The Other Cambodia

When we were in Cambodia a few years ago, we saw Siem Reap, a big city, Phnom Penh, the capital, and one small village.  The village was small and poor, but neat.  At Siem Reap we stayed at a luxurious resort.  Phnom Penh had a glittering palace and grounds.

 Sihanoukvile, the port where we landed, is poor and dirty, with trash covering the ground.  The fishing fleet we saw hardly seemed seaworthy.

There are fancy new casinos built by the Chinese, but almost no Cambodians can afford to go to them.  Most of the Cambodians can barely exist.  Education is valued, but schools are too expensive for most of the poorer people. Most have no running water, electricity, or sanitation facilities.














Golden Lions are the symbol of the city.  Hopefully they are only gold paint.














The market sold everything from fresh fish to clothing to jewelry.  There may have been more than that, but the smell drove us out.  Several beggars were in the main aisles, either blind or missing legs.  Land mines left over from the civil war are still a problem.









On our way to the temple, we stopped to take pictures of the monkeys on a fence beside the road.













The temple area was clean and well-kept, with
gold statues in addition to the main buildings.