Blogs from Phnom Penh, South, Cambodia, Asia - page 191

The Executive Director, Sarath Doeur, of our NGO took us on a trip the first day of our assignment with the organization to a number of places on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, a city whose central area is ringed with magnificent palaces and beautiful, new governmental offices and whose boulevards are lined with gardens, promenades, and parks. We drove first to what seemed to be an industrial backwater and rode along the railroad tracks lined with shacks whose inhabitants were methodically laying river snails along the tracks to dry out for later sale in the markets. Mothers were sitting on the ground outside their homes surrounded by babies and toddlers cooking meals for the day or products to be sold on the downtown streets. The anorexic dogs and semi-naked children sniffed and romped in the ... read more

I did not know what to expect, having limited experience traveling in Asia alone, but the moment I landed, I felt that it was gonna be great. After the second worse landing ever, I got through Immigration quickly and headed got my baggage off the belt the moment I reached, Cambodian efficiency? Having arranged a pick-up from the airport to the place where I’d stay for the following days, I looked around for someone with a piece of paper with my name written and boy were there many people waiting for other people. It’s probably the first time that going from the airport to town was that simple, besides KLIA, Changi and Zürich. Got into the taxi and sped of to join the chaos: the roads of Phnom Penh. Motorcycles were everywhere and no one ... read more

History has not been kind to Cambodia. Though a generation has passed since the violent genocide ended in 1978, when Vietnam invaded Cambodia, the country’s war torn image remains. During the Vietnam War, United States military began an aggressive bombing campaign in Cambodia, supposedly to disrupt activities of the Viet Cong working within the country. In addition to making millions homeless, this also garnered sympathy for opponents of the U.S.-backed government, and resulted in thousands of new recruits for the Khmer Rouge rebels. The Khmer Rouge officially took over in 1975 under the leadership of Pol Pot, whose brutal reforms would lead to over 1.7 million deaths. We arrived at Phnom Penh International airport on a budget flight from Bangkok. We had toyed with the idea of crossing the land border, but thankfully decided against it ... read more

Hello Friends, Family, and Those that Googled 'Cambodia': As you probably know, I have not written a blog entry in quite some time. There is so much to write about and so much to catch up on that I feel overwhelmed. I am going to Siem Reap to see the temples this weekend and KNOW that I will have a lot to write about on Monday. So--check this page again on Monday for a new blog entry: On my 2nd trip to the village (this time with dance party), on my Sunday excursion with Muoy and Kinh to Tonle Bati, and on my new personal feelings as a traveler in a country that is becoming less 'strange' with each day. Until then...here are some photographs from my last village experience. I will add captions on Monday, ... read more

Its soon to be two years since we returned from our travels, in that time many things have happened, but I feel that it’s a shame not to complete this blog as its something for us to go back and read if not anyone else. I shall give you my account of what happened once myself and Jaya parted ways with Manjit. Well on 24th of June me and Jaya waved quite a tearful goodbye to Manjit (which involved a local as per usual taking the piss). Soon after we left Malaysia to get an overnight train to Thailand. The train had pull out beds like you see in the movies so I was most impressed, and it was the easiest border crossing that I’ve ever had. We arrived in Thailand and I have to admit ... read more