A rural society
There isn't a traveller of the past who hasn't described at length the charm of the Cambodian plain, the mirror of its rice paddies reflected in sugar palms, its peaceful villages buried in coconut or mango trees with dark foliage, and dominated by the glittering roofs of its pagodas under the sun. Fortunately, this aspect of classic Cambodia has largely survived the wars, and is identical from north to south, east to west, across the entire plain of flooded rice paddies. But we mustn't forget the other regions and other very different, highly distinctive and even more picturesque villages: villages on the banks of the Mekong, floating villages on the lakes, villages in the mountainous regions. There is, however, a certain unity in the settlement of man, i.e. his dwelling, his tools, his way of life, his customs. Rural society is overwhelmingly made up of small landowners who farm their own rice paddies or riverbank land. Average farm holdings range from 1 to 4 hectares for flooded rice paddies, and from 0.50 to 1 hectare for the very rich land on the banks of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. As a result, the rural population has no choice but to live sparingly, and in many cases, even meagerly. Their diet is essentially based on rice, dried or fresh fish, vegetables, fermented fish sauce and a little meat. The village market plays an important role, enabling Khmers to sell their excess production and acquire everyday consumer goods they don't produce: clothing, spices, salt, tobacco. Housing is adapted to the environment. The Cambodian house, traditionally built of wood, raised on stilts two to three meters high and covered with tiles or thatch, belongs to the so-called Austro-Asian type. It's perfectly adapted to natural conditions: very well ventilated, it's healthy and cool in all seasons. Built on stilts, it is (relatively) protected from humidity in the rainy season, and the family is safe from insects, rodents and snakes. The search for building materials poses no particular difficulty in wooded regions, but is more problematic in those with a high population density and few forests, where the inhabitants replace wood with woven bamboo.
A smiling people
It's almost unanimous: Cambodians have always been considered one of Asia's most charming peoples, not only in their time, but by everyone (Laotians and Burmese are also on the podium). A lifestyle of simplicity, naturalness and nonchalance has seduced many a visitor in the past. During the protectorate era, the relationship between colonized and colonizer was never the same as in neighboring Vietnam. Although frequent in Cochinchina, "corrections" administered to "disrespectful natives" were never used in the Kingdom of Cambodia. Today, the country is of course deeply marked by the appalling tragedy from which it is only just emerging. The Khmer people bear the physical and mental scars: indelible psychological trauma for many, a lowering of the average height of the population, a cruel lack of education for the younger generation who grew up in the "Red Rice Field", the list goes on... Westerners who lived in Cambodia before the war, as well as Cambodians who fled their country before the catastrophe, often find it difficult to adjust to the new society that has emerged.
The dollar king
With the opening up of the country and its double-digit economic growth, Cambodia is facing an influx of cash. As a result, not only has purchasing power increased, but Cambodians have also seen their ability to take on debt soar. Banks do not hesitate to give loans for real estate, a car or a motorcycle. All this at extremely high interest rates. If the risk of a speculative crisis is quite high, Cambodians don't care about it and take full advantage of this new consumer society. The attraction of novelty, the taste for kitsch and the pride of success make the richest Cambodians expose their fortune. Thus, they do not hesitate to show off their big air-conditioned cars with tinted windows whose indispensable options are the huge stuffed dog installed on the back deck, the license plate surrounded by electric garlands and the hairpiece on the steering wheel. The widespread use of smartphones has also spread the Internet to almost the entire country and young Cambodians have access to the standards of our global world. And these young people have understood that to have access to the American dream, they need to have pockets full of dollars.
A modest people
Contrary to the clichés spread by the comparison with neighboring Thailand and to what the red districts of Phnom Penh might suggest, Cambodia is a country where sexuality (especially female sexuality) remains extremely taboo. Couples never show signs of affection in public and having a sexual life before marriage remains very rare (especially in the countryside). Although arranged marriages still take place, young people today remain relatively free: love marriages are common, even if one arranges to fall in love with a partner approved by the family. And even in the intimacy of a couple, a certain shyness reigns: one makes love in the dark, or else wrapped in several layers of clothing because in Cambodia, one rarely shows oneself naked, even to one's partner. And in this ultra-sexualized consumer society, this relationship to intimacy is not without its share of frustrations. And when you add to that an almost total absence of sentimental or sexual education, the results are sometimes catastrophic. Rape culture is very present in Cambodia: according to a 2014 UN study, one in five Cambodians has already committed rape and sexual harassment is often experienced on a daily basis by young Cambodian girls.
When the mood is relaxed
The vast majority of the Cambodian people are known to have kept intact all the human qualities that made Cambodia the country of the eternal smile and the sweetness of life. The Barang that you are will be greeted with dozens of laughs when he bumps his head against the low prices of the market stalls, and it is also with great pride that you will be received in the family home to gorge yourself to the point of unconsciousness on the richest dishes that poor incomes can buy. If there is one piece of advice to be given to the traveler to Cambodia, it is to be natural, open and curious. Cambodians will quickly sense your attitude towards them, love them and they will love you!
