What’s the most embarassingly ignorant thing you’d admit to? I’ve just finished reading Wild Swans and I’d always assumed that the Cultural Revolution (just from it’s name) meant a few people rising up and saying somthing like: “Come on chaps, enough of this tofu-scoffing, oppressive communism – let’s write some poems!”. Followed by an outpouring of literature, paintings and personal expression that bought a totalitarian government to it’s knees and freed the people to make microchips and cheap shoes. Rather than, you know, pupils turning cinemas into torture chambers for their teachers – that sort of thing…

(While I’m in the mood for admitting things, I think ABBA are one of the best bands ever formed, I rate Benny and Bjorn over Lennon and McCartney and a day hasn’t gone by in the last 10 years or so when I haven’t secretly listened to a good chunk of ABBA Gold. Seriously, I fucking love ABBA..)

So, we’re in Phnom Penh now which kind of reminds me of India a litle bit. We hadn’t really planned on doing much on our first day but after lunch we decided to visit The Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng (aka S21, the Khmer Rouge torture/detention centre). Have absolutely nothing to say about either, they’re just indescribable. Watch The Killing Fields or read Voices from S-21 if you’re interested – there’s really not much more to add and I wouldn’t know where to start to be honest.

After the tour we came back to the hotel. From our 5th Floor window, I’ve just watched half a dozen 5-10 year old rubbish scavengers have an all out fist-fight over a crushed plastic bottle someone had thrown in the gutter. The victor kicked the crap out of one of the smaller kids before huffing some petrol/glue out of a plastic bag, staggering triumphantly down the road and then crossing straight into the path of an oncoming car.