When I was a young child, my mom used the place name “Cambodia” as shorthand for the world place in the world. “There are kids starving in Cambodia,” was meant to encourage us to eat our food. “If you don’t behave, you could get sent to Cambodia.” My mom wasn’t an avid follower of international news. I don’t know that she could have identified Cambodia on a map. She probably knew it was on the other side of the world somewhere. I’m not even completely sure she was differentiating between Cambodia and East African places like Ethiopia where people were starving at the time. She certainly had no understanding of the politics, or the details of the horrors that were going on in Cambodia. She just knew it was an awful place – probably the world place in the world.

In the late 1970s when my mom would have been saying this, Cambodia probably was the worst place in the world. It would have at least made the short list. My mom was not alone. Few Americans really knew how unbelievably horrid the conditions had become under the Khmer Rouge. I will explain more about the Khmer Rouge when I discuss my visit to Phnom Pehn in the second site visit article I wrote about Cambodia.

Cambodia remains a poor country. I met many friendly people there, though. You wouldn’t know the depths of despair and tragedy that had befallen the place in my lifetime from observing the general disposition of the people. It is a place of great kindness and a welcoming spirit. It is also a place of shocking poverty and filth that almost rivals some neighborhoods in India. It is a place with ancient temples so exotic they look fictional and are used as movie sets. It is also a place with dusty, trash strewn roads and paths down rice levees. It has a few beaches, but other than tourists coming to see Angkor Wat, Cambodia trails distantly behind Thailand and even Vietnam in attracting foreign visitors. Even landlocked Laos is said to be the “real, authentic, tourist free” Southeast Asian destination. Poor Cambodia isn’t even granted that status. And my goodness it’s hot. It’s hot in the morning. It’s hot in the afternoon. It’s hot at night. It’s hot during the dry season. It’s hot during the wet season. It’s just always really hot.

Despite common conceptions, and the intense heat and poverty, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Cambodia. The churches I visited were thriving. The temples were amazing. The food was good. It was generally inexpensive. The people were really nice. When my mom was a young adult, it may have been the world place in the world, but it certainly isn’t anymore. Perhaps it’s most distinctive characteristic is that I can’t think of another place in the world that has gone through so much, but the people have remained so congenial. No one would claim it’s a top-shelf resort destination. Angkor Wat is amazing, though. Phnom Pehn has an interesting history, and there are many other villages and provinces I haven’t yet explored. Heck, I didn’t even go to the beaches.

Join me now as I walk you through what I saw during my week and change in Cambodia.