THE adoption email chat service has some interesting exchanges. Here's part of

a December 11 message:

"When we were in Cambodia there really were spirit houses everywhere. On the

lawn of the motel, at the government agencies, literally everywhere we looked there

was this little demon villa. There were also alters [sic] to Buddah [sic] in the

government agencies. We went to the Museum of natural history thinking that it would

be about the physical history of Cambodia but it was nothing but a storehouse for

false gods... It took us about 2.5 seconds to realize that the place was yucky but

the driver was gone and didn't come back for an hour so we were trapped there with

all these weird god creatures with 8 arms and the like...this lady gave us a flower,

I thought that it was pretty so I took it and walked off. She started talking to

me firmly in Khmer and pointing at a big Buddah [sic] in the middle of the room.

I finally understood that she wanted me to crawl on my knees over to the thing and

give the flower to it. YEA RIGHT!!! I told her no and she got really mad.

 

Oh well! I wanted soooooo bad to stick that flower up that things nose but I controlled

myself and acted all civalized [sic]. Then, we went to the Royal Palace and there

was a three eyed cow there that they worship (hindu). I immediately started craving

a ribeye:) Thank God they didn't try to make me worship it because it was downright

ugly. There was also a Buddah [sic] there made of solid gold with about 10,000 diamonds

in it's [sic] head. This really made me sad because I wondered how many starving

children that money could feed. I was so heart broken for the Cambodian people and

their deception. I would love to go back some day on a mission trip. We did notice

that Campus Crusade for Christ has an office there...So, maybe there is some hope."

And now a small note from the bowels of you-know-what. There's a hotel in town with

a poster in its restaurant offering regular air-conditioned bus service to Svay Pak.

The fare is only $1 per passenger, and departure times start at 11am, with subsequent

shuttles every two hours afterwards.

Finally, all readers who buy a "2002 Diary Phnom Penh Post: The First Decade

July 1992-2002" deserve a front row seat in heaven. At the very least, know

that we here at the PPP greatly appreciate it.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!