Thursday, June 8: Patchworks of Poverty

It’s been hitting me for the whole trip, so I have to stop and reflect on the shocking disparities in wealth that have lined the roads and defined both the cities and countryside. Such differences were evident from the beginning of the trip, but they really were highlighted on our journey here from Bangkok.
As in most cities in the world, most of Bangkok’s inhabitants live in apartments. We really would like to see the inside of one of these, but they appear cramped and packed together, haphazardly rising several stories above their first-floor markets. However, outside of the city there are houses, though the term would be a bit generous for the pieced-together shacks that line most of the roads. On the highway to the border, one side of the road was packed with these shacks, crowded along a murky brown river of sorts that seemed to offer easy sewer drainage and a playground for the children at the same time. Right across the street, though, was a country-club style development with opulent villas spread on manicured lawns. The development’s name in English was translated simply as “Elegance,” and that would be accurate. How does one live in such luxury when outside the front window lies squalor?
In Cambodia the differences were even more startling. It was evident as soon as we stepped across the border checkpoint that we were in a Third World Country. The shacks of Thailand suddenly seemed palatial themselves. I don’t need to re-describe the national landscape—check out my last entry about the cross-country drive—but it was really hard to comprehend such a total lack of infrastructure. Gas stations were just jugs of fuel set along the road that women sold and funneled into the car. There were primary schools along the way, and even though they were private, supposedly they are free if one can afford the uniforms. And we also saw a USAID hospital, offering encouragement that those foreign assistance dollars really are getting to where they need to go, at least at some level. This seems to be the best way we could offer foreign aid—forget about weapons and trade subsidies!
Speaking of weapons, Cambodia is very much still in the recovery process from decades of war that ravaged the countryside, fighting against the Thai, Vietnamese, French, and Americans. Billboards along the highway proclaimed, “We are at peace now. You no longer need weapons. Hand in your guns.” We read numerous warnings about the landmines, mostly gone from the well-traveled areas we visited, but still claiming 2,000 victims each year. That’s four people every day!
After hours of driving through the countryside’s base poverty, we were curious as to what the tourist town of Siem Reap could hold. It was perhaps best described by Jim that first night as we sat in one of the city’s many trendy nightclubs, when he just shook his head and said “And odd place.” As we drove into the city, all of a sudden the dirt road turned into beautiful four-lane pavement and unbelievable five star hotels sprouted from the roadside. At first we literally could not believe it, but they kept coming, growing ever more luxurious. The Angkor temples are considered one of the great man-made wonders of the world and since Cambodia has become relatively safe for tourists again, they have flocked here. Our driver said that in many of the establishments, westerners who flew directly in from the capital or other big Asian cities would pay anywhere from $200 to more than $2000 per night. If you were to just fly in to the city and head straight for one of these hotels, you would never see the hours of filth and incredible need that we experienced. You probably would not understand why people said Cambodia needed help.
Despite the incredible challenges facing the very vast majority of the citizens, we were surprised at the warm, friendly, sunny disposition from everyone we met, even outside of the tourist attractions. We stopped for water along the road to Siem Reap, and even though we were charged about four times the going price for the bottles, it was hard to get too upset as we talked to the children around us who knew very good English. Their requests were not for money, but for magazines so they could practice their English. As we traveled, just like in many poorer countries, we were accosted by touts peddling their cheap souvenirs and cold drinks. However, unlike in most places, even when we didn’t buy, most were happy to sit and chat with us for awhile. Several younger girls gave us “Good luck bracelets” for free, and they had a great time trying to get the little bracelet around Peter’s wrist. The children looked surprisingly young, with thirteen and fourteen year-olds looking to be about seven. Many wanted to converse in English, and a number knew the capitals of the big US states. They talked about going to school, wanting to be teachers, and helping their large families.
So how could one best help the Cambodians in need here? It is easy to say that they clearly need help, but I think that anything fundamentally changing the very happy lifestyle of the people would be a big mistake. There is room for job creation and tourism should continue to expand as the word of the amazing attractions expands. I’d love to spend several weeks here, walking the highways and talking to the families and learning how exactly they live. We kept seeing the women selling, but where were all the men? There is a children’s hospital offering free health care to kids that is supported by international donors (Angelina Jolie is a frequent volunteer), but what happens to adults when they are sick? Supposedly the crime rate is low, but how does the country handle safety? Our eyes have been open by the poverty we have seen, but really it has again just raised more questions. There is no “quick fix” for the problems here, and if you ask many of the people, I’m not sure they’d say a fix was necessary. Nonetheless, the contrast with the ultra-luxury hotels and super rich tourists (even us) is incredibly disturbing, and one can’t help thinking that if only the wealth could be distributed a little better, most problems could be alleviated. As Jeffery Sachs writes, a lack of resources is not the problem. Getting it to those in need is the problem. Now—how do we solve that?