We heard Cambodia dubbed "the wild west" by a few expats on our journey through Vietnam, but I don't think we knew what to make of that comment until actually getting here. We took a bus ride from Saigon and across the border to the much rougher roads of Cambodia. The scenery remained much the same, but with far less development. We arrived in Phnom Penh (the capital) and found a surprisingly relaxed town full of temples and trees set along the Tonle Sap River. At first glance, it seems like a quiet Asian town. But there is strange undercurrent of something we can't quite place. Perhaps it's the blatant conversations we have overheard about the corruption - things like the sex trade and drugs... it seems that if you pay attention to what is going on around you, you can actually see it all taking place. Overall, it's a very interesting place, and it makes me feel like Cambodia- the good and bad of it - is what I thought SE Asia would truly be like. I have no doubt the most interesting stories from this trip will be from our short time in this country.
Other than a short walk around the city, we have not accomplished too much here yet. We plan to go to the prison and the Killing Fields tomorrow. Yesterday, we took a short walk around town in search of the Silver Pagoda. We got a few uninteresting shots of some things around our neighborhood. In one picture, you will see a local gas station... note the refilled glass soda bottles and funnel.
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