The next stop in my travels has been 柬埔寨 (Cambodia).  I sat with my traveling buddies on a bus and watched as alternating landscapes with and without 电线 (power lines) rolled by.  Like in Vietnam, there is no shortage of 三轮摩托车 (Tuk-Tuks 3-wheeled motorcycles).  The landscape we saw outside the window on our way to Phnom Penh was almost entirely 平原 (plains) with signs jutting out written in every type of 外文 (foreign language) saying 招租 (“for rent”).  Owing to recent history, the 平均年龄 in Cambodia seems to be very low, as you largely see children out in public with few adults.  Although I can’t speak any 高棉语 (Khmer), it is possible to see Chinese written on signs- a likely result of investment from parties in the Greater China Area.  In Phnom Penh we learned about 波尔布特 (Pol Pot) and paid a harrowing visit to the 杀人场 (Killing Fields), where we learned in depth about Cambodia’s recent history.  After that, we set out for Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat.

柬埔寨 jian3(2)pu3zhai – Cambodia
电线 dian4xian4 – power lines
三轮摩托车 san1lun2mo2tuo1che1 – Tuk-Tuk
平原 ping2yuan2 – plains/flatlands
外文 wai4wen2 – foreign languages
招租 zhao1zu1 – “to let” (as in “for rent”)
平均年龄 ping2jun1nian2ling2 – average age
高棉语 gao1mian2yu3 – Khmer language
波尔布特  bo1er3bu4te4 – Pol Pot
杀人场 sha1ren2chang3 – Killing Fields