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These are lotus roots and the seeds which are enclosed in the small round circles are popular snacks, not unlike peanuts. The lotus is considered the perfect plant because it rises from the water to produce a beautiful flower. A lot of Buddhist allegory is connected with the lotus.

This stretch of sand and rocks is the quarter mile road connecting the highway to the beach in Sihanoukville. There is a lot of pedestrian, motorbike and construction traffic. That is my hotel on the left. I have declared that this is the worst road I have seen anywhere in the world. The saving grace is that it leads to such a delightful beach.

So long since I have written and a lot to catch up. I have been moving around a bit so not always able to get on the internet. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

I left Siem Reap a week ago and headed for Phnom Penh where I met a friend from Viet Nam who had business here. We spent a couple of days in PP seeing sights including the horrific Toul Sleng Detention Center, the site of torture, interrogations and killings of thousands of Cambodians during the years of genocide when the Red Khmers ran things back in the 80's and 90's. It was the goal of the Khmer Rouge to eliminate everything from the past and begin a new agrarian culture. All lawyers, teachers, politicians were interrogated, tortured and eventually killed, as were their wives and children, the latter to prevent reprisals after the children were grown. It was madness and so inconsistent with the gentle nature of the Cambodians I have met. Visiting Toul Sleng is depressing but enlightening, not in a very good way, when you see how low humanity can fall. I hired a guide who gave a vivid and horrible description of what took place there. She was about 45 years old and explained that she was living with her family in PP when Pol Pot took power. There are photos on display of celebration in the streets of Phnom Penh as the people welcomed the KR and photos 3 hours later of firing squad executions on the same streets. As the Khmer Rouge took over the city, residents either joined the party or fled to the country. She left with her family and walked 30 days to the north. Even there they did not escape and her father and brother who were teachers were killed by the Khmer Rouge. She told this story very emotionlessly as have all Cambodians with whom I have discussed the bad old days. I guess it is a defense mechanism.

From PP I traveled south to Sihanoukville, a wonderful beach town 4 hours away. I spent my first night in a pretty awful hotel but moved the next day to a much nicer place with a great balcony and view. The room was on the fourth floor and that is a lot of steps to schlep a heavy bag. There are few elevators in this country, so a room with a view usually means a lot of steps. In Sihnaoukville I enjoyed a lot of really good food. At night the beach is lined with food hawkers and you can sit at a table a few feet from the water and wiggle your toes in the sand as you are eating your grilled red snapper.

Now I am back in Phnom Penh and I will stay here a few more days. The main reason I am staying is to have some dental work done. I had a temporary crown put in a few months ago in Viet Nam so I was fitted yesterday for a permanent. It should be ready in a couple of days so I will rest and relax here in Phnom Penh while I wait..