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http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-ameri ... ns-n152026

Now, millions of tourists climb among the elaborate, enchanting ruins. In this poor, struggling nation, they arrive at Angkor Archaeological Park's ticket counter via decades-old tour buses that belch dark, toxic fumes.

Here, air pollution is at its worst.

At the 18 ticket counters, visitors — led by Chinese and Koreans — take refuge from the exhaust clouds by covering their noses with scarves.

The aging tour buses are resuscitated from back when Japan or Korea themselves were struggling, unable to afford clean modern technology. The tired vehicles can no longer be sold there, so they end up here.

Also contributing to the noxious ambiance are tuk-tuks — Cambodia's answer to rickshaws, pulled by rickety motorbikes.

No one bothers to turn off the engine while waiting for clients at the ticket counters.

Like most of the 200 families in her village, she lives off selling fruit and noodles to tourists, and collecting the garbage left behind.

“That's what I like about the tourists. But it has also destroyed the nature, and the air is getting worse and worse. Before, nobody here was coughing. Now, everybody coughs, our grandchildren and us, too,” she says.

Sounds like a good place to roll out those solar tuktuks...

Or battery powered motodops - it's working in parts of China.

I worked there last year and it took me a while to work out what was different in the city, all those scooters on the move, and then it hit me - no motor sound, no exhaust fumes (from the bikes, the place is still a sh!thole for pollution with the coal generators). Makes perfect sense, and then you suddenly understand all the locals lounging around bus terminals and the like when you realise they're charging their bikes on city-provided cords.

Yeah, but no one wants to cruise the temples on the back of a moto... just not as enjoyable really.

OrangeDragon wrote:Yeah, but no one wants to cruise the temples on the back of a moto... just not as enjoyable really.

As compared to what, old buses? Or walking? I'd take the moto, either way. Or better yet, an elephant as part of a four-day safari.

Have you been to the temples? They're pretty far apart. Most people ride tuktuks, as they're in small groups. Some take large tour buses as part of a large group. Taking 20 fat chinese women and telling them to hop on the back of a moto is never going to fly.

OrangeDragon wrote:Have you been to the temples? They're pretty far apart. Most people ride tuktuks, as they're in small groups. Some take large tour buses as part of a large group. Taking 20 fat chinese women and telling them to hop on the back of a moto is never going to fly.

You've met me, right? Do I LOOK like 20 fat Chinese women? (Back off, Sonic!)

StroppyChops wrote:

OrangeDragon wrote:Have you been to the temples? They're pretty far apart. Most people ride tuktuks, as they're in small groups. Some take large tour buses as part of a large group. Taking 20 fat chinese women and telling them to hop on the back of a moto is never going to fly.

You've met me, right? Do I LOOK like 20 fat Chinese women? (Back off, Sonic!)

Maybe 7... and a sherpa.

OrangeDragon wrote:

StroppyChops wrote:

OrangeDragon wrote:Have you been to the temples? They're pretty far apart. Most people ride tuktuks, as they're in small groups. Some take large tour buses as part of a large group. Taking 20 fat chinese women and telling them to hop on the back of a moto is never going to fly.

You've met me, right? Do I LOOK like 20 fat Chinese women? (Back off, Sonic!)

Maybe 7... and a sherpa.

Fair enough... as long as the Sherpa doesn't have a goat in his backpack.

Last year after making the trek to Angkor Wat from Snooky, I flew to Singapore to toured the restored WWII Brit military installations and museums. What a difference there is between the management of a world class historical site (Angkor Wat) and the way history is restored/preserved in Singapore.

The person/company that runs Angkor Wat racks in tens of millions of dollars, but puts next to nothing back in it. At Angkor Wat there seems to be no or next to no planning. Even our guide commented that "why are they digging the roads up (for a pipe) during the high season?" The infrastructure at Angkor Wat seems almost non-existent. The trashy food stalls/filthy toilets next to the main temple detract from the historical site and the food we had was terrible. The greedy person/company that runs Angkor Wat should be ashamed, but are laughing all the way to the bank.

An the other hand, the WWII historical sites in Singapore were well managed, well funded, and very interesting. There was great/inexpensive transportation to each site and the sites were clean. It looked like all the fees collected at each site were put back into the sites, unlike Angkor Wat were the fees go into someone's pocket.

I won't even go into the road (if you can call it that) from Phnom Penh to Seam Reap. Parts of my LandMonster fell off due to the road and its one tough old truck. I have a theory: The reason that Hwy #4 between PP and Snooky hasn't fallen apart (other than the Americans, who learned to build good roads from the Germans, built/designed the road), is that the high Mucky-Mucks don't want to spill their drinks when they take a police escorted ride to Snooky for a holiday.

That is literally the worst road I have ever driven on. I had the same happen to my Monstero. I lost an exhaust clip and one of my luggage racks, not to mention the damage it did to the tie rods/ball joints/etc which I have just replaced a couple of days ago. Wonder how much longer they would have lasted were it not for that road.