Cambodia...

All I can say about Cambodia is yowzers. I've seen poverty before, but Cambodia is a whole new level of poverty. I've never seen anything quite like it. The trip down from the boarder to Siem Reap was quite an experience. It's about 160 km (100 miles) and it took 5 over hours. The main "highway'' (and only road) was pretty much what we would consider a 4 wheel drive only road. We are talking ROUGH. The country side was filled with rice patties, farmers and tiny, little dity huts. I saw a fellow peddling his bike with only one peddle because the other peddle had broken off. He had tied his foot to the good peddle so he could pull the peddle on the up stroke. That's what I call poor. At dinner tonight some kids from the street wanted to eat the stuff left over from my plate. They were way too hungry to worry about any pride. I think it's the kind of poverty that you have to see in order to believe. I've seen it an I'm still not sure I believe it. Do me a favor, and take a minute right now to be thankful for what you have, because there are a lot of people who have almost nothing. The only difference between us and them is that we were lucky enough to be born in the right time and place.

In the 1970's, the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia, and for some really bad reason, they decided that it would be a great idea to kill or deport every single person who was educated. Close to 2 million people were slaughtered. It's been almost 30 years after the Khmer Rouge were over thrown, and long term result of their policies on this country is clearly visible. The country has no infrastructure, no resources, and seems to have some serious economic hardship. Being left with no one with any skills or abilities takes a long time to over come.

Siem Reap is the closest town to the Angkor Wat ruins (and many other temples), and it seems clear that tourism is the only real source of income. Compared to the rest of this country, this town is a sharp contrast. There are foreigners everywhere, and where there are tourist, there are people catering to them. It is also clear that this influx of tourist money is a new thing as there are shiny new big hotels, and just around the corner are huts with barefoot children trying to sell you postcards for a dollar. It is a stark reminder of the haves and the have-nots. The temples are amazing, though after 2 days, they are starting to all look the same. I'll write more about them when I can get some pictures to show (I can't post any pictures yet as the computers here are quite old, and they don't want to work with my camera).

I have to take a minute to describe the driving system here (and that is using the word system lightly!). The drive down from boarder was truly insane. The trip was made in a cab (ie a guy with a car) shared with a couple from Australia. Cars were rare on the road, as it was mostly filled with scooters, bikes, people, water buffalo, dogs and occasional big trucks/buses. The road was dirt, and full of LARGE pot holes. The drivers would careen down the road narrowly dodging the endless obstacles. I sat in the front seat, and so I got a first hand view of the craziness. When it got dark, it was even funner! Most of the scooters didn't have lights, and of course none of the bikes, children, cows, etc were visible in the dark. It was a complete free for all, and I am completely amazed that no one was killed. The driver was unphased through it all. Somehow this was all normal for him. Here in the city, things are just as wild. The general rule of the road seems to be that you only have to worry about things that are in front of you. So if you pull out in front of another vehicle, that's THEIR problem, because you are in FRONT of them! IT'S NUTS. Ah, but it does make for some good fun!

Planning to stay here for a couple more days, and then head to Laos, and then to northern Thailand, unless something better comes along!