Un británico que deja todo y se va a Camboya. Como resultado de meses de vagabundeo por allí, nos deja este vídeo y algunos consejos que dejo aquí en su lengua original para obligarnos a practicar un poquito de inglés (vale usar Wordreference):
* The level of English was higher than I expected, but try to learn a few words in Khmer (Cambodian), even if it’s only ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’, it goes a long way.
* If you intend to buy a Lonely Planet before you come out -don’t bother. There are lots of people (usually landmine victims) that sell them, they’ll be more grateful that you buy a book from them than Amazon will ever be.
* Even though there is some good stuff in the Lonely Planet, don’t live by it, use it as a basic template. Remember that it’s only 1-2 people’s opinion. Check out sites like TripAdvisor.com and WikiTravel.org also restaurants and cafes will have free guides which are more up to date and written by people that live there.
* Give the ‘The Killing Fields’ film a miss, it gives little explanation of what happened. Read Survival in The Killing Fields by Ngor Haing it’s an amazing but horrific first hand account of what happened in Cambodia.
* Bring small pocket change (pence/cents), you can dish them out to the kid sellers when you’re not interested in buying their bracelets or books. Their money is in note form, so they hardly see coins and the kids went nuts for them.
* It is generally safe but it’s not unheard of that drive-by bag snatching occurs. Make sure your bag strap is around your torso and the bag in front of you, as opposed to on your shoulder by your side. I happen to witness one a few metres in front of me and the bag was snatched off a girl’s shoulder as smooth as silk.
* It does get tiresome and annoying that amputees constantly approach you to sell you postcards and books, but appreciate the fact that they’re earning their keep as opposed to the able-bodied beggars here at home.
* Remember to use your eyeballs, appreciate being there in the moment. Break the routine of thinking about composing shots and angles, leave the camera at the hotel for a day. The sad reality is that you’ll probably spend more time looking at the scenery on a computer screen than you will with your eyeballs.
Descubrí este video en el blog de mi amigo Eddy Lara Brito: Destinosactuales
3 Comentarios
Definitivamente hay paÃses que entran por los ojos, y definitivamente Cambodia es uno de ellos…
Gracias por la mención!
Abrazos!!
Un buen resumen de los encantos de Camboya, con imágenes tan bonitas y sonrisas tan sinceras parece mentira que esas gentes, y hace tan pocos años, sufrieran tanto. Nos queda mucho que aprender a todos aquellos que nos quejamos tanto en occidente…
Un paÃs fantástico, lo recomiendo encarecidamente. Nunca he visto sonrisas tan sinceras y agradecidas.