Pol Potterland
From our travels to date we've noticed the international border crossings give you a reasonable idea about what to expect within a country. Some countries put lots of effort into keeping their borders clean and tidy, others leave theirs in a state of disarray, grubbiness and general filth, presumably to annoy their nearest neighbours.

We leave Vietnam, through a reasonably neat and tidy border post. We walk about half a mile through midday sun to the Cambodian border shed. As we register our visas, a heard of mud (or worse) drenched ox wander by, early signs were not good. Our guide turns up in a well used minibus for our journey to Pnomh Penh. We smile through gritted teeth, exchanging the sort of glances suicide bombers must learn at 'finishing school'.

The journey to the capital took us through miles and miles of beautiful countryside. Rice paddies, inland waterways, lakes, houses on stilts and the occasional village. Thoughts of landmines quickly subsided when it was clear these people might not be the richest on the planet, but they certainly made the most of what they had. The number of limbless people was way too obvious to be coincidental.

A hectic day spent seeing the sights within Phnom Pehn took us from one extreme to the other. To enter the temples we had to wear long trousers and dress smartly, this seemed a bit OTT. However, the temples contained the most expensive and exquisitely carved gold and jade statues we've ever seen, inlaid with diamonds and other precious stones. Looking around the city the money spent on religious artifacts rather than clean water and housing was a cause for concern, then came the genocide museums.

Neither of us really knew much about the Pol Pot years, so visiting the school where the regime tortured its own people, then a trip to the killing fields to see the mass graves, was a bit distressing. Wherever you looked the country is full of reminders of this time. Many of the former Khmer rouge are still in government, the communist party wins the elections through terrorising the farming communities, the whole place remains very corrupt, so openly corrupt its part of life.

Given the fighting only stopped a few years ago there are lots of people with appalling injuries, missing limbs and horrendous scarring. We knew we'd see some of this, what we were not prepared for was the Cambodian's black sense of humour. Our guide at the killing fields explained how they killed the babies, then laughed. Posters of "Tintin in Cambodia" contained Tintin and snowy walking through Angkor Wat with missing limbs and walking sticks, I guess this is how they choose to deal with it, it was all a bit Monty pythonesc, its only a flesh wound and all that.

On Christmas day we visited the temple complex surrounding and including Angkor Wat. Enormous stone structures some in complete disarray, others in perfect states of restoration were truly breathtaking. The sheer enormity combined with the intricate carving made for a fascinating day.

By nightfall we decided Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a tipple, so off we hop to the "Deadfish" bar, (an establishment where they breed crocodiles and toads around the bar area). Several enormous cocktails later and Christmas felt more festive.

The other highlight of Cambodia had to be the trip on the Tonle Sap lake, a huge inland waterway with floating communities. Everything essential to life floated around on small / medium / large rafts. Shops and schools, pigs and people, all lived on these boats. The journey of around 6 hours involved lots and lots of waving to children eager to practice their "Hello" "Goodbye" English phrases, shouting at the top of their voices until they received a wave.

Then the Tsunami struck... No impact on Cambodia other than lots of worried travelers fanatically checking news websites. We assessed our options, thought about going to Laos, then decided we'd go to Bangkok and re-plan from there.

- posted by Adrian @ 11:04:00 AM