One of the temples I went to today was about 30kms away from the main Angkor Wat temple area. The drive there was an eye opener - unmade roads and all kinds of crazy vehicles and mad driving behaviour (reinforces my decision not to go by coach to Phnom Penh).
Aside from the traffic, the real thing I noticed was how 'poor' the small villages we were driving through looked. No electricity and practically a subsistence existence. The sort of thing which probably exists in places I've visited like Indonesia, Malaysia or Thailand, but have not seen or been conscious of.
It seems surreal that Siem Reap is a fixture on the SE Asian tourist trail - I wonder how much of the tourist dollar trickles down to those surviving in the countryside a short tuk-tuk ride from the bars of Pub Street?
Anyway, time for a beer (locally brewed Angkor Beer).
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