Comment on Cambodia

I'm slightly frustrated by my inability to get my photos to download in SE Asia- the sytems just don't like my USB cable. The poor thing will be starting to take it personally.

Anyway all it means is that I can't give you lot photos to look at on this next blog- unless I can add them later? Anyone...?

So. Cambodia. I was slightly on edge when I got there, due to reading way too much Lonely Planet info. Tip: Read all that stuff and take it as good advice but don't read it as a bible for Gods sake! My worries included getting scammed into staying at the wrong guesthouse, getting ripped off for a taxi fare, getting lost- you name it. And I've been travelling on my own for a while now! Anyway I arrived at Phnom Penh and was graciously greeted by a tuk tuk driver who didn't rip me off and didn't take me to the wrong place. All was well. The guesthouse was lovely and very clean, and PP welcomed me with open arms. I didn't really get to know PP intimately, maybe because I was only there for 3 days and one was wasted as I was unwell (again!) with the very persistent lurgy! But what I did see was stunning. The Royal Palace was just amazing and beats the British stuff into the ground, the Silver Pagoda (which is what I really wanted to see!) was breathtaking and I would highly recommend both. I also went to the Genocide Museum of Choeung Kek- otherwise known as the Killing Fields. Very sad, very horrific and I won't pretend to be able to put it into words. Go and see for yourselves. Another separate blog on the Khmer Rouge coming soon.

Then it was onto Siem Reap, which I preferred to be honest. My room at the guesthouse smelled slightly damp and it had bedbugs, but hey- what can you expect for $8 a day. That also included breakfast, bicycles, laundry and lots more. A great deal. SR has the famous Angkorian temples of Angkor Wat, the Bayon and many others. I spent 3 days climbing around them in the fierce heat but enjoyed every minute of it and it gave me an excellent excuse to have a few beers at the end of the day! Other attractions in SR included the wonderful Angkor museum ( a very happy 3 hours spent there!) the minature Angkor Wat and the Water Festival that was going on at the time. Add that to the tour of the floating villages and some traditional dancing not to mention a Cambodian cooking course and it all adds up to a very happy 7 days.

Just a brief comment and comparison between Vietnam and Cambodia. I am always interested in how different cultures etc are despite being so close together (although why I don't know- its not like the Scots and the English are identical and we are far closer together!) The Cambodians are poorer, there can be no doubt about that. However they are now starting to get back on their feet after years of war, poverty and absolute starvation and the tourist industry is assisting greatly with that. The 2 races look very different with Cambodians being darker in the skin and having rounder eyes. Cambodians are also somewhat quieter than Vietnamese and at first I thought that this was them being stand offish and unwelcoming. After a few days I realised that this is just as a result of them being shyer and quieter, and also not so used to having visitors in their country. But they are a proud and dignified people who are delighted to show their beautiful country off.

And so they should be. Its worth showing.