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Well here we go again after a busy few days. The Homestay involved going to a Peace Corp school, where we had dinner and experience the first proper monsoon rain. The actually sleeping was in a villagers hut on a bamboo mat. After many hotels with aircon, it was certainly hot and a bit sweaty. We got rudely awoken by the chickens and cows who though 5 am was an acceptable time to rise. It helped get us on the move and then onto the seaside.
We arrived at Sihanoukville (best described as a seaside resort in Spain properly about 30 years ago). The weather for the three days we stayed here was amazing. Maybe a bit too good and trying to avoid sunburn was quite difficult. One day was spent on a boat visiting some local islands and another by the pool. After a few days relaxation we moved onto the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.
Phnom Penh was hectic and resembled a very poor Bangkok. We went to S-21 (an infamous place under the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot over 15,000 people were tortured and killed) and followed by the Killing Fields (where even more unfortunate people were killed and buried). Coming to Cambodia certainly involved learning about the horrors that Pol Pot inflicted upon his own people. What shocked me most was the fact the his 'army' consisted mainly of 12-20 year old boys and girls. It seems this country does not do well with children, especially of the sex-crimes in 1990s. Now over 50% of the population is under 18 and things don't seem much better for this generation either.
On a different note left Cambodia and arrived safely in Vietnam, Going through the Vietnamese border was in stark contrast to the Cambodian border at Poipet. It was relatively quick and efficient. Now sat watching the rain in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) and hoping that my only full day here tomorrow isn't too wet...
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