Poverty in Cambodia

We knew that this is a very poor country. Pol Pot's time also still has it's impact. This is my summary of how I see it (after 2 weeks in the country!).

The average wage (for what it means) is meant to be about $1US a day. Teachers get $35US a month (but only work 1/2 the day). We paid $20US for a skilled guide for a day.

There are lots of beggars. They have very desperate faces and situations but we never give to beggars. We believe this is the only policy to have.

We try to be fair in our negotiations with people but also don't want to be ripped off. It is all a balancing act which we sometimes get wrong.

If you think too much about it you could get depressed. It is part of the deal when traveling through a poor country.

The country is making progress. There are new schools, roads etc. A few times new bridges have been pointed out to us and they saywho paid for it eg Japan, China and even a small one by Australia (with a kangaroo on it). The people are very aware of the aid and appreciate it. It makes a real difference.

However, as with all poor countries the problems are huge.

In spite of the poverty people are great. We see kids playing all sorts of games in the street. They love to have a joke and interact with us. Adults are also quick to have a laugh. They are great people to deal with.

We often take a picture and then show the kids the preview on the cameras. They love it and if their parents are there the love their kids to interact with us. The experience is very humbling at times. In the less touristy areas they love to say "hello" to us even if that's the only English word they know.

Tourism is very important to the country and this is how we as helping. We also have fun and I the people we interact with have fun. We boost their income a bit.

That's how we rationalize it all.

Cheers...........Brian