So I'm in Cambodia...NOW What???

The past few weeks have been a blur…after mayhem in Miami and some last minute partying in D.C. I finally kissed the states goodbye (with a sizable hangover to boot).  This proved to be anything but an obstacle, as mischief ensued in Tokyo AND Bangkok until after 3 days of travel, our adventure finally began in the kingdom of wonder. So here goes: Cambodia, known by locals as Kampuchea is a place that, simply put, is a cluster of simultaneous contradictions.  Opulence and poverty exist side by side as fully loaded Lexus trucks pass by homeless invalids and shanties with no electricity or running water.  Religious tolerance exists alongside gender inequality, governmental instability and systematic corruption.  People walk at a snail’s pace, yet drive like bats out of hell on the roadways, and the cultural disapproval for staring goes out the window whenever foreigners are present.  The list goes on and on but perhaps the most curious of these is the temperament of the people. Reputation, appearance and formality is everything, yet at the same time I’ve met some of the most humble, unassuming and genuine people in the world here.  Most (if not everyone) has a smile on their face, which considering how much rice Cambodians eat is quite difficult to wrap my head around. Yet within my lifetime some of the worst atrocities in modern history were committed here.  I recently (in rather vivid detail) had my host family explain to me the atrocities they and their loved ones witnessed and endured at the hands of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.  I cannot express to you the extent of barbarity they must have seen (they also did dramatic re-enactments of public executions and labor camp conditions)…yet by their daily habits and mannerisms you would never guess that they endured such hardships.  These people are legitimately happy to be living.  Most Cambodians in fact, possess very little.  Houses are small, not many rural citizens have cars and the combination of indoor plumbing, electricity and running water is considered if anything, a rare luxury outside of a metropolis.  If it’s one thing I have noticed, poverty has a direct correlation with pride in one’s identity…the same holds true here.  Most locals take pride in their history (which ironically enough is DEEPLY connected to rice-they really take this shit seriously dude), family (the central focus of Cambodian life) and their language (wanna see a rural Cambodian crack a huge smile? Greet them in Khmer).  I find this Ironic as well, because even the history of the Angkor empire, the land itself has always been attained through invasion and conquest.  As best put: Cambodia has had it pretty rough for the better part of the last 5,000 years.  With all this said, I’m really only JUST scratching the surface.  To get any deeper into this adventure, I think we’re going to need a bigger boat Gilligan...