Vive le Cambodge!

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We crossed the Cambodian border into Thailand. The last road to the border was only about 3 hours, but it seemed like days. I may not have any insides left after that trip. The road is OK in some areas, but grinding bumpy potholes in others. This trip used to take 5-6 hours, but the road supposedly has been recently resurfaced, so this road is considered to be in good condition right now. I just closed my eyes and braced for the oncoming pain when I saw the asphalt would end.

This should be an important road, particularly since there are so many tourists and trucks coming over the border from Thailand. However, though many other important highways have been fixed and are in great condition (such as Phnom Penh-Siem Reap, Phnom Penh-Battambang, Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville) it still has not been completely paved. Rumor has it that airline officials who benefit from the high ticket prices to Siem Reap ($150 to Bangkok one way!) are using their influence to prevent this stretch of highway from being paved. These are probably the same people getting a cut of the US$25 per passenger fee that must be paid for international flights departing from Cambodia.

We walked over the border from the lovely Cambodian border town of Poipet (it almost rhymes with toilet for a reason), took a tuk-tuk to the nearest Thai bus station, and caught a bus to Bangkok without incident. I had heard many bad things about this border crossing, such as endless hassles from taxi touts, beggars, hookers, and other hustlers in the no man's land between when you exit one country and enter the other, but they must have cleaned it up because we had no problems.

I have harped a lot on how bad the roads and infrastructure are in Cambodia, but it really is an interesting country with very nice people. No other country has been as welcoming and as friendly to us on this trip. The people here are so poor, but they have the sweetest smiles, especially the kids. If you think that only 25 years ago, more than 1 million people out of 7 million were killed by the Khmer Rouge and this was an entire nation of refugees on the move, this country really has come a long way.

As I already mentioned, corruption is a major problem here, but we have seen some bright signs for this country. Just a few days ago, Sam Rainsy, head of the Sam Rainsy Party, which is the major opposition party in Cambodia, returned to Cambodia after being exiled in France for criticizing Prime Minister Hun Sen. We hope that this will lead to a new era of political dialogue and that Cambodian leaders will no be longer monsters leftover from the Khmer Rouge era or puppets still tied to their hardline masters in Hanoi.

Stevan and I gave blood at a children's hospital in Cambodia the day before we left. Due to their Buddhist beliefs, many Cambodians do not give blood, so there is always a shortage there. The hospital officials appeal to the tourists to give blood. Neither of us is allowed to give blood in the US (Stevan because he lived in Europe during a mad cow epidemic, me because I am under the weight minimum, and both of us because we traveled to malarial regions in the last year). However, it was not a problem in Cambodia, as long as you haven't visited a prostitute recently or use IV drugs.

Cambodia, thank you for all you have given us. We wish you all the best. You certainly deserve a lot better than what you have gotten.

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Photos

Amy giving blood
Getting ready for blood donation

Battle wounds
Stevan after the donation (its iodine not blood)

Landmine museum
a place worth visiting