| Given the recent history of Cambodia, you might | | | | might think given its recent history. These are some |
| wonder why I refer to it as the happiest place on | | | | seriously strong people from a mental perspective. If |
| earth. Well, there is a real reason if you understand | | | | you walk around the major city, Phnom Phen, it looks |
| what happy means in Cambodian slang. | | | | like nothing happened. In fact, you keep seeing signs |
| Cambodia is located in Southeast Asia. It is bordered | | | | for happy this and happy that just about everywhere. I |
| by Thailand to the west, Laos to the north and | | | | am not kidding. The signs literally say "happy dinner", |
| Vietnam to the east. As you may know, some very | | | | "happy pizza" and so on. Gee, these people are happy. |
| nasty things happened in Cambodia in the 1970s and | | | | As you might imagine, happy has a particular |
| 1980s. During this period, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge | | | | connotation in Cambodia. Do I even need to tell you? |
| ruled the country or were fighting to do so. | | | | Yep, it refers to that funny tobacco that so many in |
| Reign of terror is a phrase often over used, but not | | | | the hippie generation liked to enjoy. Simply put, the |
| when it comes to the Khmer Rouge. The group | | | | Cambodians mix marijuana with just about any type of |
| implemented what can only be called bizarre policies | | | | food stuff - pizza, cake, shakes, tacos. It is used like a |
| and managed to starve and murder roughly twenty | | | | spice, to wit, it isn't obvious it is in the food. If you don't |
| percent of the total population of Cambodia. The reign | | | | know what happy means, you can be in for a BIG |
| of terror was eventually ended when the Vietnamese | | | | surprise an hour or so after eating! It was not |
| invaded and pushed the Khmer into a small, isolated | | | | uncommon to see tourists giggling and staggering |
| pocket of land in the far north. | | | | around the sidewalks. |
| A few years back, I had the urge to travel. I get it | | | | At the end of the day, I found Cambodia to be a great |
| every two or three years. I get it bad. I usually sell off | | | | place to enjoy notwithstanding its past and the happy |
| whatever I have and travel for as long as I can. In this | | | | food. Angkar Wat and the surrounding Khmer |
| case, I flew into Thailand because I didn't have a lot of | | | | structures are stunning and definitely should be on your |
| money and the flight from Los Angeles was cheap, | | | | list of things to see. So go ahead and take off to |
| cheap, cheap! Thailand was pretty touristy, so off to | | | | Cambodia, but make a mental note regarding the |
| the wilds of Cambodia I went. | | | | happy food! |
| To be honest, Cambodia is not as wild a place as you | | | | |