’s tragic.