Some of What I Learned After One-Month In Cambodia
It was REALLY hard to leave the white sand beaches and sleeping in a hut on top of the ocean on the island of Koh Rong Sanloem. It was everything I imagined that a mostly undeveloped island was going to look like. I’d highly recommend anyone to make the trip to this island. I’d make the strip sooner, rather than later because the place continues to develop rapidly. There are places with modern amenities like air conditioning and other places with yurts and cabins. It’s really your choice how much money you want to spend.
Siem Reap is a cute little hipster town that caters to the millions of tourists who make the trip to see the beautiful Angkor Temples spotted all over the place there. I got the 3-day temple pass and a motorbike, so I could more easily get around. I could have easily got the 7-day pass and spent more time in Siem Reap and less time in Phnom Penh. It was so darn hot every day… almost 100F. I found that getting an early start was the best option for me… about 5-530am and then taking a break during the middle of the day for lunch, shower and a nap, and then heading back to the temples for the sunset. Definitely made for a full day. The trip into the jungle waterfall and the national park (Thanks to Leen) was the icing on the cake for my time in Siem Reap.
In Siem Reap, I spent some of my time every few days at the markets gathering fresh produce, so I could cook. If I were to be there longer, there were a few restaurants I would like to have check out. Here are the few I missed…
http://cuisinewatdamnak.com/menu
https://www.malis-restaurant.com/siemreap/cambodian-cuisine/
http://pourestaurant.com/menu/
Phnom Phen is Cambodia’s capital with millions of people and I got educated about the old Khmer government who was responsible for the genocide between 1975-1979 and the Killing Fields. I love going to the many traditional markets in the bigger cities and even though the stuff there all seems repetitive, they don’t usually get boring for me… Central Market, Russian Market and The Night Market. I missed the museums and the temples in Phnom Penh as I felt a bit touristed out from those kind of places after now, in my 7th month of travel. I learned to continue to listen to my body when in the big cities, I do not need to spend 7-10 days in these places… it’s turned out to be a bit of overkill for me when I’d rather be in more natural surroundings (like the beach or mountains) or historic places (like Angkor Wat).
Not All Money is Real
One of the things I learned was that not all banks are ethical and not all monetary bills are made equal. After getting $200US in counterfeit bills out of a major Cambodian bank ATM, I began to take seriously how to make a transaction with larger bills, not to take any ripped or torn currency and how to discern counterfeit money. I will now only make ATM transactions inside of banks that are open for business or at western union that has an ATM inside. For instance, when paying for something with a large bill like $50/$100, do not allow the person to take the bill away from you, have them bring the change back and then give them the bill. They could take the bill and then return it with a counterfeit saying you gave them a counterfeit. $100US = $400,000 Cambodian Riel and 1kg of rice is about $2500 Riel, so you get the idea of how far the US dollar goes in a poor country like Cambodia.
The Struggle is Real
The struggle for freedom… economic freedom, freedom to choose, freedom of expression… all the freedoms that some of us take for granted in the USA is alive in Cambodia.
When taking a taxi, use the mobile app PassApp. The taxi drivers on the streets are masters at getting people to spend way more money than they have to on transportation. When I say the struggle is real… this is one way that it shows up. There are so many taxis on the streets that all the drivers are constantly soliciting people walking down the street. I’ve asked a couple of them how they can make a living because there is such an abundance of taxis on the streets. Using mobile apps for transportation in S.E. Asia is the way to go in order to avoid negotiating on the street if you can.
Cambodian government seems to be more and more corrupt. Online social networks are under constant government surveillance. The Cambodian government issued a national decree, allowing the Ministries of Interior, Information, and Posts and Telecommunications to take down content on social media outlets and websites that the government deems to be “incitement, breaking solidarity, discrimination and willfully creating turmoil that undermines national security, public interest and social order.”
A series of repressive new laws and amendments were passed in 2018 that further restricted freedom of association. These included amendments to Cambodia’s Constitution to require that every Cambodian “defend the motherland” and empower the government to take action against political parties if they do not “place the country and nation’s interest first.” The repressive and controversial amendments to Cambodia’s Law on Political Parties, allowing for the arbitrary dissolution of political parties and the banning of party leaders without due process, remained in place.
Democracy and the freedom for the people to choose is at stake. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party has banned the main opposition party, jailed its leaders and other critics and shut independent media outlets. Opposition politicians in exile are urging a voting boycott.
Cambodia needs three main things: the rule of law, social justice, and to ensure peace with neighbors, as long as there is a mutual respect for independence.
