Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Today we arrived by bus into Phnom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia, and the 5th worst city in the world to live (according to the Economist Intelligence Unit). Its hard to imagine that less than 10 years ago the following price tags were on the following items in the open markets or brothels here:

landmine: $15USD
12 year old prostitute: $2USD
big bag of marijuana: $20USD
(these statistics from another book i just read; Off the Rails in Phnom Penh. told you i was reading alot)

We just finished watching The killing Fields at our guest house with familiar Vancouver aromas wifting by. Cambodia so far has been absolutely mind boggling and eye opening. everyone knows about poverty and war but seeing it and its effects first hand is really surreal. its been a great experience so far.

Really looking forward to seeing friends and family back home, its a feeling that began the last few days in Australia when friends and acquaintances started saying goodbye. it hasn't been hampering the fun and learning in South East Asia but its interesting when it started and it'll be interesting to monitor feelings of homesickness vs travel bug for the next few weeks and months. internet connections are too slow here to upload pictures so that'll come later.

Pics finally uploaded!