Need To Chill Out? Then Head To Luang Prabang, Laos

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Laos, Luang Prabang, Mekong River, Nam Khan river, Thongbay Guesthouse

Gardens at Thongbay Guesthouse, where I stayed in Luang Prabang.

As usual, I am a bit late in posting about my adventures in South East Asia. Currently, I am in Vietnam and on November 1st, I will be in Jakarta, Indonesia. However, prior to visiting Vietnam, I spent a week (late September, 2014) in Luang Prabang, Laos. Why did I go there? The primary reason was to chill out, as quite a few freinds – whom already had visited Luang Prabang – told me I would really enjoy the small town atmosphere, as well as the outdoor activities, which this area has in abundance. Quite a change from Phnom Penh, where I had been.

A New Friend In Dalat, Vietnam

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Coffee, Dalat, Vietnam

I usually do much longer posts, but today is an exception. I visited a coffee shop called Windmills Flower & Coffee. it is managed by a charming and very gracious man, named Dennis. He also makes an outstanding coffee latte! 

Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Bits And Pieces

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Cambodia, FCC, National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Sorya Shopping Center, The Plantation

This photo was taken at my hotel, The Plantation, in Phnom Penh. Great place to stay, as I really enjoyed the pool, spa services, and the staff is excellent. Very luxurious place with reasonable room rates. I was impressed! Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t give a “shout out” to Sayon, the excellent concierge at this hotel. Without his assistance for a Fed Ex package he tracked down, along with his other services (places to visit, restaurants, etc.), I would have been lost. Thank you my friend. 🙂

Even though I have been in Vietnam for awhile, I still haven’t completed my posts about Cambodia and Laos. Which points to the fact, that maintaining this blog is hard to do, especially when you have someone (me) overseeing it who is undisciplined about setting aside time to do it. Ha. I wasn’t always this way. Prior to retiring early in 2006, I was the poster boy for “Workaholics Anonymous.” Umm, that guy has disappeared. Yeah, occasionally I can focus and go on a tear, but it all depends on the project I am working on. It also helps (not) that I have been sick with a low grade fever and sore throat. Consequently, I might as well do something productive with my time. With that being said, let me get back to what this post is supposed to be about, namely Cambodia.

The Killing Fields

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Cambodia, Choeung Ek, Khmer Rouge, killing fields, Phnom Penh, Pol Pot, Tuol Sleng

Memorial stupa filled with the skulls of the victims at the killing field of Choeung Ek.

The term “killing fields” refers to a number of sites in Cambodia, where large numbers of people were tortured, killed and then buried by the Communist Khmer Rouge regime. I visited one such killing field named Choeung Ek in Phnom Penh. Cambodian journalist, Dith Pran, coined the term “killing fields.” The Khmer Rouge were in power from 1975 to 1979, immediately following the Cambodian civil war (1970-1975). Pol Pot, sometimes referred to as “Cambodia’s Hitler” was responsible for this mass genocide. However, he was never brought to justice – either dying from heart failure or suicide, i.e., no one knows for sure because he was cremated before an autopsy could be performed.