After having conducted a number of interviews for my landmine-feature I've decided to take a day off today. So I slept until 11 am, read a book and will probably spend the rest of the day lying in the hammock I bought in Phnom Penh.

Maybe I'll go for a two-hour massage later or I'll complete my entry about my trip to the minefields. But that will really bit it for today. Tomorrow I'll make my first trip to the Angkor temples, together with some people from a German conservation project. I don't know whether I'll do a story about them. Maybe.

Yesterday I was at the so called "Landmine Museum" in Siam Reap. I found it quite interesting and to me, Aki Ra, the guy who runs the place did come across quite sincere. I'm saying this since I've heard quite a number of critical voices about him and his museum from people who are professionally involved with mine clearing or treating mine victims. Their main criticism was that no one knows how much money Aki Ra makes and what he does with it and that some of the information displayed at the museum is not 100 % accurate. I think both are very valid concerns, especially coming from people who are very qualified. But seeing how Aki Ra still lives I doubt that he gets rich by the donations. Besides I think that it's great that he looks after children who have lost limbs due to mines or UXO and if he makes a small profit, so what? What's wrong with making a profit?

As for some of the information not being 100 % accurate: Of course that is a problem but imho it's a museum for tourists who want to get an impression about what landmines are. And I think the museum does that quite well. So I think that minor inaccuracies are forgivable.

On the web:
The Landmine Museum