Still lots capturing my attention:
Milk
Whilst their icecream and yoghurt is pretty good, their milk is not. There’s no fresh milk available. Suddenly, UHT is desirable… it’s either that, or condensed milk (which I like, but only for dessert).
Construction
Cambodia is in the midst of a development boom. As mentioned, vast swathes of the country are being sold off to line the pockets of the rich few, the trees cut down and sold (to Vietnam) and cash crops, or resorts, erected in their place. Foreign ownership of the key areas means that it’s not even Cambodians benefiting. For instance, the “National Park” east of Sihankouville (“Ream”) and the nearby island has been sold to a Chinese businessman who is planning a tourist resort. Is there really a need for this? Would people really travel here to one of these resorts? I guess I’m not their target audience, but…
Chinese input is also being sought for the economic policies in an attempt to copy their “rags to riches” turnaround (recent events apart). I just kinda get the impression that they’re running before they can walk and are charging ahead without proper due diligence. That’s the consensus of the locals, too (those who I’ve spoken to, anyway): too much, too fast. Slow down, Cambodia. Take your time, and get it right. And it could be amazing.
Reading an interview with Cambodia’s economic minister (I think that was her title), she explained that the injection of billions of US dollars by well-meaning first-world countries caused the Cambodian Riel to devalue overnight. Hence, there’s this weird combination of larger amounts in USD and smaller amounts in KHR – a bit of a headache for visitors, but a nightmare for her as she’s effectively lost control of her own country’s currency.
“Hello”
I thought it was just tourist places, but most Cambodians answer their phone “hello?”. Odd.
Hip flexibility
Even (especially?) the oldsters have hip flexibility that makes me so envious. Concertina’ed up, squatting with their butts touching the floor. I’m sure some of it is due to their diminutive stature, but most of it will be lifestyle – they squat as part of their everyday lives, so not only do they not lose flexibility, but they actually get more flexible!
Scooter accidents
I’ve seen three in four weeks. Only one involved another vehicle, and all were minor. None of the riders were wearing helmets.
Roads
“Why don’t they ever get round to tarmacking the rest of this road?” asked a naive American (a most obnoxious bloke). Because, I wanted to say to him, it’s better to tarmac just the middle, and do more roads. There’s not an awful lot of traffic, so it’s very sensible – everyone uses the middle, sealed stretch and just moves on to the dirt when something’s coming the other way. Wouldn’t work in America, but he seemed to forget that we’re not in America. Dumbass.
Dogs
Dogs are everywhere and, generally, in surprisingly good condition. Even in the sticks. They trot across the road, at least two to each property. They’re not aggressive, just mind their own business.
Shrines
Religion is so much a part of people’s lives, with Buddhist shrines in the most unusual places. Here, a section of the shop floor of a petrol station, has been dedicated:
Cigarette laws
Laws are, it would appear, non-existent. I’ve never seen them stacked along with the other goods in a shop like this little lot:
