Facing harsh realities in Cambodia

Our stay in Phnom Penh can best be described as sheer absurdity, due to the dodgy-ness of our Lakeside guesthouse. What was once a popular backpacker guesthouse/bar has morphed into a place where African workers in Thailand come to renew their visas and meet up with local bar girls. The common sight of white Westerners walking in, assessing the scene and quickly making a U-turn towards the door was pretty amusing. Basically, the surrounding area was a den of sin consisting of ramshackle buildings suspended on stilts over a lake. The whole place is slated for demolition to make way for new developments, and therefore had the unique charm of a community knowing it was doomed and not giving a fuck anymore. I truly enjoyed it.

The rest of the trip could be summed up very quickly: Battambong – boring, Sihanoukville – sketchy, Kampot – chill. All in all, we enjoyed ourselves in Cambodia but the overarching theme of the trip was somber given the events of not so long ago. First, secret bombing campaigns by the US caused widespread death and displacement in the late 60’s to early 70’s. Taking advantage of the chaos, the Khmer Rouge took over and while most of our country was dancing to disco in the late 70’s, 1 in 5 Cambodians were killed under one of the most violent regimes in modern history. Our visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek Killing Fields in Phnom Penh was a sobering reminder of the cruelty of man. Any description here wouldn’t do the victims justice…besides, that is why wikipedia exists. As if that wasn’t enough, a war with Vietnam ensued that didn’t fully end until 1991 . The Khmer people, even to this day, are still being victimized by an array of culprits like corruption, unexploded land mines and systemic poverty.

In spite of their tragic history, the Cambodians we met were amazingly friendly and jovial, partly due to a nationwide mentality for living in the present and not dwelling on the past. They also demonstrate a hardiness that I can’t even pretend to understand. I wouldn’t suggest Cambodia for those seeking hedonistic beach parties and alcohol-fueled nights, but it does provides an unavoidable confrontation with the hard reality of this world and (to channel Obama) the amazing resilience of the human spirit . In the end, our experiences here weren’t the most fun and carefree but I think they rate as some of the most important of our trip so far.