CAMBODIA
Even after visiting the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge (at Choeng Ek) and the S21 torture center in Phnom Penh, it is difficult to comprehend the terror that killed 2+ million people in 4 years, especially given the charming people of Cambodia today. I have had nothing but great experiences. American bombs killed hundreds of thousands of people, too (for a war they were doomed to lose); what an incredible shame.
Phnom Penh is the first city I have ever encountered that doesn't have ATMs for getting cash with a Visa debit card (yet). But it is a pleasant city. Prices are usually given in US dollars. English is widely spoken. Some older Cambodians also speak French. The food is great! And cheap. I just bought a bus ticket to Vietnam for only US $6.
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The first thing I encountered upon crossing the border from Thailand was a cluster of modern casinos. That's not what I expected. Then began the journey to Siam Reap, home of Angkor Wat, on a bad, dusty road. That IS what I expected. Siam Reap is a boom town thanks to the scores of tourists who come to see Angkor. And understandably so. The 1000-year-old ruins easily rival Machu Picchu and Tikal, my other two favorite archeological sites. I hired a bicycle for 3 days to explore by myself, averaging 30 kilometers per day. Awesome.
I was also impressed by the land-mine museum, run by Aki Ra, a man whose story is remarkable. His parents were killed by the Khmer Rouge during the reign of terror in the 1970s when he was a child. He survived by joining them, seeing combat, becoming a land-mine expert in the process. He has since dedicated his life to single-handedly clearing mines (more than 10,000) and taking care of children disabled by explosions. What a guy! The days of the Khmer Rouge are happily over, but there are still amputees and orphans and land mines.
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