Cambodia Past

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Cambodia Past

The first time I was in Cambodia, 1998?, I could go to the Russian market and see piles of marijuana available for farmers to sedate their pigs when they strapped them over the back of their motorbikes.
Laced brownies were on the bars like peanuts are nowadays.
It was easy to go to target shoot with an AK-47, M-16 or even to shoot a cow with a bazooka if you wanted to pay $100.
The expats were people often misfits who were comfortable in Cambodia but ostracized by modern society.
Then , you were supposed to be able to only officially enter by air as a westerner.

The Kmer Rouge still existed in areas and would plant explosives on the road from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh at night and a US sponsored team would repair the road during the next day.
In 1994 three adventurous backpackers, against local advise, took the railway and were kidnapped by the Kmer Rouge and eventually murdered. The abductor died in a hospital last year at 76 years of age. Most
Kmer Rouge leaders died peaceful deaths and others serve in the government today.

When I did travel the route from Battambang to Phnom Pehn on the train I remember the conductor ignored me while he collected fares from the poor locals so as not to condone rail travel for foreigners.


March 2009:
Leaving Phnom Pehn.

A motorbike stopped and wanted $2 (8,000 riel) to the airport. I offered him 6,000 r. He looked at me pathetically so I offered 7,000r, ie. another 25 cents. It was a long way! so when we got there I gave him
another 500r. In the end I saved 12 cents off the $2 fare.

At the airport they have forms to fill out w.r.t. the efficiency of the services offered at immigration, duty-free, etc. Under comments I wrote a detailed description of my experience
at the border entry where the immigration officer wouldn't accept $20 US and insisted on Baht at a ludicrous exchange rate. I indicated his name.
I'm sure the absolute worse that will happen is that he'll have to split his profit with who every reads the complaint.

The Nation, a Thailand newspaper; Feb 18, 2009: Duch, 66 years old, personally oversaw the torture and extermination of 15,000 men, women and children at the Tuol Sleng prison finally went on trial
yesterday. His crime was committed in the late 1970's. No mention of it in Cambodia. This is a U.N. exercise and the new generation of Cambodians are not really aware of the Kmer Rouge exterminating almost 2 million of their people. Largely, this is because a lot of the government officials are ex-Kmer Rouge.


March marks the beginning of the HOT AND HUMID season. Previous season was the HOT season and the next season will be the HOT AND WET season.


Bus Transportation in Cambodia:
Battambang to Bangkok cost $15;
to Poi Pet $3 (but PoiPet to Battambang is going to cost $10, unless you wait for the
morning bus);
to Phnom Pehn $6 to $7;
to SiemReap $6 (but from PoiPet, good luck).


There's a $25 airport fee leaving Cambodia.

My camera stopped working. I think the electromagnetic field from a metal detector they were
using at a bar is reposible.

Maybe I'll continue the blog when I get a new camera. The main reason is to remind myself about things.

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Photos

new bridges
With the four bridges complete between Sihanoukville and Koh Kong it's no longer necessary to take a ferry across and get on another bus. Thanks to the THAI government! (Cambodian government money is for more personal use.)

Begging Monks
People are grateful to the monks for allowing them to gain merit by giving food donations.

Sihanoukville Market
Infrastructure is lacking to say the least.

Monk assistant?
The monk is suppose to be showing humility by begging. Some monks have assistants which beg for them while they remain on the sideline. Modern times.

delivery service
Trying moving 6 mattresses like this at home.

JD and AK-47
1996
Then you could shoot any weapon you desired.
You could blow up a cow with a bazooka if you
were willing to pay for it.