Getting to know Cambodia

Our journey into Cambodia began with a six hour bus ride from Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Phen.  As a person who suffers from motion sickness I was dreading this trip (especially after my 20 plus times of being sick on a bus ride through southern Peru).  However, the trip was pleasant and I managed not to

puke (Yes, I win!).

In Phnom Phen we opted to stay a little off the beaten path so we chose stay in a hotel a little further into the city, about 5 min walk from the main drag on the river.  I am glad we did because it allowed us to see more of Phnom Phen.

Our observations:

There is a big and obvious gap between the wealthy and the poor in this city. This city is flooded with high end luxury SUV’s driven by the local elite and abundant amount of expiates in the town.

Big expatriate community.  There is a mix of people working for a variety of NGO’s and UN programs along with foreign businessmen and women.

TRAVEL TIP:

SEX TOURISM is no stranger to this town! SOUTHEAST ASIA HAS SOME OF THE HIGHEST FIGURES WHEN IT COMES TO SEX TOURISM. MANY OF THESE GIRLS ARE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 12-17.

WITHIN ITS WALLS SOME OF THE BIGGEST OFFENDERS OF THE SEX TRADE LIE. BE SMART. BE OBERSERVANT. IF YOU SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING.

CHILD SAFE is a NGO working to help curb the abundance of sex tourism in Phnom Phen. YOUR JOB: notify them or any establishment that has the Chile Safe logo.  (A good indicator is if you see a bar full of young girls just sitting around and older men by themselves sitting or getting dropped off, going in, and heading upstairs)