However, we cannot ignore the late 70s genocide by the Khmer Rouge that wiped out 1/3 of the country's population. Some of our travels take us to cool places like the beaches of Thailand, but we think it's important to witness other, more sobering places like Cambodia.
The sad and dark history probably evades most people's memory, either because we were too young to recall, but more likely because it occurred in the shadow of post-Vietnam War and the rest of the world either turned their heads or simply did not know what was going on in Cambodia. They were "forgotten".
Visiting Cambodia requires historical context. We've been brushing up on Khmer Rouge history, Killing Fields, and the infamous S-21 torture prison in Phnom Pehn. We challenge you to at least read the history of Cambodia via Wikipedia and watch the movie, "The Killing Fields", again. We did. We also finished reading Haing Ngor's compelling personal story of survival in his book, "Survival in the Killing Fields".*shock* *sob*
Like the holocaust, it's unbelievable that fellow humans did this to each other. Particularly in Cambodia, they were killed by their own flesh and blood. Learning the history makes us acutely aware that genocide still occurs and can go on without being detected. Yet, be able to celebrate their resilience by experiencing a very ancient and amazing culture.
Cambodia, here we come!
Cambodia, here we come!
