Cambodia

I have just returned from my trip and wanted to post a few pics. Unfortunately, the trip was mostly business, so I went to very few picture worthy places and most of my pics were taken in the car as we drove from place to place. Cambodia is a lot like Thailand in many ways. Going to Cambodia is for us what going to Canada is like for many Americans. Sure, they have a different currency and they have Tim Horton's instead of Dunkin' Donuts, but it's not really that different. However, there were differences. Cambodia was a French colony and still bears the marks of colonialization. Architecture, food, education are just a few areas that still show French influence. The English is very good in Cambodia compared to Thailand. Thailand, never having been a colony, has a low standard of English despite being more advanced than Cambodia in many ways. Cambodia is a bit of a wild west as well. I don't want to say anything negative here, but you've probably heard stories before. One obvious sign of this was the black-market goods so readily available. The gas in Cambodia is heavily taxed and is about $4/gallon. As a result, lots of people sell smuggled gas by the roadside. I wonder how long before this starts happening in America. You can see that they're selling the gas right out of the drums. I saw hundreds of such vendors. Crime is a bit higher and cars often get stolen. People either park their cars behind strong bars and barbed wires or park their cars right in their living room. Most houses are all French doors in the front, so this is easy to do. It was strange to look in houses and see people watching TV next to their car.

In spite of these downsides, Phnom Penh is rapidly improving. They are working on paving all the roads in the city and major roads outside the city. It's not nearly so crowded or crazy with traffic as Bangkok. The riverfront is lovely and well-plannned. We ate at a riverfront cafe that was right across from the unfinished structure that is supposed to be the courthouse for the Khmer Rouge trials. Apparently some foreigners had donated the money and been the driving force behind the trials but the Cambodians don't want it so no progress has been made on it for years. It's a bit eerie to look at.