Love to go back there

[MAG]

When I were in Cambodia 9 years ago, I did not like it at all. Me and my wife started up in Hanoi (Vietnam) and travelled by road to Hué (Vietnam). And then Ho chi mihn city (Saigon, Vietnam) for crossing the border by foot.

As soon as we entered Cambodia it was a different thing. Pore people every were small kids on the bus about 4 years old high on gas glue or what ever. It did remind me little bit of India but this people I know was special, not so nice as in Vietnam or Thailand. This was Wild West.

Ordinary people, people with family that walking the streets with hand guns. Ok this was the first time we had a hotel room without any window and I felt unsafe. In Phnom Phen we had a ride to the killing fields an that was very interesting. Horrible is the word.

The guide lined us up and told us that we had to follow her on a strait line because of mines. She explained all the horrifying things that Pol Poth & the red Kremer had done.
All intellectual was executed in the first step.

We headed for Siem riep the day after and for Ankor; this was amazing and spent just one day there was too little. But we wanted to go to Thailand for vaccacion.

So of we gone again by truck to the border for Thailand. This road trip was something’s extra it cost 15 US to be in the truck and 10 US outside.

We did not leave the city until we were stopped by the military to pay a bribe our chauffeur paid. And of we go about 150 km to the border if I remember right J. All the way to the border stopped the military us fore bribe and this was not a road. It took us 8 hours to travel 150 km.

It was many years since I was in Cambodia and I believe that many things have changed since.

All of this things happened us the Cambodian people are not so bad as what we believed then we were there. One has to sit down and think of an adventure after you have done it.
All the Cambodian people were actually honest and good people. But this is or was one of the poorest countries in south East Asia. And in a poor country as this it has its problem.

Now when I think of Cambodia I would love to take my children there when they are a little bit older.
Mattias

Must be friend to see this pic. Facebook; mattias[at]gemstone.se

[Panda]

Thanks for taking the time to post your story Mag. Although it is not recent I still found it interesting.

[kingwilly]

Likewise,

cheers for sharing.

you do not necessarily need to leave your facebook link for the pic, you can upload via photobucket or even TD's gallery.

[MAG]

Thanks to you I found the gallery.

Uploaded some pictures on the roadtrip in Cambodia 9 years ago.

link: Hem > TeakDoor Members Galleries > MAG > Cambodia

Hope this one work.

REG MAG

[dirtydog]

[mtone9317]

Wasn't PP heavy bombed during the US<>Viet conflict?
It takes many years to rebuild if the country has no economic infrastructure.
Germany rebuilt it's cities with the Marshall Plan, as did Japan, but PP had no such rebuilding plan that I know of.

[bestvue]

Love Cambodia - been back several times over the last few years - Friendly people and felt as safe as houses. Far different than what was described above (9 yrs ago)

[Phuketrichard]

no worse than anywhere but be carefull, My Cambodian GF just told me some moto drop grabbed her gold chain off her neck as he drove past her/ Luckily she was not hurt

[Adolf]

Wasn't PP heavy bombed during the US<>Viet conflict?
It takes many years to rebuild if the country has no economic infrastructure.
Germany rebuilt it's cities with the Marshall Plan, as did Japan, but PP had no such rebuilding plan that I know of.

I don't think you can blame the bombing during this war for any of Cambodia's ills. It's the mentality of the people that is the problem.

The KR or some right-wing equivalent would move back into power tomorrow given half a chance.

[Phuketrichard]

Wasn't PP heavy bombed during the US<>Viet conflict?
It takes many years to rebuild if the country has no economic infrastructure.
Germany rebuilt it's cities with the Marshall Plan, as did Japan, but PP had no such rebuilding plan that I know of.

I don't think you can blame the bombing during this war for any of Cambodia's ills. It's the mentality of the people that is the problem.

The KR or some right-wing equivalent would move back into power tomorrow given half a chance.

PP (Phnom Penh) was Never bombed by anyone. The border area next to Vietnam was of course trying to stop the flow of goods down the ho chi min trail.

The KR is what set the country back and Heng Sen is Ex KR.

[Dancing Priest]

PP (Phnom Penh) was Never bombed by anyone.

The roads in and out as well as the surrounding areas were heavily and indiscriminately bombed by the Americans.

The KR is what set the country back and Heng Sen is Ex KR.

No matter who was to blame (and the Americans were partly responsible for the Cambodian genocide as history clearly shows), in the end they supported the KR for a seat in the UN and were recognised by the then American government as the legitimate government of Cambodia.

[dirtydog]

I doubt the Yanks would have bombed phnom penh, it would be a bit out of the way for where they would be travelling back and forth, you can check where most of Americas bombs went here.

[Phuketrichard]

as i said Phnom Penh was never bombed.

The KR was supported cause the alternative was the Vietnamese/Chinese backed goverment. Also the states helped finance the KR thru the thais when the vietnamese invaded. This was to pay the Thai's to keep thialand as a buffer.

Want to read all about this, pick up a copy of Elizabeth Beckers "When the War was over"

[sjaak327]

Well, actually the Chinese and the Vietnamese weren't the best of friends.

The KR killed close to 2 milllion people, no need to discuss. Total outraged, the US, Thailand and other bullshit nations have supported the KR, knowing what astrocities they have commited. They have a great debt to pay to the Camboidan people.

Surely one of the worst episodes in SEA in say the last 30 years.

[britmaveric]

KR razed Phnom Penh, so basically they are to blame for its condition. However its getting much better.

[Phuketrichard]

they didn't raze PP, only drove everyone out, (except for those in S 21)

Pol Pot was a wacko for sure and still the Cambodians are in fear that it might happen again.

The us and thailand backed the kr cause the alternatives were the communists led Vietnamese goverment.

Read,
"when the war was over" by Elizabeth Becker

[sjaak327]

they didn't raze PP, only drove everyone out, (except for those in S 21)

Pol Pot was a wacko for sure and still the Cambodians are in fear that it might happen again.

The us and thailand backed the kr cause the alternatives were the communists led Vietnamese goverment.

Read,
"when the war was over" by Elizabeth Becker

That alternative was heaps better then the KR don't you agree. Not to mention the fact that KR themselves were uber communists. (their year zero experiment backfired on them, unfortunately the average Khmer civilians paid that price).

[Phuketrichard]

we will never know.
When the Vietnamese invaded they were welcomed in by the locals but that didn't last long.

Its strange to be there and talk to people. I never met anyone in 10 months that didn't lose someone.

[Phuketrichard]

We will never know

[Adolf]

I'll be heading back to Phnom Penh shortly - a brief visit in the UK has been enough - back to the odd old town.

[DrAndy]

^why are you going there?

do you like it that much?

[Adolf]

it's not a bad place and a good laugh compared to Bangkok for sure.

Much easier to live there regarding visa etc and a lot less of a concrete jungle.

I couldn't live there permanently though.

[khmen]

Wasn't PP heavy bombed during the US<>Viet conflict?
It takes many years to rebuild if the country has no economic infrastructure.
Germany rebuilt it's cities with the Marshall Plan, as did Japan, but PP had no such rebuilding plan that I know of.

I don't think you can blame the bombing during this war for any of Cambodia's ills. It's the mentality of the people that is the problem.

The KR or some right-wing equivalent would move back into power tomorrow given half a chance.

Heres a book you should read before making stupid uninformed statements: William Shawcross- Sideshow: Kissinger and Nixon and the destruction of Cambodia.

The KR would never have gained popular support in the countryside had the US not bombed the shit out of the people there. I've personally met a few Cambodians, relatively recently, who dislike the US for killing their fathers/grandfathers etc.

The KR or some right-wing equivalent? The KR no longer exist and there is no right wing equivalent, or any other opposition to the current government for that matter. Cambodians havent got the heart for more war, most are happy with the relative improvements in quality of life in recent years. They know its not perfect at the minute, but are aware any alternative could potentially be a lot worse so you wont be seeing any peasant backed revolutions again anytime soon.

[khmen]

Re the OP. 9 years ago there werent "people with handguns everywhere walking with their families" in Cambodia, civilians were banned from owning firearms in 1999. By 2002, the only guns you would see on open display were police and military.

And, Cambodia has changed a lot in the last nine years, the infrastructure is improving and it is developing at a steady pace but dont be surprised to see poverty and dirt still, it hasnt changed that much.