The Killing Fields/S21

I stepped back when I saw this picture at S21 in Cambodia. This young boy looks identical to my son Mitchell when he was young, and even today. However, this nameless young boy didn't get the same opportunity that my Mitchell has. This young boy was murdered under Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge savage regime. He would have been tossed into the air and caught on the end of a bayonette or he would have been hit behind the head with a steel bar. He was killed for no reason other than he belonged to a parent or family, that Pol Pot considered an enemy. This young boy's photo, is one of thousands, displayed at the S21 Torture Museum in Cambodia.

These are some of the thousands of innocent, beautiful young children who were murdered for no reason, and dumped into huge graves in the Killing Fields of Cambodia's country side.

This is S21 (Tuol Sleng ), the high school turned into a torture site where Pol Pot's soldiers extracted bogus confessions from innocent women, children, and men of all ages. From here they were trucked, blindfolded, to the killing fields. These were innocent civilians, guilty of nothing. I walked through each torture room; I wasn't the only visitor shedding a silent tear.

The killing fields were the final resting place for some 2 million innocent Cambodians. Piled into pits and burried.

Despite their atrocious past, Cambodians are very peaceful and receptive.

Angkor Wat is a beautiful place. The grandeur and atmosphere of the site really left an impression on me. I'm eager to return.

Moby Dick & Tartar Sauce

Our outfits almost matched at the Royal Palace in Thailand.

He looks much sharper than I do!

Yeah...these chickens are alive, driving to their destinty...a plate, knife and fork..or fingers...or chopsticks...depending whom they visit. The ones closest to the muffler kept trying to raise their head away from the heat. I guess you could call it a practice round for what's yet to come. This was a sight to see!

We were hunting Moby Dick on the Tonle Sap. When I told our tour guide how big Moby Dick is, he asked me to drive. Rick sat behind me, navigating me right into MOBY DICK's direction. We felt so brave that day that I packed the tartar sauce in my pocket.

I looked far and wide, but no sign of Moby Dick. He was afraid! I guess the locals let him know that Rick and I were in town to kick some whale behind. Moby scampered, like the weak whale that he is.

I left my heart in Angkor Wat...That's all I have to say about that!

This is sunrise, six thirtyish; it only got better by the minute.

Water action!

The local clothing store on Cambodia's Tonle Sap River.

I kept Amy from turning around by telling lame jokes and acting like Jerry Lewis while our tour guide bailed the bottom of the canoe. My God if we sank, and if Amy only knew that we were in the middle of crocodile waters, infested with giant  lizards, blizzards, alligators and Nessie from Scotland...YIKES! Thankfully our canoe guide bailed fast enough to keep us afloat. I think I wet my shorts though! 

This shot speaks for itself eh!

Gotcha! Nooooooo...I "gotcha" first... WRONG, I "gotcha" way before you got me! Well fine...but my camera is faster than yours...so there. Whatever! dimple dweeb...just so you know my lens is way stronger than yours. Yeah..well my canoe driver is quicker than...yeah well my uncle can...Oh yeah? My great-grandfather....you're sinking...you're ugly...Riiiiiick, whack him with your oar when we get close okay!

These children come to school everyday, by small boat. They are dropped off by their parents or a sibling.  They are happy children, regardless their situation. They made our day, it was moving and humbling to go into their school on the upper deck of a boat on the Tonle Sap River in Cambodia.

 I listened as this young girl read to me in her language. From time to time she would stop or slow down and the other children would press her to continue. She looked back at them, looked at me and then she would pick up her pace again. It was an awesome experience. Life on Cambobia's Tonle Sap really humbled me.

Macarena Cambodia Style

Chantalle in Siem Reap and a little Macarena with a couple of tourists, I tried to join in but I could not multitask at all. The whole hand movements and dancing at the same time didn't work. I can either move my hands OR dance...not both.

Some shots you just gotta take. What a sweetheart!

In Ko Lanta, at the Castaway Beach Resort, this local, seemingly gypsy beach merchant, came by everyday, hoping someone would by his hand made art. It was between 28-32 degrees everyday, look at the attire. That's what "need" can do to a person. I bet he'd happily accept a job at Tim Horton's or McDonalds.

Negotiations in Chinatown (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) are a riot; though we are never disrespectful to the vendors. The vendor usually sets his/her first price at about 5 times what you end up paying. So the games begin. You come back with a really lowball price, the vendor says " Cannot Lah", which means " Listen you western, hustler, I'm not budging from my price unless you start walking away, then I'll chase you and take your best offer, which is my worst price"..."Ok Lah". Then we exchange a smile; two competitors who know they will meet again. In this photo, the vendor just hit Amy with the proverbial high price for an item she esteemed; notice that “ I don’t think so" look on her face...or maybe she was thinking

"Cannot Lah".

Life in Cambodia!

Home on Cambodia's Tonle Sap River. That's it...this is home for them!

The local corner store...on the river. Imagine doing business like this, everyday! Tonle Sap River, Cambodia.

A carpet of dried shrimp, in the middle of the street; this batch will feed the community. Upon our arrival, my sister was the first one to "enter" town. Busy looking at the homes on stilts, she walked right onto their food supply. A smiling Cambodian man, yelled and pointed down while make an eating motion with his hands. He smiled again as my sister hustled in a backward walk, after crushing a bit of their shrimp supply. It was a tad funny after the fact, but she felt bad. No one steals from the supply which is left to dry in the sun.

City on stilts, hand tied together; during the rainy season, the water will rise to the base of those homes, then the people live in boats until the water level drops again. That little girl, on the bottom right of the screen, will not be walking there when the rain comes. The water will rise to four times her height, right where she stands.

Batu Prayer

Rick prayed to the Gods that we wouldn't make him climb those stairs behind him..the Gods were sleeping that day.

The Royal Palace in Thailand

Ronald McThailand

I finally met Ronald McDonald in Thailand. We prayed together. I had to do all the talking though, he's quiet and shy.

What a guy!

Home...on the Tonle Sap River

This is home to some of the residents we met as we coasted along Cambodia's Tonle Sap River in our tour boat.  I was really embarrassed about the many times I had complained in my life.

Buckley's and Ceramics

This ceramic statue at the Royal Palace in Bangkok, looks like he just swallowed a gulp of Buckley's', pardon his expression. He is one of many awesome looking ceramic statues to be admired on the site.

Elephants as well.

Cambodia also has elephants, they're tiny, but they're there!

Now that's some bad sentence structure coming from a teacher eh?

Kuala Lumpur Bird Park

KL has an awesome bird park with very unique birds. They were beautiful. We walked for hours as sweat dripped down our bodies like dew off the end of a.....well...you get the idea.

In one area, the birds were sharing space with some rats. It was cool to see Rick bolt through the cage doors.!

Elmer Fudd in Cambodia

Cambodia is an awesome country but "You must be vewry vewry careful..we're huntin' lephants" Oh yes, it was right on the sign. We didn't see any because they apparently come out at night.  Apparently, Elmer Fudd is also in the country!

Batu Faces!

No,no, no...it's not Michael Jackson...It's Zira.

Queens

Two Queens, posing side by each, like a pair of toasts!

Batu Caves, Malaysia

Sea of turquoise

A 20 minute speed boat ride to this location, from our Castaway Resort in Ko Lanta, and we snorkeled for four hours while others dove with their huge equipment and  heavy belts. 

Ko Lanta and the Castaway.

In Ko Lanta, Thailand, we stayed at the Lanta Castaway Beach Resort. We were treated like Kings and Queens, the entire time. It was awesome. This elephant played the mouth organ, twirled a hula hoop, and ate about 27 and a half bananas. 

The Luna Bar...

We made it to the Luna Bar on our last night together. We had a fine evening. We enjoyed ginormous  Strawberry Daiquiris and a panoramic view in the back ground. What a night! What a memory!

Yo Cowboy!

First day home after the whirlwind vacation, what a nice pace now! Slow and easy and relaxed!