Seeing more of the World: Part II Phnom Penh,Cambodia

I am so glad that I travel with a journal! As I look over these photos a month after our trip, I am already confused about where we were and what was the most impressive part of our visit to each city. Luckily, I can look at my journal (along with some details I google) to make sense of over 700 photos. I'm trying to pick only the best.

Phnom Penh  

This was our first stop in Cambodia. This is the city that was evacuated by the Khmer Rouge in 1975, is known for the prisons of torture and death, and is one site of many "killing fields" used by the Khmer Rouge. We visited the Tuoi Sieng Genocide Museum. We took no pictures. Our guide was 12 when her family was told to leave the city. She and her mother ended up separated, working in the fields. Her father and siblings were killed. This is one of many stories we were told. Everyone we met in Cambodia had their own story or a family story about the horrifying reign (1975-79) of the Khmer Rouge.

However, this country is moving on, and so did we. Visiting the Royal Palace, it is easy to envision the days when the king rode an elephant while scenes from the "King and I" float through your mind.

Stupa holding the remains of a king.

Spectacular painted ceilings 

A mural of Sanskrit epic poem wraps around the interior of the walls.

This was painted in 1903-1904 by a team of art students.

Before leaving the palace grounds we washed with a bit of sacred water.

The city of Phnom Penh is full of markets and tuk tuks. The traffic is crazy and crossing the street on foot can be rather terrifying. 

Seafood Anyone?

Buying a hat

And then there is the poultry department

At the end of a hot, busy day of sight seeing, the Foreign Correspondent's Club, overlooking the Mekong River, was a good spot to sit and sip on a cold drink.

Margaret, Oh Margaret, Where Have You Been?

I've been wrapped up in an extensive kitchen/family room remodel since Dec. 28. Mike, being a project manager, had put a one month schedule together that allowed us to be completed mostly by the end of February. If you've been there, you know that living in the midst of a remodel has its challenges. For us, below freezing temperatures in January, without a heat source was top of the list for awhile.As our friend/contractor Dan would say, "Some folks wait for good weather to tear up a kitchen."

But that wouldn't be us!

Here are some photos of the project in the demolition stage.

 

 

 

And then the putting back together--still a mess.

 

 

The moment I'd been waiting for--putting my art into the backsplash. Anyone can do this. I just sent my art in digital form to a company that puts photos on tiles. I got one mural made, and the rest single square tiles.

 

And now pics of the new "aloha" kitchen/family room.

 

I put tiles above the doors.

 

Our new wood stove creating a cozy corner.

 

And our new (we lived with the tube tv until now) media center.

 

For those of you who just can't get enough of remodeling ideas, here are more photos on the Picasa Web Album.

https://picasaweb.google.com/mikegodfreyblueriver/CompletedKitchenRemodel?authkey=Gv1sRgCK7f7srH5bqPVg#

And I do have art news and new paintings, but that will come on my next post.