Friday, March 22, 2013

About to leave Cambodia

Location: Cambodia
When I arrived in Cambodia the first things I saw was to border crossing from Thailand, and With all the scam and the chaos, it was really weird and not really fun, but as soon as I get to Siem Reap I was really surprised to see how nice everyone are !!!  Everyone is smiling making jokes, very friendly, I really loved it, during my first days, some people proposed me to play soccer with them, when I buy some food in the street, the lady teach me few basic word in Cambodian…

There were some not nice people too, like at the guest house I was staying in Phnom Phen, but overall, I really love Cambodian people. The only bad part is that there is still few assholes that only want your money, so you still have to be a bit careful  and sometimes that make you being very rude with very nice people that only want you to like their country and be happy.

One of the big problem in the country is the corruption, and the inequality between few very rich people (usually government people) and the rest of the country. (je pense que Jean Charest se ferait traiter d’amateur au cambodge) almost every interesting part of the country are sold to big company like almost all the islands that are sold to big tourist company. Next to Banlung I went swimming in a small and beautifull lake. And I talk with one guy from a minority group that live close to the lake, and they have to fight all the time to keep it like that, away from big touristic complex and to keep their land !!

It is much less touristic country than Thailand, so usually the places are well preserved. Except a small town on the coast that is known as backpackers place, and good place to relax and party. There are really a lot of tourists there…. There was sooo much garbage on the beach that you don’t really want to go swim in it.

As conclusion, I really loved people and the country, But I think if the tourism develop too quickly it will become very bad. And with all the corruption, there is nothing that rally stop the big company to come here if they want to …


2 comments:

  1. Mais pourquoi tant de haine contre le développement touristique? Tu penses pas que ca peut se faire de manière positive de fois? (sinon tes aventures ont l'air complètement géniales, continue comme ca ;)

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  2. c'est pas le développement touristique le problème, c'est la manière de le faire, sans ce soucier de l'environnement et des conséquences comme par exemple quand il n'y a aucun régulation du nombre de touriste dans un lieu, ou simplement un développement touristique pas adapter au lieu qui aura pour effet de détruire le site
    -soit directement comme sur une île paradisiaque comme celle ou je j'était au Cambodge, qui en deux ans peut être transformer en un immense complex hôtelier avec même un aéroport (comme un certain martoni qui veux transformer la plage en parking)
    -soit a moyen ou long terme quand beaucoup trop de touriste son accueilli a certaine place et que ça détruit progressivement le site comme ce que j'ai vue a plusieurs endroit en Thaïlande, ou la vidéo au dessus reflette bien ça....

    mais si le tourisme est développé de manière durable je n'ai rien contre, bien au contraire !!
    exemple au perou ou il faut réserver plusieurs mois a l'avance pour faire une "l'inca trail" randonné super populaire qui arrive au matchu pitchu. je pense que il y a probablement trop de touriste sur cette randonnée anyway, mais au moins il régule le nombre de personne. ou d'autre place ou ils on ressemant interdit l'accé a certaine randonnée sans avoir un guide avec toi, même si la randonnée n'a rien de vraiment difficile. Ca réduit le nombre de personne et aide a maintenir le site.

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