"Cambodia: A Country of Contrasts " a Cambodia Travel Page by richiecdisc

Cambodia offers different things to different travelers but to all it offers a true study in contrasts. Even in a region rushing towards Westernization at an alarming rate like Southeast Asia, you find a daunting number of cell phones and SUVs right alongside paraplegic victims of a mindless mine-filled war. The stark disparity of east and west lays not only in the big city but between it and the near primordial villages a mere dusty bus trip away. It’s true that such conditions exist to a lesser degree in neighboring Laos and Vietnam but in neither does it present itself so boastfully. Yet, even with this engulfing aura of the drive towards what the West deems success, there remains an alternate population that perhaps encompasses the true spirit of what Cambodia must ultimately be accepted as: survivors of heartless tyranny from both within and without.

Penned in by landmines, another reminder of the American bombing campaign, that continue to haunt a resilient people who were even more terrorized by their own Pol Pot and his menacing Khmer Rouge, the country has only been recently safely open to tourism. Though this newness to tourism can be seen in an underdeveloped infrastructure, Cambodia rushes to catch up with the rest of the region. Between a robust entrepreneur attitude and the remnants of a corrupt government, Cambodia makes zig zag progress towards this goal but with a star attraction like Angkor Wat, the intriguing capital of Phnom Penh, and some fantastic jungle as well as beach scenery, it shouldn’t take long.