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There was less evidence of pyjama wearing in Siem Reap, however it wasn't surprising given the difference in wealth between the two towns. Siem Reap has clearly been 'reaping' (oh dear!) the benefits of the money brought in by tourism, thanks to the famous ancient city of Angkor located 8km away. We of course contributed to the town's growing wealth and paid a visit to Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and many of the other temples and palaces built by the Khmers between the 9th and 13th centuries. We took a tuktuk to Angkor Wat at 5am in order to see the sunrise. We got there at about 5:30, and sat down in front of temple to watch the sun rise over the top. We had to wait about an hour until the sun had risen fully, during which time I almost fell asleep. I have no idea how I managed to get up at 3am for work on a regular basis. That's certainly something I don't miss!
After spending a couple of days in Siem Reap we headed to the capital Phnom Penh. We were quite surprised at how large and well developped the city is. When the Khmer Rouges (communists) were in power during the 70s the city was emptied of its entire population as the inhabitants were forced to work in the countryside. Large parts of the city were destroyed and the rest was left to ruin. Looking at Phnom Penh now you would never suspect that ten years ago it was normal to see sheep, cows, and other farmyard animals wondering the streets. Today it's just like any other capital, the difference is that there are no international food outlets here, eg. McDonalds, Starbucks, etc. The only exception is KFC, and we read in the paper that they were considering building a Pizza Hut. Maybe some anti-American feeling still exists and they're trying to limit the American influence? No bad thing I guess!
Our first day there was quite a strange one. We were on our way to get some lunch when we were approached by a group of Westerners. They were on their way to donate blood as apparently a young girl with leukemia was in desperate need if O negative type blood. They asked us if we wanted to go with them- we were on our way to get something to eat so we asked them to mark it on the map and we would possibly drop-in later on. After lunch Andrew decided he did want to donate blood (he donates in the UK) so off we went to the blood bank. At this point I was unsure whether or not I wanted to give blood. I've never given blood before and the thought of it made me feel queasy. However when we got there I saw a child walking round with a drip coming out of her arm, and I felt guilty about not donating. So I filled out the form and had my blood tested. They do this by p****ng your finger and squeezing out some blood. As the nurse sat there squeezing away, I started to feel a bit ill and wasn't quite sure how I would cope with a pint of blood being drained from my arm! Just as I was thinking of telling them I didn't want to donate, they announced that I was O negative blood group (I thought I was O positive). Out of the eleven people that had donated that day, I was the only person who had the same blood group as the girl with leukemia. All the staff seemed so happy and relieved, and not wanting to disappoint them, I went ahead with the blood donation. It wasn't that bad- I just didn't look the entire time! It has left me with a rather large bruise on my arm, but I don't mind at all if it means they are able to use my blood to help a sick child.
So after a slightly strange first day in Phnom Penh, we spent the rest of the time doing normal 'tourist' things! The second day was a bit depressing as we spent the morning visiting the Killing Fields just outside the city. This is where the Khmer Rouges sent thousands of people to be executed and buried. Now it's a memorial to those who perished, and they have built a huge stupa and filled it with the clothes and bones of the people who were killed during the genocide. We then went to the Museum of Genocide, an old school building that the Khmer Rouges used to detain, interrogate and torture thousands of innocent Cambodians, before they were sent to the Killing Fields to be executed. As I said, it was pretty depressing. However, I think it's important to learn about the history of the country you're visiting, no matter how horrific it is.
Hopefully Vietnam's history won't be so gruesome. The people here have obviously suffered their own tragedies, but at least they weren't governed by a genocidal maniac. I guess we'll find out over the next two weeks or so!
Jess
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