Author name: Jessie

After lunch at Friends Restaurant, an eatery that trains local young adults to work in the hospitality industry, I was waiting at the gate when the Royal Palace reopened at 2:00 PM. Only parts of the compound are open to visitors since the King still lives there. The buildings are in remarkable shape, in part […]

Since my flight didn’t leave Phnom Penh until 11:55 PM, I spent my last day in the city exploring more sites. The Independence Monument was near the National Institute of Education, so I saw it every day I walked to the conference from my hotel. I don’t know if any pedestrian would be brave enough

I’ve enjoyed some delicious food throughout Cambodia, but I’ve rarely tried to photograph it since the lighting conditions haven’t been good. Here, though, are photos of the variety of fresh fruit I’ve enjoyed at Hotel Nine (for breakfasts and once for dinner, when I took this photo) and the amok and roasted peanuts at K’NYAY.

Killing Fields are located throughout the country, but the best known might be Choeung Ek, located at a former orchard outside Phnom Penh. The contrast of the natural beauty and the unnatural mass graves is difficult to process. Only a few of the mass graves have been exhumed; most have been left untouched. Cloth and bone

Since most of the conference participants left the city after Sunday’s closing session, I took some time on Monday to learn more about Cambodia’s history. Hotel Nine arranged for a tuk tuk to take me to Tuol Sleng (also known as Security Prison 21, or S-21) and the Killing Fields. Tuol Sleng housed thousands (~17,000)

On February 25 and 26, I attended the CamTESOL conference held at the National Institute of Education in Phnom Penh. During the week, the conference venue is an active school so it was only open to conference participants during the weekend conference. The opening session and closing session were held in an air-conditioned auditorium, but

The CamTESOL organizers arranged six site visit options to different types of language schools and programs. I selected the site visit to two private schools, Beltei International Institute and the New York International School, that offer English language classes. At Beltei, an administrator gave a formal presentation on the company’s history and principles. Because the

Today I rode the bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, and I tried to capture some of the sites that caught my attention on the ride a few days ago. The bus took a different route, so I didn’t see any houses marked for relocation this time. Instead, I got to experience Cambodia road

After exploring the temples, I returned to Hotel Be to take a cold shower and cool off. The power went out shortly after I returned, and while it was back on in the tourist area within an hour or so, other areas remained without power for much longer. Pich and Roy picked me up for

I started to lose track of which site I was at, and I took fewer pictures as the day went on. I wasn’t accustomed to the heat, and even with Pich’s cooler full of water, I had a difficult time staying hydrated. Nevertheless, I enjoyed exploring the temples and hope to return for a longer