Cambodia - Phnom Phen

that's the last long bus trip, thankfully... not so bad, as the border crossing was a welcome break and quite entertaining as Tim was held up (he has a permanent Cambodian Visa) as the guards wanted him to speak Cambodian as some kind of proof! they were laughing most of the time, very good natured folk.. police, guards and officials will often make up fines on the spot to get an extra dollar here and there, not as bad as it used to be apparently. they kind of leave you alone to find your way through the border, which involved a 15 min trek with our backpacks along a dust track (in the midday heat again!). we came across a few very strange characters here, some of which may not have made it to Cambodia.. one such chap had a passport held together with masking tape!

the journey to Phnom Phen passed thousands of houses built on stilts above the water (the roads are on ridges through the countryside). the whole country is prone to flooding, esp during monsoon season, so they are well prepared. i also saw many school buildings, which was very encouraging. some of them had US and English connections. the youth make up a larger part of the population, over 35% are under 15 years old, it will be very interesting to return here in the future, it's a country going through enormous change, some of which is too rapid to measure.

you see greater poverty here than Vietnam, the gap between the rich and poor (esp in Phnom Phen) is large.. many of the tuc tuc drivers sleep on the street, using hammocks and you are constantly approached by kids of 5 or elders of 80 dipping their bowls for money, again compared to 5 years ago the situation is far improved but it still hard to ignore, you feel a mixture of guilt, as you cannot give much and frustration, that those in power here do not do more to help. only 20% of Cambodia's population currently live in urban areas, this number will rapidly increase in the comings years

there's a very interesting page about Cambodian behaviour here:
http://www.parish-without-borders.net/cditt/cambodia/khculture.htm#behavior

sitting on the conference of the Mekong, Tonle Bassac and Tonle Sap rivers Phnom Phen is considered to be the finest of the French built cities in Indochina and one of the last to be experiencing regeneration through development and tourism. the vibe here is less commercial than Saigon or Hanio, although plenty of advertising boards adorn the buildings. the city has a charm of it's own that feels unique and slightly dangerous.

it's a city with much hidden beneath the surface, quite hedonistic by Asian standards.. the area by the Boeng Kak lake is filled with guest houses as cheap restaurants catering to for backpackers and their drug dealers.. it's pretty dirty and sleazy and hardly feels authentic. you can buy herbals here easily and many of pizza restaurants have a 'happy' topping.. not that we're induldging, that old cliche 'the experience is the high' holds true on this trip. apparently at least one backpacker dies each year from some kind of drug overdose round the guesthouses, which is not a surprise. it's also the best place to watch the sunset.


The streets (thankfully) were built grid-like with consecutive no's.. this was put in place by the French, so finding the right street is easy. then it gets more more complicated as years of war, abandonment and reoccupation mean the original house No's are now totally random, so it took us a while to find our guest house. Tim has a few family members here, his great uncle Duc runs a French restaurant and guesthouse called 'Rega'' - unfortunately this was full up so we were taken round the corner to a larger hotel on Monivong Blvd.. within easy reach of the centre. today I got up at 5am and wandered down to Boeng Tak lake to see the sunrise, which was wonderful. the early morning is the best time to see the street life here (as in Vietnam) the markets are setting up, air is cooler with more breeze and it's easier to get things done before the morning rush starts. tomorrow morning I'll walk the opposite direction to the river front, which is palm tree lined and very colonial by all accounts.. the main attraction here (aside from the temples and pagodas) is the Russian Market. It was not built by the Russians (which I assumed) but so called because the Russians used to go shopping their in big numbers during the 1980's, especially for watches, antiques and jewellery...

it's a maze of tiny stalls crammed with all manner of clothing (real stuff not fakes, at only 10% of price in UK), antiques, electronics, books and jewellery. I've got my eye on a antique watch and some silk scarves, the silk here is among the best is Asia.. doing my Xmas shopping early as it's crazy cheap and bargaining is well worth while. the language here is totally different to Vietnam and the written alphabet is amazing, like a fusion of Arabic,Thai and Chinese with some western influence.. I'll post some photos next time.. found some graffiti as well, which is just starting out here it seems.

Tim's cousin Rasmai took us to dinner on Thursday, across the Mekong River to a huge outdoor restaurant with live karaoke style music. we were seated around a large table with a skillet and cooking pot in the middle to experience our first taste of Cambodian cuisine. first raw pork was brought on plates which we cooked ourselves on the skillet, then to the pot of boiling broth was added various types of fish and vegetables, inc shrimp, prawn, shark fin, some kind of jellyfish (i think) and other unpronounceable varieties. this turned out to be delicious. red wine was poured into our glasses constantly which resulted in much hilarity as Rasmai's friends joked around. the found English words particularly hilarious and sexual pun's had them rolling on the floor.. we were lucky to have a few very good singers, one guy in particular Maurice used to be something of a Cambodian rock star, he is not hoping to encourage signing in Cambodian rather than copying the western styles. he gave us a wonderful rendition of 'Stand by Me' accompanying himself on the piano. Most of Rasmai's friends had to flee Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime, some to the USA or the UK and some to New Zealand. Pol Pot's desire to return the country to 'year zero' meant eradicating all art forms, popular singers and artists were among the first to be executed. this move effectively wiped out the countries rich history in the arts and crafts (apart the Anghor Temples which were saved as a monument to the greatness of the regime). So, as in Vietnam it's very important that the traditional arts and crafts are passed on and treasured as the country changes so rapidly.

















The Russian Market (above) is the best spot for shopping.. hundereds of tiny stalls piled in at all angles, hot humid and cramped but wonderful.. every cd and dvd you could ever want for $2 each.. silk scarves for $4 you would pay $40 for in west.. wood, bronze and marble carvings, antique watches, sportsware and casualware from all the big brands at 10% of the high st price.. then there's the food area in the middle where (if you know what's good) you can sample some delicous local specialities.




















after we returned from Siem reap we checked into a different hotel (much nicer, same price) near the lake.. the pic above is from the roof bar, kids playing football in front of the mosque at sunset..




















and here's the view from one of the lakeside bars.. was def the most blissful moment of thr trip as we spent most of the time in urban areas avoiding speeding mopeds.. Boeng Kak lake is pretty polluted so no swimming and no fish but lovely view! there's rumours that the whole lake front (currently bordered by wooden guesthouses) will be bulldozed to make way for new hotels and high-rise flats.















the night of tim's birthday our host took us here after dinner.. 'club blue'.. you get your own kareoke room and drink whiskey joined by many young & beautiful Cambodian girls.. safe to say that was fun!