Where children live a different life

We made it to Cambodia people liked to wonder and say, how could it be that much different from Thaiand? Well let me tell you that in the short span of a few hundred yards you definately see a change. First off, the country itself is on a far lower level of the poverty line, the surroundings look as if the place has been bombed, buildings look abandoned and run down, only they aren't abandoned at all. Red dirt fills the air from far fewer motorcylce drivers, tuk tuks are a combination of the thai version and a rickshaw, a seat attached to a motorcyle. And you truly cannot trust anyone, at least at first. YOu get out of the office to approve your visa and a swarm, iterally like bees of crazy taxi drivers come at you telling you í give you good price' you go siem reap? Then as this is going on in every direction, the guy with a "government" lanyard is saying to take the free shuttle bus to the station and get a place from there, and all the while trying to make a decision between seven people. SO we go with the taxi and hear from the policemen it's a scam but then we know and actually witness the taxi guys paying off the policemen... so yea you can never really know. We get in the car, and a BAD feeling hits not only me but Alec also, pit of the stomach. We saw two of the guys (oh and al of the taxie guys now appear to be working together) pass money behind their backs. Did i mention all of them have abnormally red eyes probably from smoking, or who knows what else. And the restarunt we ate at, you coud order a "Happy Chicken Soup" and you know exactly what i mean because the description was with a pinch of gangya, the slang here for it. SOmehow we made it safe and that's cutting the story down quite a bit. We did Angkor Wat today, a new story in itself. But little children are just as bee-like as the taxi men- asking, pleading with you to buy something from them. YOu feel in-humane, but the only way to get out is if you desensitize yourself. The image that hit me was a chinese mother pulling her 6 year old son, with his neon green shirt, cartoon backpack and little ballcap along as a boy of the same age, dirty clothes and malnurished, was running along beside them, "buy some postcards-10 for $1.