……..and the city of Phnom Penh with its population of 1.3 million.   It really was intended to be a stopover on our way to Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor but what a pleasant surprise it has been!   We’re staying at a hotel overlooking the Tonle Sap river and it is a pretty neat part of the city that was recommended by an Australian man Marilyn was sitting with on the bus.  One of the highlights of this city is the boardwalk on the river which goes on for miles. Apparently it was built with some help from the Japanese as a sign of friendship and it is very actively used by the local people and tourists alike.  The place was rocking with music and hundreds of people(in small-medium sized groups) doing aerobics.  Apparently at sunrise they offer tai chi on the Tonle Sap at one end and aerobics on the other…….no we did not attend!

One of the major tourist attractions of the Phnom Penh area is a museum which highlights the Khmer Rouge leadership.  This of course is known as the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek and as  one of Cambodia’s largest tragedies.  Many of you will recall the movie of the same name basically, and, for me, it was one of the toughest movies I’ve ever seen(remember that night George and Gerry!)   For the younger folks who don’t remember or never knew about it, it occurred between 1975 and 1978 and in the area of Phnom Penh it mean revisiting the torture and extermination of 17,000 men, woman and children………we just couldn’t do it but  are so aware of its importance to the people of Cambodia.

The people here are very friendly and hospitable and  when you  say “no, thank you” they, for the most part, listen.  It’s no surprise, of course, to see so much poverty and it very often is overwhelming especially  when it’s children, the aged or the disabled.     We had dinner at a wonderful restaurant recommended by lonely planet and our new friend from Australia, and it is setup to help street kids and keep them safe.  It’s called Friends and is a training restaurant to get kids into tourism…..they did a fine job and we had a great meal!  They also have a shop where they sell new and used products that have been donated and some that they made. While Jim was having a haircut Marilyn and I decided to shop around on our own and we agreed to meet back at the hotel in an hour.  We went to Friends’ shop but it was closed and we scouted out a couple of others and, as always, before you know it the time was up.  Not wanting to be too late we quickly headed back to the hotel and, unfortunately without Jim and his map in front of us, we got lost!!!  So we hired one of the tuk tuk drivers that had been pestering us every thirty seconds to get us back to the hotel……don’t tell Jim!

Later Jim and I were talking about his experiences walking around Phnom Penh and he mentioned that twice in the hour without us he had been approached by men in their mid-forties.  The first one was making small talk and asked Jim where he was from and Jim told him Canada, and then he said he had a sister who was moving to Montreal and very quickly called her, put her on the phone to talk with Jim.   She chatted for a moment about Canada and then asked Jim if he would come over and when he told her he was leaving on the bus, she said “maybe when you return”……and that was that.   A little later he asked a guy what time it was because he was to meet us and had lost track of time.   The guy told him and then said “where you from” and when Jim told him Canada he said “my daughter is moving to Vancouver….would you talk to her?”.   Jim’s a quick study and, as you know, he has a lovely wife so he said no and told the guy that Vancouver is a great city and he’s sure his daughter would make out quite fine……and they parted.

Guess the moral of the story is that Marilyn and I need to continue to protect Jim as he seems to run into strange people when he’s not with us. So from now on we’re just going to put a map in his hand and pretend  he is our tour guide……..which is really not that far from the truth!   Tune in tomorrow just in case I get to be a blogger, and don’t worry Kathleen and Andrea, Marilyn and I will take care of your Dad.