" She's Hot, You're Not"

The sex industry is what pays the bills for women in Cambodia.

Last night on the V-day JoAnne and I set out to find a bar blasting some good old black eyed peas. We walked the strip of bars/restaurants on the Tonle Sap river in Phnom Pehn, both dolled up ( in the back packer world this translates into: clothes that don't smell too bad, maybe shaved armpits and some accessory) with the secret hope that maybe we will either find a last minute valentine or that we manage to just get trashed- I thought either one would be fine. We walked and walked but there wasn't a bar in site playing anything audible.

We decided to take a tuk-tuk to the other side of town, also known as the back packers scene. Just as we step out onto the street, someone extends their hand to reveal a pack of weed the size of a cigarette box. Still no bar, but a super sketchy street. The next time we pass this man again he offers me ecstasy. I just laughed in his face and said "no" and continued looking for an ultimate bar for our valentine's celebration.

I noticed a bar filled with Cambodian women with outfits as if they were on their way to prom. One woman sat across from a Western man with a HUGE belly and a bald head. She was obviously much more attractive than he, but how did he make that work? I guess it really IS ALL about the Benjamins.

I can't help but stare at the many older men who have chosen to spend the evening dinning a 16 year old. A fellow backpacker once told me that the average "freelancer" aka prostitute makes an average of $20 dollars a month! Imagine what a dinner or even a night back in the hotel room with the beauties of Cambodia is costing these big 'ol men....

At this point, we decide that we would much rather catch the end of Grey's Anatomy and sip a Diet Coke rather watch women degrade themselves.