February 2000
Ministry work in Cambodia faces some unique challenges, due to the cultural decimation by the Khmer Rouge during the Vietnam war. Not only were most religious institutions wiped out (Operation World says, “90% of monks and most Christians perished” in the killing fields of the 70s and 80s), but also education and business establishments.
Getting there
Monday, February 21
For the past several weeks, telling people I'm going to Cambodia has evoked the same response from nearly everyone: “Cambodia? Why?” I myself know very little about the country, and I was surprised at the consistently negative reaction to the idea of going there. My father asked, “It's not really safe there, is it?” A co-worker half-jokingly labeled this “The Trip Nobody Else Wanted.” And a lady at my church hugged me goodbye, wished me a good trip, and cheerfully advised, “Don't step on any land mines!”
I am traveling with two co-workers. On the bus to O'Hare Airport this morning I asked one of them what he hoped to get out of this trip. “My Number One goal,” he replied, “is to survive.” I seem to be alone in my enthusiasm for this adventure.
The things I've learned about Cambodia in preparing for this trip have incited more of a curious sadness than nervousness or fear. Three weeks ago I watched “The Killing Fields,” the movie about the Khmer Rouge coming into power, beginning in Phnom Penh. The protagonist of the movie survived starvation, random killings, exposure, indoctrination, and disease before finally escaping to a Thailand refugee camp and then to the States.
I also read a book called “Children of Cambodia's Killing Fields,” a compilation of the stories of Cambodian children who endured slave labor, family separation, hunger, and beatings, and in many cases watched the systematic execution of their parents and siblings.
I still don't understand all the politics behind the war that spilled over into Cambodia, but I understand the effects: under the Khmer Rouge the wealthier, educated professionals and businessmen of society were killed or banished; the remaining population were reduced to brutal slavery; cities were bombed; and a lush countryside was littered with the bodies of millions of victims.
The Khmer Rouge's reign of terror lasted from 1975 to 1985, and Cambodia has not yet recovered.
I'm intrigued by all that history, and I'm looking forward to learning more while I'm there.
Tuesday, February 22
Oddly enough, though the flight from Chicago to Tokyo was less than half full, our flight from Tokyo to Bangkok was packed! Once I wedged into my seat, I didn't move for the whole seven hours. (It would have taken a shoe horn to get me out, and it just didn't seem worth it.)
We arrived in Bangkok around 11:00pm and took taxis to our hotel, where our other Southeast Asian staff had already checked in.
The night market near our hotel does not close until 1:00am, so a few of us strolled through and looked at the merchandise before turning in. Interestingly enough, the merchandise on display included a number of topless dancers, since this market area is also known for its brothels. As far as I know, no purchases were made by our group.
Touring Bangkok
Wednesday, February 23
I got up at 7:00am and made it down to the breakfast buffet at 8:00, where I enjoyed fresh fruit, eggs, bacon, French toast, and juice. My two co-workers came in about 8:30 and announced that they had made arrangements with a taxi driver to take us to some of the local highlights and then directly to the airport. So I checked out of my room by 9:00am and joined the boys on a sightseeing adventure.
The thing that made our adventure adventurous was that our taxi driver spoke exactly as much English as we spoke Thai: zero. Plus, he didn't really seem to know exactly where these sites were we wanted to visit. We had a list that had been written out in Thai by the hotel staff, and we had a tourist map with all the sites plainly marked, but “Frank” (as we came to call him) seemed to drive around in circles a lot, stopping to ask people for directions more than once. It was really pretty amusing.
We didn't get to see everything on our list, but we did stop outside the king's palace, which was impressive. And we did visit a collection of famous Buddha statues, which was interesting. And, most important, we did get back to the airport in time. (This had become a major concern of ours while we were wandering aimlessly up and down the streets of Bangkok.)
