Hiya,

Today was the first day we got stuck into the educational part of the trip. Went to the Killing Fields and the genocide museum called Tuol Sleng. the killing fields are one of 381 mass graves in Cambodia. There is a stupa erected there - which is a tall biulding like a Buddhist temple that is dedicated to the dead. Inside are rows and rows of skulls - sorted into men, women and children. These were exhumed following the downfall of the Khmer Rouge There are still many graves not opened, and you walk along the paths - look down and realise the ground is actually full of bones poking through and scraps of clothing. Very traumatic experience. It is a full on tourist site now, has been brought by the Japanese - goodness knows why!! There are many beggars there - and cheeky children who have learnt a few word of english. in perfect unison they say "1,2,3 smile" picture - they are inviting foreigners to take a picture of them next to mass graves and be paid money for it. they also know "money for books school food"

tuol sleng was a girls high school before the khmer rouge changed it into a priosn and torture chamber - out of 20,000 people sent there only seven survived. Men, women and children! there are photos of all the people who were kept there - one was of a lady with a baby only one month old - looked exactly like my nephew lachlan when he was little - it is impossible not to be distraught at such a site - which is the point of these musuems which seem so voyeruistic at first - the past must be remembered.

on a happier note - it is one of the groups b'day today - elsa - and we managed to find a birthday cake in a western style supermarket - will be going out for dinner again - its a tough life!!

it has finally sunk it that i am in cambodia!!! am feeling much more comfortable walking along the streets and am embracing the local lifestyle - especially the siesta!!

there are contradictions everywhere - a new brick house will be next door to an open shanty on stilts, one with a satellite - the other with dirt floors.

every biulding is open - and you can see right inside, everyone seems to be selling something out the front, either dried fish or nokia phones or bananas.

the food is fried everything - my personal fav is "deep fried morning glory" its very common here - its some kind of vegetable but i still have a giggle every time i c it.

anyways will say adios for now

tricia