In February of 2000, my now husband and I took a 3 month packpacking trip to Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia, 2 weeks were spent in Cambodia. We quickly fell in love with the country and its people. We travelled from the border of Thailand to Siem Reap for 6 hours in the back of a small pickup truck, sitting on top of our backpacks with 13 other travellers on dusty roads with potholes bigger than the truck itself. But what a beautiful journey none the less. We stayed at a guest house owned by a family who had 2 adorable little boys. The youngests only toy was a car he pulled around in the dirt. The car was made from a plastic bottle and 4 tin cans for the wheels. I'll never forget him, his toy and the beautiful smile he had on his face every time I saw him.
We spent 4 days visiting as much as we could of all the Temples of Angkor. We were also fortunate enough to visit a man who ran the Land Mine Museum in Siem Reap. He was a former child soldier whose parents were killed by the Khmer Rouge when he was 5 years old.
In Phnom Penh we visited the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek and the Memorial Stupa. Our guest house was within walking distance to the Tuol Sleng, the former school turned prison. In one of the cells I found a date engraved into a wall, likely by a former prisoner, possibly on the date he/she either arrived or the day he/she was sent to the killing fields to die.
We ended our visit to Cambodia with a few days in Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand. My memories of Cambodia will be with me always, I share my memory of that little boy & his "car" with my 2 boys. Cambodia was one of the poorest countries I have visited but the people were always smiling.
We spent 4 days visiting as much as we could of all the Temples of Angkor. We were also fortunate enough to visit a man who ran the Land Mine Museum in Siem Reap. He was a former child soldier whose parents were killed by the Khmer Rouge when he was 5 years old.
In Phnom Penh we visited the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek and the Memorial Stupa. Our guest house was within walking distance to the Tuol Sleng, the former school turned prison. In one of the cells I found a date engraved into a wall, likely by a former prisoner, possibly on the date he/she either arrived or the day he/she was sent to the killing fields to die.
We ended our visit to Cambodia with a few days in Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand. My memories of Cambodia will be with me always, I share my memory of that little boy & his "car" with my 2 boys. Cambodia was one of the poorest countries I have visited but the people were always smiling.
In response to assignment: Ask Christiane Amanpour
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