The essence of Cambodia



This field is soon to be turned into an apartment building

Previous to arriving here, I imagined and envisioned Cambodia to be dirty, and war-torn, and extremely poor, only to find when I got here that that is not so. Cambodia is developing faster than a flu virus. The government is a benevolent dictatorship which allows for the people to create business(literally anywhere and doing anything) and to be as capitalistic as their hearts desire.
It really is beautiful here...yes, there are still parts of the city where you see the remnants of the Khmer Rouge but they are isolated and actually much cleaner than they once were.
At the same time, don't think that its a sparkling metropolis that tourists flock to...Cambodia has a certain charm that some say it's losing but the heart of the country and its citizens is slow to change. The people love their king and they seem to love eachother. There's a definite spirit of comraderie among the natives as if they can all relate to one another and so they do. I find it very hard to dislike anyone or anything because their smiling faces emanate true happiness and appreciation. These people know what brokeness and depravity really is, so now that they are beginning to experience prosperity and even surplus, they realize what a gift it is. Being on this side of it, I see how spoiled and ungrateful America is. Maybe we need to experience want so we can be thankful for wealth.

Its a truly unique city because you could have a $200,000(thats alot here!) villa next to an abandoned lot. Wealth and poverty are almost a beautiful contrast in some places. Its as if its symbolically picturing where the country has been and where it is now going.

Even though it looks dirty and depressed here, people have businesses and are able to at least support their families.

This is the view from the top of my apartment

"Motos" are ALWAYS everywhere.

Cambodia's first overpass.

Government building.