Phnom Penh, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Say hello to Canada. Hey join me as I head to Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital city, home to over 2 million people, where the Tonle Sap River runs into the mighty Mekong. Here a rich culture of resilient people have lived for centuries. However, in recent times, the people of Cambodia have endured a horrific sordid past. But today, sparkles of life and sprinkles of hope shine bright as the people of Phnom Penh dream of a better life and a brighter future. I'm Floyd. Let's go to Cambodia. Hey don't forget if you like this video please click the like button down below. Also smash that subscribe button so you get signed on and click the notification bell so you don't miss the next video from Floyd Ventures. In this video I'm going to explore this city and give you the good, bad, and the ugly of Phnom Penh. Let's start with the good. This city has a vast history. Founded back in 1372, ruled for centuries by the Khmer Empire, which covered most of Southeast Asia at that time. Of course, with the discovery of Angkor Wat, the world's largest religious facility back in 1860 in nearby Siem Reap, the area brings in 2.6 million visitors on an annual basis. But I'm going to cover Angkor Wat in a later video. Now, to get a better idea of the culture, I decided to take a stop off at the Royal Palace and the National Museum. The Khmer Empire ruled the area from the 9th until the 16th century, when they were eventually invaded and ruled by the Thai and Vietnamese kingdoms, who alternated control over the next few centuries until they were finally overtaken by France in 1863. Japan took over during World War II, and after that several years of uncertainty, Cambodia finally gained its independence from France in 1953. The National Museum in Phnom Penh is the largest museum in Cambodia, and it is home to the world's largest collection of Khmer artifacts. There was a lot to see, and I personally found it very interesting. However, some people did not. Well, that was the good, and now for the bad. In only four years, the Khmer Rouge, led by the notorious, deranged, paranoid Pol Pot, killed over 2 million Cambodian people between the years of 1971 to 75. Doctors, teachers, scientists, anyone who posed a threat was killed. To pay homage and to better understand their story, I visited the killing fields at Chong Ek. Here, 9,000 bodies were discovered in mass graves around the site after the Vietnamese liberated the people from this genocide. It was a difficult place to witness, not to mention the 5,000 skulls in the main memorial stupa, but a must-see to respect the people of Cambodia. After Chong Ek, I went to the public high school-turned-prison, Tuol Sleng. Here, prisoners were detained and questioned prior to being sent to their death at Chong Ek. I walked through classrooms, transferred into cells, some not even big enough for a cot. Outside, I could see the swing sets turned into gallows where prisoners were hung upside down and tortured. These images are difficult to witness, and even more troubling being there. I had a lump in my throat the whole day. The eerie silence, the smells, the echoes in the hallways. Looking back, I realized I would have been about the same age as this boy back in the early 70s. And that's why today, over half the country's 16 million people is less than 21 years of age. It was a somber afternoon, so my guide suggested we do something fun, and he took me out of the city to a paramilitary base where I got to do my best Tony Montana impersonation while lighting up an old rusty AK-47. Okay, ready? Okay, my friend, say hello to my little friend. Yeah, hello. My friend, say hello to my little friend. Yeah, hello. Well, I covered the good, the bad, and now for the ugly. Cambodia suffers from extreme poverty in rural areas, leading to one of the highest rates of human trafficking in the world, and unfortunately, a majority of these cases involve children. I wanted to see if I could help in some way, so I donated a big bag of rice and visited a local orphanage. The orphanage has been helping children who lost their parents, perhaps to the poverty, lost to human trafficking, or even killed by landmines. In fact, there's still an estimated four million landmines buried throughout the countryside, killing an average of three people every month. As we talked, I enjoyed listening to the dreams of these young kids, and they told me they wanted to be teachers, doctors, race car drivers. I'll never forget the smiles. In fact, in spite of all the poverty, everybody in Cambodia had an unforgettable smile. Well, that's the good, bad, and the ugly of Phnom Penh. Hey, I hope you liked this video, and if you did, please give it a thumbs up, click the like button down below, and don't forget to subscribe to my channel. And I'll see you next time. Thanks for watching.