Impressions Of Cambodia

The temples were amazing but, as Chloe mentioned, very hard work. Boy it was hot, which makes traipsing around really tiring. And the hawkers just don’t seem to get that fact that people get really pissed off with them and consequently don’t buy anything. A couple of times we saw people get hassled to buy cold water and then go to the one stall holder which wasn’t shouting. It doesn’t matter how much you tell them they just don’t seem to get it!!! It is quite amusing the first time you are surrounded by kids asking where you are from and then telling you who the queen and the prime minister are and what the capital is. Start asking questions back and most of them disappear very quickly. I asked a few who their Prime minister was and the only people who knew that it is Hun Sen was our tuk tuk driver (Mr Sith) and me. I have just read a book called Off the rails in Phnom Penh by an American Israeli journalist called Amit Gilboa (ISBN 974-8303-34-9). If you ever find it read it and it may give you some sort of incite in to the Cambodian psyche. OK so the book was written 10 years ago but most of what is written is still true today especially the political stuff.
I am amazed at the way in which the people in Cambodia just get on with it. They are very resourceful and will turn other peoples junk in to something else.
When you think the average salary for policemen over here is approx. $30 a month and a guide can earn $25 a day you can start to see why there is so much corruption. I spoke to an Australian bar owner in Phnom Penh (The red fox street 136) who thought that living in a city where most people who are told to stop by a policeman will keep going as 9 times out of ten the policeman will not give chase!!!!

I felt very humbled one day when on our way back from the temples we saw a huge billowing cloud of black smoke. When we got closer we realised that a row of wooden houses were on fire. The smoke was across the road and the smell was very acrid. Loads of people had gathered to try and help but due to the heat couldn’t get close enough to do anything. We were about 200 metres away and could feel the heat. After asking Mr. Sith whether there was a fire brigade service he just said that the police would deal with it, by probably ignoring it. He rang them anyway. The following day we drove past and you could see that a wooden frame had been erected and a tarpaulin was hung over it. Insurance, ha don’t make me laugh these poor people had just lost their house’s and were just getting on with it. It makes you realise how well organised and civilised things are in the west.
That evening we were on our way back and got a puncture. Mr Sith pulled over and we got out of the tuk tuk. He walked over to a stall at the side of the road and three guys came and helped take the bike over. The back wheel was out and a new inner tube was put in and we were on our way again. All done and dusted and back on the road in less than 10 minutes with out the aid of anything other than a couple of screwdrivers and an adjustable spanner. Try finding service like that in the UK.
As I mentioned in a previous blog we don’t have enough malaria tablets for Aisha. I got Mr. Sith to take me to a few pharmacies and a clinic. We got Malarone for Ellie but nobody had even heard of Malarone junior, which is what Aisha needs. It has a lot less side affects than all of the other medicines available but at quite a price. The complete course of Doxycycline for Chloe and me was approx. $30 US each. The Malarone for Ellie was approx $300 US. It wasn’t until our penultimate night there that we found out that you don’t even need it for Siem reap. According to the American who owns the Two Dragons it doesn’t occur there and is not a problem until you get about 50 km north of Angkor. Oh well live and learn.

The one afternoon I did go for a walk in to Siem Reap, mainly to look at a couple of the wats, I realised that I am not massively keep on busy touristy places. The centre of Siem Reap, unfortunately, is just like that. It caters for pampered westerners. What is wrong with roughing it a bit?

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