moderatelyExcessive

Disgust. That is the word that should describe my initial reaction to Phnom Penh. In the days since, I have come to know so much more about this place and there is a much more appreciative feeling growing within me. That which is profane here, which is repellent here, which is discouraging here, is so obvious. It confronts you at every moment.
That which is beautiful and welcoming, that which allows for more than self-indulgence is so much more subtle. It has to be sought, but it is also in abundance.

It comes in moments when a stranger waits with you for the rain to stop.
It comes when a monk walks an unrestrained elephant down the street.
It comes when little girls shriek “hello” and hide in embarrassment.
It comes when a stranger wordlessly takes your hand as you view the endless photos of those detained and murdered by the Khmer Rouge.

There is a great kindness underneath all the vice. It just needs to be sought and exposed.

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It has only been three days and I already have far more stories than can be told.

I will tell you about about my fast friend, I’ll call him Elvis. He is a Westerner and he is a trained killer. No joke. The stories he has told me have been confirmed by many, and I know that he is not a man to doubt. He punctuates each sentence he speaks with a flourish of his hands, and before you know what has happened he has either dug two fingers into your carotid artery, or has shown that he could blind you, break your arm, and thrust your sinuses into your brain before you could begin to scream. I wondered whether I was irritating him when this first happened. Soon, I understood that he does this with everyone he speaks to, no matter their size, nationality, or how many friends they have with them and regardless of the subject or tone of the conversation.

He has been invaluable in teaching me to speak Khmer.

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I did visit the Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng Dentention Center yesterday. The photos I took can tell you more than I am capable of. Not that the visit was obligatory, but I was glad to do it early in my trip so that I can now focus on Cambodia’s limitless future (I truly believe this), and glorious past.

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Peace to you all.

P.S. I’ve been told by a friend using a PC that there is a problem in trying to post comments here. If anyone reading this can try to post, it would go very far in helping me to diagnose and correct the problem.