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Strange facts, odd figures
Helpful Quotes From a Siem Reap motodop asked where a particular road goes: Slanguage Word for help: choo-ay Etiquette During Khmer New Year, smearing the face of a girl you?re smitten by with chalky sticky talcum powder is a perfectly acceptable way to show her how much you care. A gallon of cold, dirty water over her head is okay, too ? it could be the start of something beautiful. Safety A recent study determined that four out of five sandwiches sold on the streets of Phnom Penh did not meet basic standards of hygiene. The study didn?t say which four, so it?s a crap shoot, really (and sometimes literally). Urban Legend Roadblocks and extortion are a daily part of Cambodia overland travel. Wrong! There hasn?t been a reported highway shakedown in over two years. Any roadblocks and cash payments you witness are legitimate tolls. They just haven?t built the fancy tollbooths the Western world has. Hun Sen?s Latest Tirade Dissolve the Apsara Authority ? the government agency responsible for overseeing the Angkor Archaeological Park and development in the Siem Reap area. The reason? ?Heavily influenced by foreigners who do not understand the needs of Cambodia?s poor.? Random Statistics Number of restaurants in Anlong Veng with an English-language sign reading ?restaurant?: 3 |
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Odd facts, strange figures
Education Most public schools beyond the primary level are found only in Phnom Penh and provincial capitals. 85% of Cambodians live neither in Phnom Penh nor a provincial capital. Enduring Traditions Marriages in Cambodia are frequently arranged by the family, with proposals made to the parents, not to the girl. One wedding rituals involves the bride kneeling and cleaning the groom?s feet. Random Statistic Number of beggars in Cambodia: inestimable. Safety Number of land mines in Cambodia: several million. Number of foreign visitors who have stepped on a land mine: zero. Number of foreign visitors who have stepped in human excrement outside Wat Ounalom: 215. Urban Legend You can blow up a cow at a shooting range using a grenade launcher. No doubt some drunken soldier has done this at some time in Cambodia?s history, but this is one experience that is not for sale. Strange Species The rare jungle cow ? or kouprey. Head to Virochey National Park in Ratanakiri province and don?t come back until you bring us a photo of one. Tribal Customs: Some tribal people paint the skull and cross-bones on their houses to protect them from spirits. Etiquette When faced with shoddy airline service, shooting out the tires of the aircraft is no longer considered an acceptable course of action. Oral history ?We were in a field one night, maybe thirty of us, when Hun Sen?s soldiers attack us. We were completely surprised and could only run. We have thirty soldiers, only ten of us live. If I die the army give my family $100 and 200 pounds of rice. I am 28 years old, have wife and three young children. And the army, not pay me three months. Next day, I take off uniform and become moto driver. I only make maybe $20 a month, but I have family. Difficult, but better than soldier.? Quotes ?Yesterday a big fire, next month, have land for sale, next year ? new building.? |