A history lesson

This is Sna, our guide for the past four days here in Cambodia. The picture shows him holding a banana flower at a roadside breakfast stall.

Sna's story is worth telling. He was born in 1971. Four years later, the Khmer Rouge army took control of Cambodia, installing Pol Pot as dictator. Pol Pot immediately forced all citizens living in towns to flee to the countryside. Sna's family quit Siem Reap with almost no possessions. They roamed from village to village until eventually Sna and his parents were all separated. He was placed in a children's compound, where he was forced to make fertiliser for the rice fields.
The regime was eventaully defeated by the Vietnamese army. He was reunited with his mother, but never again saw his father. Pol Pot's programme of genocide had killed 25% of the population in just four years,

Even under the Vietnamese, who controlled the country until the end of the 80's, there were challenges. It was illegal to learn European languages. Sna learned English from an old neighbour. Had either of them been caught, the punishment would have been severe.

Sna now speaks excellent English, and his work as a guide provides well for him and his young family. Thanks to him, our visit to this lovely, troubled country has exceeded expectations.

Next stop: Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. Travelling there by overnight train. The adventure continues!