Cambodia Country Notes

• Everything costs a dollar! Anything from a t-shirt to a drink to a tuk tuk to an entire meal to just about anything that you can hold on one hand
• They clearly do not like their own currency (The Riel). The ATM's give out US Dollars and they only give you riel for change
• The main rule for driving is don't show any fear. Also I think that anyone undergoing fighter pilot training spend 3 weeks driving a public bus in Cambodia. Truly it requires nerves of steel. Also I'm certain that the Cambodian equivalent of Vicroads sees cattle and small tractors as legitimate traffic control devices. You know how the French built that massive via duct for $400 million Euros to cut 4 hours off the trip from Paris to Barcelona: The cambodians could cut 12 hours off the trip from Bangkok to Phnom Penh by
  

1. Paving the road;
2. Building some fences to keep the Cows and Buffulo off the road; and
   
3. Asking that people pull off the highway when they need to conduct businesss, go to the toilet, cook some food, have a sleep and stuff like that
   

• On the beaten track, ie Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Shianoukville, there is always someone close to hand that speaks English
  
• Food is generally like Thai without the super spice. I quite liked Beef Loc Lak and the Amok curries.
  
• Phnom Penh must be the smelliest capital city in the world
• It is clear the war and the Khmer Rouge is still recent in everyones minds. Frankly I think they are doing well for the carnage inflicted on the country