the globe rover

Denver, CO

Historical day in the United States of America. Change has definitely come!

44th President of the USA - President Barack Obama

Denver, CO

Anyone who has watched the news todayknows about the amazing story of the crash of the US Airways flight today (story here). What an incredible story of smart thinking by a great pilot (here’s to Sully!), coordinated effort by a flight crew, and a cabin full of people pulling together to try and stay calm and do what was required to get out of a potentially tragic situation. Truly an amazing story of smart decisions and some protective guidance avoiding what could have been a horrific tragedy.

Kudos to Sully and everyone else on US Airways flight 1549.

Denver, CO

I am devastated that two of the kiddos that I follow from the cancer community earned their wings this week.

Coleman Larson was five vibrant years old and fought an amazing battle against Medulloblastoma for the last two plus years. Coleman was an amazing and very wise little boy filled with the spirit of life and faith unknown to many adults. Although I never met him, I have learned numerous lessons from him and his family. I have laughed and cried through their journey since I’ve been following them for the last year. Coleman leaves behind an amazing family - a very wise and devoted mother, Peggy;  a very caring and dear father, Scott; and a loveable and dedicated twin brother, Caden. I am heartbroken with this loss and amazed and so very thankful at the impact this little five year old has had on me.

http://www.carepages.com/carepages/ColemanScott

 

Trooper Dante was a two-year old fighter that has been battling Neuroblastoma. He is an amazing little guy and has had the spirit and determination to keep fighting and making everyone around him smile. He is also leaving behind a brother, sister, and wonderful parents. And again, although I have never met Dante, his smile will be engraved in my memory forever.

http://www.carepages.com/carepages/TrooperDante

 

My desire to help fight Childhood Cancer only grows stronger. These kids shouldn’t have to fight. They deserve more… an opportunity to grow and learn and experience life. I have learned so much from these guys and their parents.

Please help… go to Cure Search or People Against Childhood Cancer (PAC2). These groups are doing a great job but more help is always needed (childhood cancer is still way underfunded).

If there is any silver lining, it is that both these little boys have an amazing group of angels waiting in heaven to take them under their wing and show them the ropes.

My heart and prayers are with Coleman and Dante’s families.

Denver, COI’d like to tell you about a project I saw on Members Project. It’s called “Project Brain Child,” and with your support it could get funding from American Express. American Express Cardmembers can vote for this project to receive potential funding by going to Project Brain ChildMembers Project is an exciting initiative that brings people together to make a difference in the world. It’s simple. People go online to share ideas for projects — and ultimately vote on which projects will share $2.5 million in funding from American Express.In 2007, Members Project provided clean drinking water to children all across Africa. What will Members Project do this year? The decision is yours. Please get out the vote about this project.Show Your Support
membersproject.com

Denver, CO

It is the one month a year designated to help bring more awareness to a terrible tragedy in our world - childhood cancer. There is so much we can do to work towards a cure. Please take the time to read about childhood cancer (the numbers are astounding). Cure Search is an organization dedicated to the cause. Read about Cure Search and Childhood Cancer Awareness Month here.

I’d also like to encourage everyone to sign the petition that I mentioned in an earlier post to help raise awareness of childhood cancer. The petition was started by a very dedicated father who lost is son to cancer earlier this year. Most people are unaware (as I was until recently) that a lot of the cancer organizations dedicate minimal funding to childhood cancer although it has such a large impact. I was shocked to discover that the American Cancer Society only dedicates 3% of their funding to childhood cancer. Needless to say, there is much work ahead to increase awareness. But we can start today!

Three of the major networks ran a special on Friday night called “Stand Up 2 Cancer” (you can watch the show here on NBC). Although it is a good start, there is still very little focus on childhood cancer.

We need your help.
Sign the petition.
Learn about childhood cancer.
Spread the word.
Increase awareness.
Too many beautiful children are suffering and becoming angels before they even get to grow up.

Please help us work toward the cure.

Denver, CO

pas·sion [pash-uhn]
-noun
Any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.

I am not much of a fan of the political parties for a lot of reasons (different topic for a different day). But as a citizen I do believe it is my duty to pay attention and learn about our candidates so that I can make an educated decision when I vote in November.

With both the two major political conventions held in the last couple of weeks, I have had plenty of opportunity to listen, observe, and learn. One thing I do love is the passion behind the parties. And especially seeing people of all ages and races stand up for what they believe in. That passion can and does make a difference (in both positive and negative ways although my focus here is the positive). It is uplifting to see the passion behind the parties and the number of citizens displaying their belief in different values or platforms (I observed this firsthand in Denver). Passion shows interest and involvement. Perhaps we need more of this in our country.

So as much as this season of political battles might cause a bit of unrest for me, I am so pleased to see the passion that the people have for their candidates. That belief exemplifies hope which is what we need for a better future. I believe that if you don’t put a stake in the ground and make a decision to support one candidate or the other (i.e. vote), how can you justify having an opinion on what happens in the future of the country?

Cheers to my fellow Americans that have a passion and believe in something!

Denver, CO

This past Friday I participated in the second annual Wash Park Relay for Life benefiting the American Cancer Society. It was a great event and I am so glad that I was able to participate.

First, a note to my family and friends (and you know who you are) - thank you, thank you, thank you! Thanks to the generosity of my family and friends (and in a quick week and a half time period) I was the top individual fund raiser. I literally was brought to tears every time I opened my “progress” page and saw the number of you who donated. Thank you again for supporting both the American Cancer Society and me. I am moved by your generosity and giving spirit.

A little about the event…

The walk is an overnight walk where teams of participants keep someone walking around the park all night from the opening ceremonies at 7 pm on Friday until the closing ceremonies at 8 am on Saturday. The opening began with a researcher speaking personally and professionally regarding the benefits of basic research and the impact on cancer. Then the survivors took a lap around the park which was very moving. Amazing to see so many survivors representing the dreadful “C” disease.

Throughout the night there were great events planned such as luminaries that were placed around the entire track in honor of survivors and in memory of angels; bands; dancers; movies; volleyball; backward lap; fancy hat lap; Miss Relay (for guys) lap collecting money in their handbags; and numerous other events that made the event enjoyable and entertaining. Every team had tents set up in the infield (some simple and some pretty decked out) - there were all kinds of fun stuff like baby pools and corn hole (the game) set up. There was also a DJ that played during the entire event - kudos to him for his energy!

The relay concluded with a Dove release in honor and in memory of all the victims of cancer. It was very special to see the doves fly and circle around the track commemorating so many amazing people.

I can’t wait to get involved in next year’s event and only hope that it will continue to grow!

Denver, CO

I have recently become hooked on dictionary.com’s word of the day. I love getting my new word of the day and was stumped to get today’s word:

xen·o·pho·bi·a /ˌzɛnəˈfoʊbiə, ˌzinə-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[zen-uh-foh-bee-uh, zee-nuh-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.

The reason I got stumped was a) I cannot imagine anyone being fearful of foreigners (we are all just people after all) and b) I did not know what the opposite of a xenophobic was so I set out to learn another word. I found it along with a great view of myself.

xen·o·phil·i·a /ˌzɛnəˈfɪliə, ˌzinə-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[zen-uh-fil-ee-uh, zee-nuh-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun an attraction to foreign peoples, cultures, or customs.

So there you have it…my new favorite word! Here is to us xenophiles!

Denver, CO

I am devastated to learn that there has been another mass murder by a mad gunman that shot many people (killing at least nine and injuring many more) before committing suicide.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/05/mall.shooting/index.html

This is happening too frequently in our country.

Isn’t there enough tragedy in our country without more self-infliction.

When are we going to get serious about gun control. REALLY serious.

I know there are plenty of arguments for guns. But getting them in the United States is way too easy.

When is enough going to be enough?

My heart and prayers go out to the families of the victims from today’s shooting.

Keystone, CO

Another weekend in the beautiful mountains of Colorado spent enjoying wine and good company!

This past weekend I ventured to Keystone with some friends to enjoy the soon to be fall mountain air and beautiful sunshine along with some wine and jazz. The Keystone Wine, Jazz, and Art Festival was great - well laid out and plenty of labels to try. We enjoyed some great wines on Saturday and continued the fun into the evening.

We ended up going to a bbq of some old friends I used to work with at Qwest (great to see them after years and they have adorable kids). We had fun playing and hanging out mountain style. Then it was back into the village for a late night of fun.

More festival fun on Sunday enjoying additional wines and hanging out with some of the distributors (aka “staff”). It was all good fun and only too bad that we had to head back Sunday afternoon for Monday work.

These fests in the mountains are keeping me busy! [PS…the gun show was in town]

Denver, CO

Upon returning to Denver I was quickly reunited with two of my good friends that I used to work with at CTIX (Lynette and Kevin). It was a great night and reminded me of the good times I had in Denver as well as the good times to come. Lynette just sent these pictures and they made me smile so I thought I’d share :).

Here’s to good friends and good times!

 

Denver, CO

I was touched this week by a news story I read on CNN about a would have been 19 year old boy that touched the lives of people around the world through his courageous fight with cancer. The news is filled with tragic stories around the globe but this one stuck out and touched me.

Miles was diagnosed in June 2005 with rhabdomyosarcoma (a rare pediatric muscle cancer that affects 350 children a year). Since that day, Miles began a fight against the cancer and a fight to share with honesty and courage the story he was living. My admiration goes to both he and his family as they share their fight, hopes, dreams, tears, and emotions with the world through Mile’s blog on CarePages (you have to register and then go to “LevinStory”). Miles maintained the blog throughout his fight and his Mom and family are now continuing to post to continue his legacy.

Miles passed into the unknown world beyond Earth on Sunday after one of the most honest and courageous fights that I have witnessed. Death is never easy but for an 18 year old to face it head on and share it with the world is an amazing thing. His mother had an incredibly special and unique bond with him and shared that Miles was a unique person with an amazing gift. And he truly was. Life is full of death and yet here was a young person fighting to live every moment, breathe every breath, and share with the world what it was like. He lived his moto to the last moment:

“Keep Fighting. Stop Struggling.”

Through a simple blog, Miles touched the world. He had kindness and fought to focus on the here and now and the blessings of life rather than all the things he won’t ever be able to do. As his peers prepared to leave for college and begin a new chapter in their lives, Miles prepared to go to the unknown and end his days on Earth. But he did it with beauty and blessing. And he has touched me and many others around the world. He praised his family (including his mother, father, sister/best friend, and his girlfriend) and they are amazing for sharing their son and brother with the world and continuing the legacy of Miles Levin. Their pain is incomprehensible and that which too many people in the world are faced with. But they are using that pain to help.

In the last interview with Miles, his Mom asked him what he wanted to be remembered for:

“Someone who maintained their light through their darkest journey.”

That he did in so many ways. And as he even said to his Dad, “mission accomplished.” He also valued kindness as the quality most important in humans. Kindness is what Miles exemplified every day and in every breath. There’s a lot to be learned from this man with wisdom beyond his short lived years.

Sometimes people and stories strike you in life. This one has struck me. I am touched. And I hope I can live my life with more kindness in honor of the legacy of Miles Levin and all other children who have fought the devastating fight of pediatric cancer.

Parker, CO

Tonight was an interesting evening with the Anderson family in the very suburban little (growing) town of Parker. After a leisurely dinner, we all strolled outside and were surprised to suddenly see a police (popo) car pull up across the street where two officers jumped out and were immediately hiding in the bushes crouching with their very large riffles drawn. As our hearts started to race (and we continued to look), the officers quickly told us to “please go inside your house”.

We did (of course you do what the popo tell you). And proceeded to go upstairs where we would have a better view of what was happening. For the next five minutes or so, the two officers crouched around houses and bushes and made their way to the end of the cul du sac which is two houses down from where we were. There was some quick gun pointing and all of a sudden there was a man on the front porch with his hands in the air.

Turns out it was the neighbor from the other side of the the house they were all at. He was quickly apprehended on the ground and cuffed. Next thing we knew, there were five police cars (including sheriff cars), two undercover cars, a fire truck, and an ambulance. Quite a lot of law enforcement for one man.

The cops searched the house of the man that was hand-cuffed which took a while. The popo were clearly searching both houses and talking to someone inside the original house where the man was arrested. They shortly got him into the police car and then one by one the law enforcement vehicles started to leave (they had also barricaded the entire street with police cars so no one could come or go in any direction).

Oddly enough, when all was said and done, the door to the man’s house was still ajar. And as we noticed this, the wife came from the neighbors house (where the man was arrested) and went inside here house and turned off the lights. Not sure what her role in all/any of it was.

Weird. Downright weird. All we could assume with all the under cover cops and the riffles pulled from the get-go was that it was some type of drug raid. My brother-in-law would be proud to know the bad guys are getting busted even out here in Colorado!

Sure made for one eventful night.

Lilburn, GA

   

I have had so much fun over the last few weeks catching up with friends and family in Atlanta. It has been amazing to see everyone and great to see all the changes (new spouses, new babies, new houses, new jobs, etc.). Here are some of the pictures I got (wish I would have had my camera with everyone…).

I also forget how great the Southern hospitality and charm is in Georgia (and around the Southeast). I have loved waving to people, talking to neighbors, and even having trucks stop to ask if everything is okay as I pull over to fill up my car with oil (thanks to my leaky oil problem)… I am thankful for my Southern heritage!

It is not often in life that we get to stop and just catch up. It is definitely a highlight of being back in the US. I’m glad that I made the time to stop in Georgia for a while in order to have time to catch up with more than just a few people.

To everyone I’ve seen - it’s been great to see you and catch up in person. And to everyone I haven’t seen, hopefully we can catch up next time. I look forward to hearing about the continuing evolution of everyone’s lives and thanks for keeping up with mine!

Lilburn, GA

The Reese kids (my niece and nephew) came to spend some time at “Grandma’s House” when I first got home to Georgia. The first day, we pulled out the baby pool that the dogs use during the summer and let the kids go at it (and dogs too). Jenna and Tristen had such a blast running through the yard and water sans clothing. They are adorable and entertained Dad and I as we took photos. It was a perfect spring day and these pictures still make me smile.

   

Orlando, Florida USA

I had the fortune of spending a few days with some family and friends including my niece (Jenna, 3) and nephew (Tristen, 4) in Disney World this past week. It was such good fun to see their excitement and recognition of all the different characters around the Disney parks. And their excitement was contagious as I think all the adults got into the fun as well.

I had recently been to Disney in January of this year for the marathon (quite an experience given my lack of any training but a great experience nonetheless) and thus, had recently seen the parks. However, the only park that I visited more than running through was the Animal Kingdom, which was good fun although a short visit.

This time we visited Disney, MGM, and EPCOT and they did not disappoint. However, the experience as an adult is so different than as a child. Some of the rides are the same but the entire ambiance and feel have evolved quite a bit. The thrill for me though was watching the kids and their excitement at the different things in the park. And not only did we have the pleasure of watching Jenna and Tristen, but we also got to enjoy the parks with their age twins (friends of the Bancroft’s from Miami) Matthew and Jason. The four of those kids stole my heart and brought a smile to my face at each new turn in the parks. Believe it or not, the adults each got driven by one of the kids on the Race Track at Disney…good thing they aren’t on the roads yet!

We also had such good fun watching the kids enjoy the pool at the house we stayed at that had an enclosed pool. Amazing to see three and four year olds learn new tricks in the water and feel more and more comfortable. My nephew is truly a water shark - he was diving in the deep end and swimming across the water. Not bad for a four year old! The kids continued their water fun at night in the big jacuzzi tub…bubbles and splashes for all!

From an adult perspective, there are some great rides at the parks…the Test Track at EPCOT is such good fun. For those who haven’t ridden it, it’s a test drive of cars through all conditions including a race track reaching great speeds. It’s a thrill. And for the first time in my life, I almost got motion sick during Mission Space, which is a simulation of an astronaut into space. Wow! Not fun to feel like that (and our poor friend John didn’t fare so well after either). Thankfully, the feeling passed after a couple hours and I am now so compassionate for those who suffer from motion sickness on a regular basis. But I don’t think that one little hiccup will slow down my love for coasters and other thrills.

Great times were had by all and I’m thankful I got to be a part of the week. I’m looking forward to another “adult” visit to Disney that will hopefully include some more little people!!

Phnom Pehn, Cambodia

One of our optional activities in Phnom Pehn was a visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels just outside of town where the Vietnamese hid, worked and fought from during the wars. Our entire group was curious to learn more and see the tunnels.

We arrived with our guide and saw a short film on the history along with a model of the tunnels. The tunnels were built over 40 years beginning in the wars in the first half of the 1900s. They were also used during the Vietnam War to hide from the Americans as well as to attack the American bases. Entire groups and families lived within the tunnel system for extended periods of time. It was thought provoking to say the least to be at this spot and think about what had happened between our two countries.

The first part of our tour visited some demonstrations (using models of people) of life during the active days of the tunnels. They included sewing areas, food areas, workshops, etc. As we started this part of the tour the weather turned and the clouds moved in.

As we neared the tunnels, we were shown a patch of ground where a tunnel entrance was hidden. We would never have found it had it not been pointed out. It was literally a tiny square wooden lid that was the entrance to a tiny hole (it looked about 15″ x 10″). One of the local Vietnamese working at the tunnels showed us how they removed the leaves covering the lid and climbed feet first into the hole. It was amazing how small and well hidden the holes for the tunnels were.

Next it was our turn to try. It was amazing how even some of the big guys in our group could fit into the tiny hole. It was eerie to climb into the holes but an experience I wanted to have. The process is to lower yourself feet first with hands in the air and then bend to the ground to cover up. Once you are in the hole, it is a very confined area with nothing but climbing through the tunnels left to do. Amazing that the people using the tunnels didn’t get more claustrophobic. It was also quite troublesome to imagine the use of the tunnels and hiding during the Vietnamese War when so many Americans were killed.

The tunnel system is quite extensive and went down three levels. There were rooms built for meetings and gathering (including use for eating), rooms for sleeping (tiny areas), first and second level hiding areas, and even escape tunnels to climb to the river and escape through the water as a last option. It was truly an ingenious offense that the Vietnamese built.

By the time we got to crawl through a tunnel that has been widened for tourists to visit, it was pouring rain. Thus, our tour turned into high gear in order to get us through everything in the rain. It was rather disappointing as we didn’t get to truly enjoy the day. Our guide decided we were going to run through the rest of the visit in order to “get it done”. We were all pretty disappointed and knew that we had missed seeing some of the tunnel grounds.

One part that bothered me during the tour was a shooting range. In one section of the grounds, they have a shooting range set up where anyone interested can shoot AK-47s as well as other heavy artillery. I have no problem with people that want to shoot at targets for fun or as a skill. But I did struggle with having the shooting range located right where so much fighting and death happened in the relatively near future. A few of our group did some shooting and I had no issues with them wanting to do that. Though for me personally, it was the wrong place to have the range.

It was also an interesting history lesson for me to learn more about the Vietnam War as well as America’s attempted attacks to uncover the tunnels. There were at least four different attempts (one included using dogs) to discover where the tunnels were hidden. And although a very small percentage of the tunnels were uncovered, the Americans were not successful at destroying the Cu Chi Tunnels.

It was another interesting experience in understanding more of my countries history as well as the ingenious offense that the Vietnamese built.

Siem Reap, Cambodia

During our month trip we were lucky enough to have two birthdays to celebrate. The first was for our single Welsh bloke, Dave, for his 24th birthday. We celebrated in Laos with a Kinky Combat theme (picture 12 people dressed up in combat with face makeup to accompany). It was a fun night but rather tame after three days of hard core celebration of the new year with water in Laos.

The second birthday was this past Thursday for our youngest group member, Gunilla, from Sweden who turned 22. For her birthday we started with a Pirates theme and then added Glamorous after we all had dresses made in Hoi An, Vietnam. Thus, the them became Glam-rates.

After a full day of temple viewing at Angkor Wat (beginning with the sunrise at 5:30 am), we left the hotel at 6:15 pm for some fun at the Siem Reap hotspots. Again, use your imagination and picture 12 group members dressed in everything from pirate attire to “dumb and dumber” to glamorous dress.

Two of the boys (the aforementioned Dave, and Scott from Oz) took some male bonding time in Hoi An (aka “secret squirrel business”) and had suits made that resembled the dumb and dumber look. They were basic suits worn with a bowtie, tophat, and cane. The kicker was the color of the suits…one in bright orange and one in bright blue. And the hats were quite large and goofy. They looked great and made quite a commotion everywhere we went.

Our fearless leader, Captain Vague, had some artists pants and a shirt made in Hoi An and with his scarf (worn daily but for the event minus the baseball cap) closely resembled a pirate. The ladies all had their dresses on and looked fabulous. I had a Vietnamese traditional dress made in Hoi An and wore that (lots of fun but quite warm given it was long sleeved with long pants…).

We started the night at our favorite spot FCC (Foreign Correspondent’s Club of Cambodia) for their happy hour. The next stop was a quick drink at Raffles for one of their famous Singapore Slings. It was a great bar and we had fun making quite an impression. After happy hour, we headed to dinner at the Soup Dragon which turned out to be rubbish. Not so much the food but the fact that the service was horrendous and three of us (myself included) never got our food. Besides that, they ran out of numerous dishes including chicken and had to keep asking for alternatives. I had ordered some soup and after everyone who had food had eaten, they told me they were out. Needless to say, our group wasn’t happy.

For the real celebration our group visited the Temple Bar and Angkor What?. Temple was quite mellow and a quick getaway for Emma and I (thanks for the shots my friend ;). Ankor What? was great fun and was known in town for being a great place to go out and dance. Our group did plenty of that and stayed quite late. We met lots of people throughout the night including a group of boyz from California who we had fun dancing with. All in all, it was a great night and good fun was had by all!

The next morning (Friday), our group had a 7 am start for a full day of driving on coaches back to Bangkok. The first half of our trip was on a pretty terrible van to the Thai border. The road is known as the “bumpy” or “dancing” road. We had heard about the road but had no idea what we were in for until the ride started.

We had about five to six hours of bouncing along a dirt road filled with potholes in a bus with terrible suspension. The Cambodian government has postponed paving the road (and it’s the main route to Thailand) in order to keep people using the local airways which is more expensive. Needless to say, the road is crap and makes for a very long and annoying ride.

With about two hours to go, the weather turned and it started to pour. Now imagine this terrible road with potholes galore now turned into mud. It was horrendous and amazing that there weren’t constant wrecks. I did feel bad for the people on the motos with no covering (as well as all those that had broken down along the way).

Thankfully we made it without any interruptions. We picked a bad night to go out but it was fun nonetheless! And anyone interested in going from Siem Reap to Bangkok, I highly recommend buying the air ticket… it must be worth the price!

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Several people in our group had booked our Intrepid Trip (The Great Indochina Loop) primarily for visiting Angkor Wat. I, again, have to admit that I was not as knowledgeable about Angkor Wat as I should have been. That said, again I put my reading and inquisition skills to work and learned as much as possible about these ruins.

Angkor Wat is a series of temples outside Siem Reap that date back thousands of years. The various temples and sites have gone through much devastation through Cambodian wars and are still in the reconstruction phase. The complex of temples is huge and spans hundreds of kilometers.

Our trip included a three day pass for touring Angkor Wat of which we would use two with a local guide. Upon arrival in Siem Reap, we stopped at the entrance to Angkor Wat and had to get a photo ID made for our passes. Our leader decided that we were going to pull faces in our pictures in a friendly competition. Needless to say, there were some good pics going around (I choose the “my mommy says fat people can’t smile” look).

The first day of touring for our group was Wednesday. Unfortunately, I had been up all night the night before with some type of 24 hour bug. The loss of everything in my system and lack of sleep caused me to be exhausted and not able to make it through much of the day. I did make it to the first set of temples at Angkor Thom as well as by the Elephant Terrace and Bayon. Within a couple of hours I was exhausted and made my way back to the hotel for an afternoon of sleep. The rest of the group continued on a 3-4 km walk to Bayon and then to the Jungle Temple (one scene from “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” was filmed there). They finished the day with a sunset view over another temple sans the sun.

Day two was an extremely long and eventful day. We started at 5 am with a sunrise tour of the main temple at Angkor Wat. It turned out to be a beautiful sunrise and hopefully created some great photos. But the star of the morning had to be one of the temple monkeys that had a liking for one of our group members, Achem from Germany.

It was quite entertaining to watch the monkey groom Achem as they do each other looking for bugs and cleaning. He stuck around and also enjoyed some of our tea and anything else he could find. I had fun taking pictures and following him around loving time with primates. It was unusual as the monkeys usually don’t come out until the afternoons.

The tours of the temples were amazing. Mostly because of our guide, Ly, who is a local Cambodian (about 28 years old). His knowledge of the history is amazing. He shared all kinds of info with us about the history, the fighting, the symbolism, and the religions related to the temples. They are truly an amazing sight and learning ground for the history of Cambodia. They are all in a process of being reconstructed to a better state. It has been slow though due to the excavation which entails digging through potential land mines and then determining what goes where. As well, some of the statues and stones have been destroyed and need recreating.

The temples are made out of two types of stone: limestone and volcanic stone. The volcanic stone is used for the sturdy foundation whereas the limestone is used for engraving. The engravings are amazing and tell all types of stories, have great statues, and include sanskrit that a limited number of people can read. There are various types of temples include traditional looking Wats (or temple) as well as pyramid styles. And the temples represent a vast array of things including the three Hindu gods.

The second afternoon, only three of us opted to continue on to more temples. It was an incredible afternoon as Ly shared all kinds of information about life in Cambodia as well as real estate and land ownership. We had fun touring and understanding more about the local life.

After visiting the temples first hand, I can understand why the Cambodians believe the temples should be one of the seven wonders of the world (although they struggle with the internet voting as such a low percentage of Cambodians have internet access). If you have a minute, check them out and then vote here (all the peeps in Cambodia would appreciate it).

The temples are truly unique and amazing to visit. Angkor is a great place to learn more about the Cambodian history as well as plenty of religious insight. A recommended stop for anyone in Southeast Asia.

Phnom Pehn, Cambodia

How would you deal with telling 20 strangers a day about the murder of your father and the deaths of three brothers and sisters due to starvation and disease? How would you deal knowing that the murderers of your family are part of the society you walk and live in every day?

That question was answered for us by our guide through S-21 Genocide Museum and The Killing Fields during our tour yesterday. Ron was born in 1970 and of his 10 family members, only six survived the devastation through the second half of the ’70s. Ron is amazing and I have so much admiration for him as a person and leader for younger generations.

The first part of our tour was through the S-21 Genocide Museum where almost 17,000 Cambodians were murdered by the Khmer Rouge for being enemies. And those enemies included anyone that was an intellectual (this could be determined by 1. wearing glasses, 2. no calluses on hands and obviously not a farm worker, or 3. lighter skin obviously from not working in the fields). This included doctors, teachers, graduates, government workers, and basically anyone that worked outside of farms.

Of the 17,000 people that crossed into S-21 (Security 21 which was a former school), only seven people survived. They were doing work for the Khmer Rouge and thus, when the area was taken over by the Vietnamese they were the only ones still alive. There were 14 dead bodies found in tiny cells. They were 14 Cambodians that had been tortured through the most unhumane methods imaginable.  There are now 14 graves in the grounds to memorialize all the thousands that were killed.

Walking through the museum was difficult. We saw tiny cells where women were raped, murdered, and jumped committing suicide to escape their fate. We saw rows and rows of pictures of the faces of the boys and men and women and children that passed through the prison. We saw the tools that were used to torture the prisoners. And we saw pictures of the soldiers that committed the heinous crimes.

After completing the tour of the museum, I asked our guide how he manages to face the museum on a regular basis after what he went through and how he felt being there (in the beginning he made it clear that we could ask whatever we would like). His response tore me up… He told me that sometimes he can’t talk and that is why he smiles so much. He smiles to prevent losing his words and keeping his emotions together. He wants the world to know what the people went through. And to prevent it ever happening again. What a courageous man! And on top of his guiding, he also supports his own three children as well as neighbor’s kids in school (the neighbors are factory workers and cannot afford the $2+ per day for each child of which, one dollar goes to the teacher and one dollar goes to food).  He also runs an English school and for two years has taught 20 kids between 7 and 16 years of age to speak English. What a hero!

After the S-21 museum, we drove about forty minutes to The Killing Fields which is where prisoners were taken from S-21 to be murdered and buried. It is a moving experience to be there. There are over a hundred mass graves where almost 20,000 Cambodians were buried. They have dug up several of the mass graves (they were originally dug up for looting to get gold and jewels off the victims although those belongings had already been taken by the murderers). In them they found children and babies, women without clothing, and men without heads (their heads had been thrown in the pond nearby). I cannot begin to explain what it was like to be there. Walking around these mass graves, you see bones sticking out of the ground as well as clothing. There is no way to avoid it as it is everywhere.

In the middle of the grounds is a stuppa where there are thousands of skulls and clothing remains to memorialize all the people that were murdered. It is moving. It is disgusting. It is tragic. It touched me and is something I will never forget.

Each of us was emotionally moved by the experience through Cambodia. There is such a tragic past but such hope for the future. The people that experienced the genocide of the ’70s want people to know and be aware. So I encourage everyone to read and learn about the past. And I hope that no one else ever has to suffer anything like it.

Here’s to heroes like Ron who are making a difference for the future of Cambodia!