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cater to travelers with disabilities, but the<br />
bigger and more established ones will. In any<br />
case, it is a good idea to check in advance. In<br />
Angkor Wat, some parts <strong>of</strong> the temples are<br />
inaccessible to wheelchair-bound visitors<br />
because <strong>of</strong> the irregular paving and simply<br />
the nature <strong>of</strong> the temples. Plenty <strong>of</strong> it is<br />
accessible, however. In the towns and cities,<br />
what sidewalks there are usually heavily potholed<br />
and irregular. Newer buildings such as<br />
the airport and top-end hotels will have<br />
ramps for wheelchair access, but that is about<br />
as far as it goes.<br />
<strong>The</strong> fundamental key to a successful rip<br />
to <strong>Cambodia</strong> if you are disabled is a lot <strong>of</strong><br />
planning in advance. Useful organizations<br />
include Mobility International USA<br />
(& 541/343-1284; www.miusa.org);<br />
Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation<br />
(& 020-7250 3222; radar.org.<br />
uk); and Society for Accessible Travel &<br />
Hospitality (SATH; & 212/447-7284;<br />
www.sath.org).<br />
STUDENT TRAVEL<br />
<strong>Cambodia</strong> is very firmly on the backpacker’s<br />
Asia circuit. <strong>The</strong>y were coming to<br />
<strong>Cambodia</strong> years ago, when the war was<br />
still raging and better-heeled tourists<br />
stayed away. As a result there is a plethora<br />
<strong>of</strong> guesthouses, restaurants, bars, and<br />
travel agents catering specifically to this<br />
market. Now with so many open borders<br />
across what was the Bamboo Curtain, the<br />
enterprising budget traveler can wander at<br />
will all across Southeast Asia in pretty<br />
much any direction. Siem Reap and<br />
Phnom Penh both have a thriving backpacker<br />
scene, and Sihanoukville is fast<br />
catching up as it begins to rival the<br />
beaches <strong>of</strong> Thailand as a beach for chilling<br />
out. Kampot is the kind <strong>of</strong> relaxed hammock-swinging<br />
venue beloved <strong>of</strong> the budget<br />
traveler and Battambang is in the<br />
throes <strong>of</strong> being discovered. While traveling<br />
on a budget in <strong>Cambodia</strong>, you will inevitably<br />
run into many like-minded souls.<br />
8 SUSTAINABLE TOURISM<br />
Sustainable tourism means taking responsibility<br />
for your own actions and the<br />
impact they might have on the environment<br />
as you travel. It means paying attention<br />
to the environments you find yourself<br />
in and respecting the communities you<br />
visit. <strong>The</strong> International Ecotourism<br />
Society (TIES) defines eco-tourism as<br />
responsible travel to natural areas that<br />
conserves the environment and improves<br />
the well-being <strong>of</strong> local people. One thing<br />
you will notice in <strong>Cambodia</strong> is that respect<br />
for locales is low. Rubbish and plastic bags<br />
are simply thrown out onto the street.<br />
Heavily polluting vehicles <strong>of</strong>ten create a<br />
thick haze over towns and cities. You don’t<br />
have to join in. Dispose <strong>of</strong> your own<br />
waste, don’t use detergents or shampoo in<br />
lakes and rivers, and don’t use electricity<br />
wastefully.<br />
<strong>The</strong> environment in <strong>Cambodia</strong> has<br />
taken a real beating over the years. It is<br />
considered one <strong>of</strong> the most vulnerable<br />
countries in Asia by environmental activists<br />
and experts. High-canopy rainforest<br />
that once covered much <strong>of</strong> the country has<br />
been decimated by legal and illegal logging.<br />
To give you an idea <strong>of</strong> the scale <strong>of</strong><br />
this, in 1970 <strong>Cambodia</strong> was 70% primary<br />
rainforest. By 2007, it was 3.1% primary<br />
rainforest. <strong>The</strong> soil erosion resulting from<br />
the mass deforestation is also a long-term<br />
problem. What hasn’t been achieved by<br />
active plunder has been achieved by population<br />
growth in a country where subsistence-level<br />
living is the norm and resources<br />
are not used in a sustainable or renewable<br />
way.<br />
A lot <strong>of</strong> the wildlife has also been<br />
poached or trafficked. Three-fourths <strong>of</strong><br />
45<br />
PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO CAMBODIA 3<br />
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM