CAMBODIA-LAND OF MANY VIEWS

Cambodia was a pleasant surprise. So many years of fighting,& Po Pot, "THE KILLING FIELDS" movie tells it sadly but well. Then many years of UN and NGO folks coming in to lend a hand. I would not say it is now a democracy or under a strictly communist regime. It is a blend of numerous factions. Who is doing the best job I do not know. As in all, 3rd world countries, the masses are just trying to exist & give their children a normal life, that many of them never had a chance to have. The school system does seem to be trying to give this generation a chance for all but the poorest to attend school. I have found in all the 3rd world countries parents have to pay for uniforms & books. That usually means the lowest 15% or so of the population has no chance at even attending primary school. Due to the huge amount of orphans caused by the war there are many children getting a decent education in the orphanages. Some of the older ones return to help teach the younger. Often as a result of the damages of war the parents do not live long enough to raise their kids. The average life expectancy here is 58. I saw very few old Cambodians.I saw many victims of land mines, & often cried at the huge amount of damage we Americans have caused w/ the landmines we dumped here. an International Mandate was just overwhelmingly passed recently. It states all landmines left behind must be clean out after the war etc by the layers of those mines. The US, Russia, & Isral & about 2 other countries were the only ones who refused to sign. Sad but interesting. We refuse to take responsibility for our actions that cause so much pain to others. Most of these victims are men & boys. They play in Khmer traditional folk bands to earn their keep. Their music is lovely.
On a lighter note Cambodia has some real plus's. Their population is very youthful. There is a big push to learn English &/or Korean. The majority of tourists I saw here were Asian. Folks Asia is in the drivers seat economically. The middle class in S. Korea, Japan, Malaysia, & China is a huge tourist market. Unlike Americans, they do not suffer from the economic turndown. The 2 beautiful pictures I downloaded of Cambodia are the islands off the SW coast. Each one so pristine. Unfortunately they have all been sold to the Chinese for luxury resorts they will be building shortly. Cambodia, especially in the NE, still has a chance for ecotourism w/ a lot of wildlife that is almost non-existant in the rest of SE. Asia. Hopefully they do not sell out to the Chinese in some additional ways on this frontier as well. They have already let them deforest large chunks of land that wildlife need to survive. Our ranger by the islands I toured, earned $30 a month from the government. I am sure our tips help him personally, but on a larger scale he said the poaching can not be stopped due to lack of man power.
Angkor Wat is considered the 8th wonder of the world. It is a multitude of temples, temple complexes, & cities covering 77 sq. miles approx. At $40 a head, & w/ 2,000,000 visitors a year the government does maintain the area well. Many countries have adopted a site & are working on preservation. Some more than others. The French had their own folks on site training the Cambodians. They were doing the right thing well. Most educated Cambodians to survive had to flee the country. The Khmer Rouge killed so many that when the time came for peace there were very few left to train the rest. I got a 3 day pass, standard, & spent as much time from dawn to killing heat time, enjoying the many temples, etc. An Aussie gal & I shared a day & went to villages along the river & lakes completely build on approx 15 ft tall stilts. The water level changes that much w/ the seasons. We saw, pigs & chickens being raised & pulled on their own little barge pens behind some of the house boats. The children have to learn to swim at a young age. Most land folks here ride bikes or motorcycles. The rural people travel by boat & sometime by oxen. The diet is mainly rice, & fish based. I took a Khmer 3 hour cooking class. I wanted to learn some of their great recipes. The fish amok wrapped in banana leaf was among my favorite.
I now prefer Cambodian food to Thai. Less fried foods & not as spicy. I hope to continue learning their recipes. I would say the best food I have had in SE Asia has been in Cambodia. yum yum.
I have not had good luck w/ my health since I have been in Cambodia. Got a very bad chest cold & some other stuff, very weird. It is very hard to get good Western med.care. I am hoping all the tourism will help raise the medical standards.
I broke a tooth another one, shortly after arriving here. My Thai visa had run out so I thought it was a good time to visit here. Well its a frontish tooth & I can not go back to the states looking like this. I am going back to Chiang Mai tomorrow. Another visa,another fun border crossing. Then back to my great DDS there. My friend Janie went to the US to help care for a dying sister. I am paying her to stay at her very, nice convenient condo. Hopefully will have time for more writing. I really miss all in the States so when the dental is completed I am back to the good old USA.