Cambo usta be the strongest SEAsian country by a long shot. But after spending exuberant
amounts on creating the Ankor Temples it left the empire vulnerable to be taken over.
The most famous incident in recent history was the Khmer Rouge genocide.
Pol Pot was the evil "mastermind", he got his communist views while going to school in France. It was a twisted mix of French Marxism and Chinese peasant commie. He forced everybody out of Pennom Pen "a wasteful and consuming city", and the 2 million inhabitants where marched into the countryside to work as farmers, he destroyed the city. Doctors, teachers and
engineers where executed. Private property was nationalized, Buddhism banned, money abolished, education downgraded, western medicine rejected. 1975 became 'year zero' and Pol Pot became 'brother number one'. In Pennom Pen they established S21. Formerly a school, converted into a detention center for torture and imprisonment of people who failed the hand test (smooth hands show a life of excess). Khmer Rouge was responsible for about a million lives from 1975-79.
They are mostly remembered for their policy of social engineering, which resulted in genocide. Attempts at agricultural reform led to widespread
famine, while its insistence on absolute self-sufficiency, even in the supply of medicine, led to the deaths of thousands from treatable diseases (malaria). The brutality and arbitrary executions and torture are considered to have constituted a genocide.
The Khmer Rouge wanted to eliminate anyone suspected of "involvement in free-market activities". Suspected capitalists encompassed professionals and almost everyone with an education, many urban dwellers, and people with connections to foreign governments.
Soo very NOT equal in an attemptingly equal society.
The capital, Penom Penn, is very interesting, there are broken down tuk-tuks pulling up at an intersection right next to a GM Hummer or brand new Benz, with well worn motorbikes filling in any excess space in between till the light changes. Begging young, disabled and the few elders who suffered through the genocide. Old broken down buildings right next to newly built modern sky rises, very unusual but understandable after learning more about the Khmer Rouge and the havoc reeked. There are broken down tuk-tuks pulling up at an intersection right next to a GM Hummer or brand new Benz, with well worn motorbikes filling in any excess space in between till the light changes. The most poverty stricken country Ive seen.
Met some really cool people in Cambo. One German guy in particular that I initially met in Ho
Chi Min city, then randomly met up with as soon as I got to Penom Penn. We ended up hanging out most of my time here. He goes by the name of "Freedom", I think what drew us together was our common love of funky fly facial hair/inability to grow a proper beard:
This place is crazy, my first night walkin around P.P. a local asked me "You like to shoot guns man? For about 300bucks you can shoot a grenade launcher up in the mntns, and we let one guy shoot a cow with an ak47 and then he hauled it back to the hostel on a tuk tuk and we all eatem for diner!" crazy shit... A lot of women and kids walk around in pajamas all day, men sometimes just wear a sari or large scarf around their waist with no shirt. The streets have priority,the ranking:
-Gov limos
-Big class A buses
-Big trucks
-Lexus SUVs
-Other SUVs
-Autos-Motos/tuk tuks
-Pedestrians
So you better watch your ass when your lowest on the totem pole...
And you have to pay for alot of stuff with US dollars! they use some reils (name of currency) but they prefer US dolla bills. Its been awhile since ive seen some green backs :)
KamPOT
Stayed at a groovy little hostel just outside of town called Bodhi Villa where we were welcomed with a smoke~~~~~ The owner was a crazy high strung Aussy who showed us vids of him heading down river in a boat and getting yanked out and into the air about 15meters by a kite surfing kite. He also has a sweet recording studio on the property where we jammed a bit. Surrounded by all sorts of drug paraphernalia he reminisced on the good old days touring with his band.
Friday nights he sets up a stage and plays a couple tunes. The night we where there we listened to some 17year old french guy traveling with his parents who took over the stage, he was JAMMIN on the guitar, DAMN good, damn damn good...
In Siem Reap we slept in a hostel with beds located in an outdoor major thoroughfare of peds, yea, but heres the best part: one buck/night!!! Met up with some Spaniards to go to Ankor Wat and we gelled like family :) O, and we had a kid, some Khemr kid I picked up on the way the first morning at about 5am(our first (failed) attempt at seeing the sun rise over A-wat). His english, slim to none, my Khmer, heh.
Cool kid though, he helped make the day into more play. We fed him a couple times but when we tryed to hang out after we got back to the hostel they wouldnt let him in without a parent. The management explained that there were strict laws with the intention of preventing child prostitution. He just stood there puppy dogged, lookin at us. We became friends but we got to sleep in a bed and he had t
o head back out to the streets.
What else could we do? How could we solve this problem? How could we help? How can we be sure what he will spend the money on? Are we being selfish with our time? Should we reroute our travels to devote ourselves to fixing this problem? Is this a real problem? Are his parents waiting around the corner for the money we give him? What would Buddha do?????
We ended up giving him some money and a couple hugs and the manager helped us send him on his way. We all had a great day, but it was really hard to see it end for him. We met up with him while he was begging a couple nights later, we where on our way to take him to eat diner with us again but some cop sped up on a motorbike, yelled at him, yanked him on the bike and took off...
Ankor Temples:
AAAAMMMAAAAZING!!!!!!!!!!
Had an unbelievable couple of days playing around and staring in awe @ these incredible temples. The second night we climbed up the Bayon temple to catch the sunset and talk about all the sweet shit we had seen and done.
But then all a sudden a ninja came outta the temple!
Its
CLOSING time
BIYYYTCHES
Had a kick ASS time in Cambo (aside from the ass kick)
all with a little help from my friends...
work up my confidence I try it out with older people, if they smile then it really doesnt tell me much about my pronunciation, when they reply (with something i understand) then its stellar, usually with a bright surprised smile on their face, people are so easily turned to giggle around here. 
really ON!
interesting spin on it though, they would give you a cotton bracelet so they knew they spoke to you before, not sure if there is a whole system of territory with certain colors or patterns designated to a specific tribe or tribal lady, +10 for inventiveness! Great French feel to the architecture and fooooooood, pastries galooor-eous :) And the views where freaking amazing with all the rice fields on the mountains, B-A-U-TIFUL!
The south, on the other hand, has been ripping people off for ages, so he believes that they have settled into a balance between cost/benefit, where they still do it but it isn't as often or forceful. It might hit harder if we where talking about more then an extra dollar :) But its not so much about the money, more the feeling of getting taken advantage of, or not being treated as an equal, and it doesn't help when as soon as you fork over the cash they start to snicker with delight.
people in general, in Nam. Thinking it might be because fewer people speak english and, esp in the north, they are less friendly, so maybe people are looking for a reprieve. Nha Trang is a great place to party, drink Bia Hoi (about 1.50/pitcher of San Miguel), watch the world cup with people from all over the world, kite surf!!!, paragliding, sun bathe, swim, there is a sweet water/amusement park on an island close by connected by cable car, (moderately) cheap hostels, cheap sea food (but only certain times of day, you can only get certain things at specific times(?!)), scuba diving, snorkeling, etc etc etc...
The museums where a nice break from all the food, although very bias!
Some little city in between, down a dirt road, we found a pile of scarred battered and bruised little tikes lookin for fun (and dry pants).
