Cambodia Guide: Welcome to Cambodia!
"May the hand of the one who gives you a present never regret it." This Cambodian proverb seems to apply perfectly: by all accounts, traveling to Cambodia is a chance to discover a people for whom hospitality, kindness, and friendliness are not empty words. If Cambodia fascinates since the first archaeologists unearthed in the middle of a thick jungle the splendor of the Angkor temples, the country has much more to offer than the traditional circuit that tourists take, always more numerous.
Indeed, Cambodia only opened up to mass tourism at the end of the civil war that ravaged the region for several decades. In the 1990s, going to Angkor Wat was like walking through a landmine field. But at the beginning of the 21st century, the transformations that are shaking up all of Southeast Asia are changing the face of Cambodia. Phnom Penh is experiencing unprecedented urban growth and its very young population (nearly half of Cambodians are under 25 years old) is looking forward to the future with unparalleled optimism. Giant concrete towers are springing up like mushrooms, thanks to massive investments from China. Bicycles and motorcycles are gradually being replaced by cars bought on credit. And asphalt has covered the old dirt roads, for a long time, the only passable roads in Phnom Penh.
The days when the Khmer Rouge sent the inhabitants of the former capital to labor camps in the countryside are long gone. To keep the memory alive, the testimonies of the atrocities of Pol Pot's bloodthirsty troops, such as the Tuol Sleng prison (S21) and the Choeung Ek extermination camp, also known under the sad name of the Killing Fields, are obligatory stages of your trip; a real dive into the destructive madness that ravaged these people during four years of unspeakable horrors. When you come out, you can hardly believe it. The smile and the nonchalance of the Cambodians are disarming.
After the visit of a capital in full mutation, it is time to go to the marvelous temples of Angkor, without which a trip to Cambodia would have no meaning. If it is true that the site is nowadays invaded by hordes of tourists from all over the world (and especially from China), it is impossible not to be moved by the smiling Buddhas of Bayon or the majesty of the Hindu gods of Angkor Wat. And the ancient capital of the Khmer Empire is so large that it's easy to get off the beaten path and explore ancient abandoned temples. For those lucky enough to extend their stay, Cambodia outside the tourist circuit (Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, and the Kep coastline) also has much to offer. However, the tourist infrastructure is almost non-existent. It will be a real adventure to meet the "people of the smile". To list the treasures that will be offered to you would be too long: you just have to read our guide to discover them.
