Travel day - day 1:

After nearly 35 hours of travelling, including an unexpected seven hour layover in Hong Kong, we finally arrived in Phnom Penh in good spirits, receiving a jasmine garland from our guide, Sam. We were greeted by the sounds of tuk tuks and motorcycles bustling throughout the busy, lit up Cambodian streets. After a good night's sleep at the hotel, we woke up ready for our busy day and made our way downstairs to a local breakfast consisting of fried rice, noodle dishes, and fresh watermelon. We then hopped on the bus and drove to the Royal Palace, where we learned about its history while taking in the beautiful scenery and architecture. However, in stark contrast to the beautiful palace, we next explored perhaps the darkest part of Cambodia's history. We visited the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek where we saw the effects of the Khmer Rouge, a genocidal regime that killed roughly three million people just forty years ago. Words can't describe the disgust we felt as we learned about Pol Pot and the horrors he inflicted on his own people. We were able to pay our respects for all of the lives lost at the memorial stupa, which houses the remains -- skulls, teeth, and bones -- of thousands of people found on site. In addition, we were deeply moved by our guide Sam's personal story of his family's experience surviving the atrocities of the Kumer Rouge. For lunch, we drove to Tonle Bassoc where we dined buffet style on Asian fare. Here, some of us tried new foods like snail and frog, and we were thankful to be able to refuel in between sites. We then continued to learn about the Khmer Rouge at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. It was a former high school turned into a prison. Again, we learned about the terrors so many Cambodians faced as we walked quietly while listening to an audio tour. We saw pictures of hundreds of victims as well as paintings that depicted their experiences. In the group debrief later that evening, it was obvious that each and every one if us was deeply impacted by our experiences at both the Killing Fields and the prison. It gave us a lot to think about. Later that night, after having some down time in the hotel to cool off and relax, we saw a traditional dance show presented by the Cambodia Living Arts on stage. We saw not only traditional folk dances but also some that told stories of the mythology of Cambodia, all performed by a non profit organization. Finally, we finished the day off with dinner and of course, ice cream and took a night walk in the heart of the city along the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers.