Stay on the path!   No, not to enlightenment...the actual path. Cambodia is one of the most "land mined" countries in the world! One thing I won't be doing here is going for a walk in the woods or some random field...there are still hundreds of thousand of mines still out there left over from the war against Pol Pot's killing regime, the Khmer Rouge.
Unfortunately, it's usually children playing or farmers that happen upon them and thousands still get killed or lose limbs each year despite the ongoing efforts to de-mine the country .  In fact, it's recommended that if you have to use the bathroom when there isn't one around, just go on the side of the road. This is not the place to be modest and find a tree to hide behind to do your business. In Siem Reap, where I am now, they are still finding mines around the area.
The Khmers are extremely friendly but not quite the smiley lot as their next door neighbors in Thailand. It all makes sense. They are still recovering from the war, genocide, and famine of 1975-79 when the Khmer Rouge ran the country. And the 80's and 90's were not a walk in the park either for this extremely poor country.

One not-to-miss visit is the Landmine Museum where thousands of deactivated mines from around the area are on display.  There are also charts and graphs showing how each mine kills ... or in most cases, just cripples. The mines are not actually designed to kill you, just maim you for life. Military strategy says a wounded soldier is more expensive and labor intensive than a dead one. They continue to do just that til this day!

So joy, how depressing. Well, the other reason to come here is to see the temples of Angkor Wat...said to be one of mankinds most amazing accomplishments. Siem Reap is a small, pleasant city to be based out of and I love the Khmer food. Let's have a look around while staying on the path.