Newest Journeys Within team member Miranda Minassian reflects on Cambodia being named World’s Friendliest Country…
There is a game that local kids play in Cambodia, one that never ceases to bring a smile to my face.
Whether you are peddling along on a bicycle or riding past cars in a tuk-tuk, youngsters from one end of the country to the other go out of their way to offer up the warmest of welcomes.
“Hello,” they call out to passers-by from doorsteps, roadsides and out the window of moving vehicles, their faces eager for a response.
And who wouldn’t return such a warm welcome?
To send the greeting back their way, or even better the Khmer equivalent of soo-uh suh-dei, assures giggles all round.
Then, as sure as the grin these welcomes puts on your own face, the cycle will start again with new round of hellos and the giddy anticipation of their return.
With an such an infectious — and let’s face it, adorable — welcome wagon at every turn it is easy to see how Cambodia was rated number one on Rough Guides recently released “World’s Friendliest Countries” list.
Chosen through an online poll and a favourite among staff, the top spot comes as no surprise to anyone who has gotten lost in the country side, popped a bicycle tire near Angkor or spent any time at the Journeys Within Boutique Hotel. Cambodians are by-and-large a welcoming and helpful bunch (even when they are unsure what the question is.)
In spite of – or perhaps because of – how recently tragedy touched Cambodia, the Khmer people seem ready to show the world that they are more than that fresh, violent history. It is impossible not to admire the unbreakable spirit and tenacity it takes to overcome such adversity, smiles intact.
Cambodians aren’t the only people in the Journeys Within region that are getting recognition for being a beaming bunch. Myanmar, Thailand and Laos all cracked the Rough Guides top six, making South East Asia one of the friendliest areas in the world.
As if the food, culture and history weren’t enough of a draw already, a large concentration of the world’s most welcoming people is just one more reason to pack your bags and head East with Journeys Within Tour Company.
