Cambodia is a kind of place, people who have not been there have their own imagination. But it appears most in the movie and television works should be a "big drug country", chaotic civil war, the army to cut off the local, planting opium processing heroin flow to the hands of Hong Kong gangsters ...... This is just a movie, in fact, Cambodia, now has ended the civil war! More than 10 years ago, is a very poor, very simple, but have some hope for the future of the country. I didn't realize there was so much to say about such a small country (181,000 square kilometers).
Many people ask me if Cambodia is fun. What is the definition of fun? From my point of view, it is not fun. The same is a Southeast Asian country, Cambodia prices are not as cheap as Vietnam, the hotel is not as beautiful as Thailand's, amusement programs and facilities are almost non-existent, and even the buses tourists take are eliminated from Thailand with Thailand, and the highest level of restaurant is the Chinese opened can receive tourists' restaurant (because it is more luxurious and clean and hygienic) ...... But the National Geographic Magazine Selection of 50 must-visit attractions in life, Angkor Wat is one of them. Going to Cambodia is a tour to feel and experience, a tour to take with you to think and imagine. I believe that people who like to travel alone with a backpack will find everything they want there. On the contrary, according to the "traditional travel" way of the Chinese people, it will not be a satisfactory place.
Phnom Penh is the capital. Generally speaking, the capital is the center of a country. So the capital should be beautiful. But Phnom Penh is not beautiful. It is said that there are almost no buildings in Phnom Penh with more than 5 floors: partly because the population is not so big that it doesn't need to grow upwards; partly because it is too expensive to build high buildings, and, moreover, high buildings need to be equipped with an elevator, which, here, is an absolute luxury.
During the Khmer Rouge era, the residents of Phnom Penh were driven to the surrounding countryside, turning a large city into a dead, empty city. Later years of civil war, the demise of not only life, but also the soul of the Khmer people. American Hollywood has a big director to pay attention to and think about their country's wars, and made such legendary works as "Apocalypse Now". But who has paid attention to Cambodia next to Vietnam, which also experienced the refining fire of hell.
Pol Pot has finally faded into the mountains of the north; Sihanouk has finally returned to his homeland. Everything has gradually calmed down, and the simple Khmer people are living the same life as they have done for thousands of years.
In Cambodia, everything you see is ordinary. In Phnom Penh, the road is very narrow, there are many people, the car is very old; the building is very short, the place is very dirty, people are very lazy. On the surface, everything is featureless. But it is all these ordinary things that they have gone through how many trials and tribulations and endured for how many years to have? It is all this that they have only had for more than 10 years. For us, who have been enjoying reform and opening up for more than 20 years, it's such a distant past. In the past few years, when traveling to Cambodia, travel agents would warn tourists not to go out at night and not to wander around, especially in the countryside, where hidden landmines might explode at any time. Looking at it today, there have been a lot of improvements - landmines have been stepped on by many locals; and tourism has become increasingly important, making it safer for tourists.
People in Cambodia are less in the mood to do business than in Thailand Vietnam. Even those who work in the tourism industry don't particularly seem enthusiastic because they earn more than the average person (especially in marked contrast to Thailand). At first I thought it was due to their laziness and loose habits. Then it gradually dawned on me that the war was considerably more traumatic than I had imagined. By our standards, many of them have unfortunate families: the loss of a close relative, a family member crippled by war ...... They have a different view of life than we do, and their desires have been suppressed to the lowest point. This is not a wound that can be healed in ten or eight years.
There really aren't many sights to see in Phnom Penh. There is a Royal Palace (I didn't take a picture there because it's not very beautiful), architecturally similar to the Royal Palace of Thailand; Buddhist temples can be seen everywhere; and the city's symbol, the Liberation Monument (refer to the photo album). But here you can get a small part of how Cambodians live. Why small part? Because the majority of Cambodians are still scattered around the Mekong River and Tonle Sap Lake waters, living a backward farming life with their faces to the ground. Those who gather in Phnom Penh are business-minded merchants - 40% of Phnom Penh's population is Chinese - and the commercial flavor is evident. Most of the tourist facilities such as hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, etc., are invested by the Chinese.