One of the best and worst things to happen to Cambodia's
tourism industry is the fact that people often compare it to Thailand. The
endless comparisons benefits Cambodia in some way because, for the most part,
Cambodia is a better price value compared to Thailand. Also, the former Khmer
Kingdom is relatively unspoiled and pristine compared to highly commercialized
and tourist-saturated Thailand. With that said, Cambodia often gets the short
end of the stick when people compare it with its more popular
neighbor. That is
the reality of life-you always get compared to those closest to you. Cambodia
is no exception. It has less infrastructure than Thailand. Its tourism
industry, and related accommodations, is not as developed as Thailand's. And so
on down the line. In fact, in the eyes of some people, Cambodia's list of
negatives is longer than Thailand's. However, to take such comparisons to their
logical extremes would be to truly miss the point about Cambodia.
Comparisons are useful... up to a point
There are no two ways about it-comparisons can be useful.
They help us size things up fairly quickly. They help us quickly zero in on
certain elements something has when we compare it with another thing that
doesn't have those things. These are great but there is a point where you have
to stop comparing. There is a point where you have to look at the individual
merits of something and compare it to itself. This is the type of comparison a
person should do with Cambodia tours. The initial point of departure should be
resolving the point that Cambodia is not Thailand and that Cambodia should be
evaluated solely on its own merits.
Cambodia as its own reward
The problem with constantly comparing Cambodia to Thailand
is that such comparisons leave out the fact that Cambodia is worth visiting
precisely because it is Cambodia and not someplace else. In other words, there
is an intrinsic value to going on Cambodia tours just to see Cambodia as it is.
And this is the key to approaching Cambodia tours in general. You are not out
to visit it so you can compare. You are not looking at it from the pale
reflection of someplace else. You are not visiting it because you can't visit
your first choice. In other words, you visit because of its intrinsic value.
There is something liberating about this realization. When you start viewing
Cambodia tours and other tour destinations from this lens, you have morphed
from yet another tourist looking for a travel destination to safely 'consume'
to an actual traveler. Travelers don't look at destinations as existential
McDonald's stops. They look at each destination as having its own separate and
autonomous reason for existing. Travelers come to share in the life that is
already there and disturb the scene as little as possible. Those with a 'tourist'
mentality come to sample. It's like tasting the broth but never really
appreciating the feast. Thankfully, people can choose either a traveler or
tourist mentality. And it all begins with the decision to stop comparing.
