Page 214 - Udaan 2019-2021

As one of Asia’s poorest

country, Cambodia survives on

the ‘Dollar power’ from tourists

thronging few of its cities. With

abysmally low exchange rates ,

‘One dollar’ can mean

subsistence for many local

Khmer people. Suffering from

basic power and sanitation
issues, Cambodia has

embraced with open arms the

hefty cheques,soft loans and

infrastructure proposals from

Chinese investors.

This was a novel experience by

itself. And as I sat on the Otres

Beach, staring at the placid

waters of the Gulf of Thailand, I

wondered what would

Sihanoukville look like in ten
years?! We have a history

where merchants transcended

to the masters of the land.

Would I need a Chinese visa to

revisit the country in the years

to come?