Arriving in Cambodia

I've only been in Cambodia for a few days and I can boldly say that I LOVE IT!! Don't know what it is but you definitely get a feeling about a place as soon as you arrive. Maybe it's a bit early to judge but it's in my nature so why try to change it?!!

Crossing the boarder was an experience in itself. After we crossed the boarder itself We sat down with a load of locals while we waited for our bus. Great opportunity to people watch. Guys coming and going on their bikes, women making food on the road side and feeding their children. The children are absolutely gorgeous too. And so many of them. Turns out over 40% of the Cambodian population consists of children. The country is obviously still recoving from being ravished by Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot's leadership but it's definitely on the road to recovery. You only have to look around to see how the infrastructure is improving. Roads are being built everywhere you look but that said it's still got a long way to go.

The journey from Cham Yearn to Sihnoukville was amazing. Jaw dropping in fact. Stunning scenery. The poverty is one of the worst I've ever seen. Some people probably would feel guilty. I actually think it's quite selfish to feel 'guilty' when faced with poverty ie. poor me, I feel awful. Hmmm, why do you feel awful? You're not the one living like this. Fingers crossed you won't be you in your next life either! People react differently though especially when they are faced with poverty for the first time.

It took us 5 hours by mini bus to get to Sihnoukville. We crossed five rivers, not by bridge I hasten to add as they were being built, but by boat. Well not really a boat. More like a barge. A rickety barge at that, powered by two speed boat engines either side of the wooden barge. And it was muddy. I had visions of the mini bus sliding off the boat and into the river.

The roads were dicey to say the last. Part tarmac, part stone with massive pot holes in them, part muddy, sloshy paths. How the driver managed to negotiate his way through muddy roads which where at least a foot deep in a two wheel drive, I'll never know. He said it was luck. I say he was a genius. We cheered every time we got to dry land.

The sights along the way were incredible - will upload pics soon. Not just the scenery - it's so green and lush but quite vast at the same time. The people we saw and how they cope with getting by on the bear minimum was astounding too.

Apparently people are just glad that Pol Pot's ruling is over and so anything over and above that ie freedom is an improvement. Embarrassingly I actually didn't know that much about Khmer Roughe's genocidal rule until a few days ago (when I started reading about it!). Words fail me when I got a clear understanding of the atrocities - paralysing is the only one I can think of that comes close.

Basically Pol Pot wanted Cambodia to become a Maoist, peasant-dominated, agrarian cooperative. People were relocated to the country side. Thousands of people who spoke foreign languages or even wore spectacles were branded as 'parasites' and killed. Almost 2 million Cambodians between 1975-1979.

I was speaking to Vindy (moto taxi driver) who was 7 when Pol Pot's ruling came to an end. He said it was horrific. For 7 years he was separated from his parents. His mum worked in one camp with other women. His father in another and him with the other children working in another camp. They would wake at 5am, start work in the fields at 6am. Break at 11 till 12 then work right through till 6pm. A child under 7 was working in these conditions. He said he only saw his parents once a month and they hardly had anything to eat. He said he was starving hungry for 7 years and he and the rest of the country are only starting to get back on their feet.

You only have to look around to see the number of children and adults maimed by the mines and begging to see the effects. This together with the fact you have children selling bracelets and book marks on the beach makes it even more apparent as to how desperate people are. You're advised not to give this way but to donate to govt/private run charities but it's so hard. How can you turn a 8 year-old child away when at the end of the day it's only 50p to you? Consequently I'm now the proud owner of rather a lot of book marks!!

Despite the poverty or almost in spite of the poverty, Cambodia from what I've seen already is an amazing country. It has a lovely vibe to it which I really like. Again, it's pretty early in the day but from what I've seen so far I think another visit next year could be on the cards.

I'm in Sihnouville until Saturday, then I'm heading north to Phnom Penh so see the killing fields, S-21 (former school that Pol Pot turned into a security prison. Then up to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. May be travelling on my own as I think Brooke and Brett will want to stay in Sihnouville for more sun. I need to get going as I'm flighing back to Chiang Mai, Thailand 14th Sept to meet my friend Maneeze and head north into Laos. To say I'm excited is an understatement!!