6th Time in Bangkok... Still Awesome.

So, once again - I am in a different country, well I'm back in Thailand. The job at the bar was fun but it was too much for me. My bad side - e.g. the drinking, smoking etc became a bit excessive. So I quit... I'm getting good at this now, let's hope it doesn't carry on! Will I find another job? Well I'm going to have to, and I will soon... but for now it's Bangkok, and then the beach. I'm thinking about heading down to Koh Chang, an island close to the city, for a week break from all the breaks I've been having.
So my general take on Cambodia for any who want to go? Go. Cambodia is a wonderful country, never have there been a people with more smiles that the Khmers, utter patience and a contagious joy for life grip their persona. The country is, obviously, in a bit of a mess... The landmine victim's conditions are appalling, and the child welfare system is non-existent... and that's not even the half of it. I met in 2 girls in Cambodia, they were taking Human rights courses and came over to the country to publish a paper, on child prostitution and trafficking in the country, mainly the capital. From what I've heard the abuse of trafficked children is extremely open in a certain district of Phnom Penh, Svay Pak. Most apparently are taken from Vietnam, and it's not just Westerners who use these devilish services... the Khmers are also big customers. Most people reading this wouldn't even know that this could exist... open brothels filled of stolen children? But it does, there is heaps of evidence... look it up, read about it, get facts and tell someone else... broad knowledge of the crimes by good people around the world is a really good way to stabalise this problem. The main problem is undeniably the corruption of the Cambodian government officials, namely boarder control officers and the street police but who knows if there is enough international pressure something could be done to change that... the world is just people, therefore enough of them can change it.
But see Cambodia if you ever have the chance, for a start it has one of the most under-appreciated cuisines in the region... it's on the spice cross-roads of Asia and its dishes are a fusion of Thai, Chinese and Indian... The national dish is Fish Amok where the fish has been steamed in coconut milk, lots of chillies and lemon grass - served on coconut rice - $1!!!!.
And of course, how could anyone forget the temples, the jungles, the sugar palms, the flatness of the horizon, the sweet smiles of the local bicyclists, the ghost of the French and of Pol Pot... see it, live it... Au Kuhn Chan!