
From Vietnam, I travel along the Mekong Delta and enter
into Cambodia. After a night in the capital of Phnom Penh, I head to Siem Reap,
the launching pad to Angkor Wat.
Cambodia is woefully poor. Per capita income $651. Its
sordid history – The Killing Fields, Pol Pot (aka Khmer Rouge), famine, etc. –
is still apparent in lost limbs. Siem Repa and Phnom Penh are pleasant enough
(and what most visitors like me see) but nothing like the hot rural plains. The
bus stops along the way gave me some idea. Despite this, except for street
food, it’s more expensive than you’d think. Even at one large supermarket, I
quickly realized that most everything in this country is imported. Outside of
the basics, there is no manufacturing.
In Phnom Penh, at the waterfront, near the King’s Palace,
are a row of international flags of nations that have supported Cambodia in its
rebuilding. A Western infrastructure is in place. Most striking is that ATMs
dispense American dollars (as late as 1980, Cambodia had no monetary system).
Only change below one dollar is given in Cambodia Riel.