Long Khong, Chau Doc and a Fish Farm

Today we crossed the border into Vietnam. We visited two small villages and ended up at a local fish farm.

Many of theses homes were created by squatters.

They are among the least expensive residences.

Long-tailed Engine Out of the Water

Lotus

With Seed Pod

This was a resort that we passed through. I just liked the trees.

This is water hyacinth. The first time I heard the name, I thought Thinh (our new local guide) said "water icing".
The name seems appropriate as these plants float on the surface. Our sampan became stuck when some got caught in the propellor.

The water level is high.

Maybe he was clearing his prop.

This is a small water taxi.

Fish in a frenzy under the house.

This is a new fish farm being built. The cage is built first, then the house goes on top.

Angkor Ban Village and School

A bus drooped us off on the side of a road and we wandered casually through the rain and the mud of a small local village.

Most homes had at least one cow.

The oxcarts were for transportation and work.

Jugs are used to collect rainwater.

The number on the roof tells when the house was built.

The kitchen is on the ground under the house.

Phany introduced us to a local family.

Their children had grown and moved away, so they were empty nesters.

Upstairs is mostly for sleeping.

We joined a classroom of incredibly eager eleven and twelve year olds. They were in "High" school.

These two girls were assigned to me. One was very shy, but the other was excited to show off her english.

The adults mixed throughout the class.

Phiem took over the class for a few minutes.

Several students belted out a personal bio, loudly and proudly.

This little group lost a little game. For punishment, they had to sing a little song (No fun at all).

Wat Hanchey Buddhist Monastery

After climbing a long path up the hill, Phany introduced us to two young monks. They chanted and answered questions. The youngest was twelve years old.

Some local boys snuck up behind and tickled their feet while they were chanting.

Buddhists cremate the dead, but others of Chinese heritage bury them.

Lotus

Waterlily

Transporting Piglets

A Pre-Angkor temple still standing beside the main Buddhist Temple

Angels hold up the roof of the temple.

At the corners the supporters are half man and half bird.

One colourful bird flew from each corner. 

Shrines contain the ashes of the dead.

Buddha's mother with a white elephant that descended from the sky.

Orphanage Dancers

After dinner tonight, a group of students from a local orphanage boarded the ship to dance for us. They were very good. Of course they asked for a donation to the orphanage.

Phnom Penh - The Killing Fields

Today was obviously a very intense day. Pol Pot really was a Communist Dictator who tried to create a classless society. To do so, he had to eliminate the former elite and intelligentsia. 

Many thousands of people were arrested and tortured until they admitted their "crimes". Then they were taken to places like this for execution. Death came brutally and not necessarily quickly. For most, the instruments were clubs and hoes and axes, etc. Bullets were rarely used because the victims were not worth the cost. 

By the end of the Pol Pot Regime, the population had been reduced by three million. Many of these had left the country, but estimates say that as many as 2.5 million may have gone to the killing fields.

Ninety percent of the teachers in the country were killed.

In many places, bones have been exhumed and put on display.

Some sites have been memorialized.

Phany, our local guide, lost two grandparents. His wife lost most of her family.

Mass Graves

This gentleman is one of seven survivors in S-21 when the PolPot Regime fell.

In Memorium

S-21 was once a high school in Phnom Penh. It was turned into a prison where victims were brought until they "confessed".