Almost 7 weeks we were traveling in Cambodia. We have this land and the people are really fascinated.
The terrible past has made us very concerned. We previously knew not very much of it, but we could while traveling through Cambodia working intensively so that. Civil Wars, the Vietnam War, the dictatorship and the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge brought the country's economic decline. Cambodia is therefore now one of the poorest countries in the world. In 1970, Cambodia still the highest standard of living in Southeast Asia and nicknamed the “Switzerland of Southeast Asia”.
Poverty is everywhere to be seen. The more we were also impressed by the warmth and friendliness of the Cambodians. Everywhere we were greeted warmly and always smiled.
Here are some other issues that are noticed us and that we associate with Cambodia:
- The temples of Angkor are the largest temple complex in the world.
- Most of the roads are in very bad condition. Only a small part of it is paved. Road works are often hampered by landmines.
- The threat of landmines is ubiquitous. People of landmines in Cambodia are almost daily killed or seriously injured.
- The Cambodian currency is the Riel. At ATMs but you can only withdraw american dollars. Prices are therefore usually advertised in U.S. $. Small change you can always get in Riel, so that one actually has two official currencies, Riel and U.S. $.
- The power supply system is ailing, so we had almost every day power outage.
- Cambodia is facing some environmental problems. Protected forests are cleared for the timber industry and new acreage monocultures such as. To create rubber.
- Many Cambodians wear during the day colorful pajamas.
- Birthdays are seldom celebrated in Cambodia. Many do not know their exact date of birth and therefore their age.
- Traditional dishes are amok and Lok Lak:
Amok is the national dish of Cambodia. It is a kind of curry with coconut milk. Originally amok with fish, but there are also versions with chicken, Beef, Shrimp or pork.
Lok Lak are small pieces of beef fried in a special sauce, which are served on lettuce leaves on an onion bed. This also includes a fried egg. Moreover, there exists a small dish with a sauce of lemon juice and pepper.
