If everything you know about Cambodia comes from Apocalypse Now and The Killing Fields, then...well, actually you have a pretty good handle on the place.
But if you happen to be near the capital, be sure to check out the best open secret this dust-choked city has to offer: the Cambodian Army Base Shooting Ranges. Although it has no real address attached to it, ask any cab driver to take you and he'll happily oblige (the range pays him a commission for doing so). There, with a cold bottle of Angkor beer in hand, you can fire handguns, shotguns, automatic rifles, and other munitions that would make Tony Montana proud.
Of course this kind of fun has its price. Thirty rounds on the gun that's fueled a thousand insurgencies, the Russian-made Kalashnikov AK47, will set you back $30. 12 rounds on a handgun of indeterminate Chinese origin costs $12. Paper targets included.
Not enough bang? Also on their laminated menu: $100 for 100 rounds on a Russian K57 or an American M60 machine gun. Negotiate, and for about $200 you can toss a hand grenade or fire a rocket launcher.
All payments are in American dollars, and though it's technically forbidden, other targets available. A chicken, say. Or a cow. This is Cambodia, after all. But remember -- they keep the meat.
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