Sweet and sour in Cambodia {WaterAid}

Here are some images from a recent trip with WaterAid to Cambodia. It’s a country that continues to develop at breakneck speed. Nowadays, as a traveller, it’s a silky smooth experience: comfortable – and ludicrously affordable – hotels (with wi-fi that beats Australia’s hands down), delicious food and lovely people. Phnom Penh continues to grow up and out, accommodating a burgeoning middle class.

Sadly though, that’s only part of the story. The little boy in the image below with his mother and the bicycle is eight years old. He looks four. His mother didn’t have enough to eat during her pregnancy. Consequently, he’s stunted and suffers from mental problems. His family is so poor that having enough to eat remains a problem. It’s not helped by the fact that she is forced to spend most of her time simply fetching water. Dirty, muddy water at that.

Siem Reap, the city that services the temples of Angkor, is a year-round tourist feeding frenzy. The mind boggles at the money generated there. But a kilometre or two from the centre a community lives in tiny tin shacks over a fetid swamp. One mother we spoke to lives in fear that her young children will drown when she leaves them at home to go to work. I could go on.

I had a wonderful time in Cambodia. And I left feeling slightly guilty that I did. Like much of Southeast Asia, it’s a land of great beauty and stark contrasts.