We took a 6 hour van ride from Cambodia's capital city, Phnom Penh, to the tourist town of Siem Reap (home of the great temple complex). The van ride provided a stark contrast to urban Cambodia that finally made me realize exactly what it means to live here. Our journey took us along National Highway 6, which is presumably one of Cambodia's major thoroughfares since it is clearly visible on a map covering all of Cambodia. Yet Highway 6 has "two" lanes, does not have lane lines or a central divider (hence the quotation marks), and consists in some locations of a dirt road chock-full of potholes. The entire ride we passed slower moving vehicles, which included ox carts, five-axle trucks, many mopeds, vans with at least 20 people in them (and who were sometimes riding on top), pickup trucks with people sticking out at all angles, and cars completely stuffed with fruit. Glancing away from the road, it becomes apparent that most of the Cambodians who live along highway 6 live in what I might call wood huts (or perhaps houses), built on stilts, often with thatched roofs, but also made with more modern materials. It seems that for most of these people, the primary occupation is producing rice. Children run everywhere and often ride bikes, and occasionally mopeds, along the sides of the highway. The van driver often honks to warn that he is passing from behind. Cows and oxen dot the sides of the streets, and sometimes the driver must slow to let them pass as well.
Only after this ride did it really strike me that the average income of a cambodian is a little more than $2000 per year. It's sobering to realize that each of us spent more for this three week trip.
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