30 JUN 2017: A tale of two cities: In one village, the children are wide-eyed and innocent, wearing broad smiles and playing with seemingly boundless energy. They wave, cheer and mug for tourist cameras. They take your hand to lead you up the path to their temple and hand you flowers as an offering of friendship.
In the other, the kids are sombre; their faces are expressionless; their eyes are pleading. They proffer flowers or postcards but they want several dollars in return. Or they hold out bare hands, asking again and again for cash. If you give something to one of them, you are hounded by a dozen others for an equivalent handout.
The two towns are both in the same country in Asia. The only real difference between them is that the second village is a regular stop for a growing number of cruise ships.