High speed chases in Phnom Penh

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So I of course arrive in Cambodia with a bang, we took a surprisingly comfortable bus journey from Saigon to Phnom Penh, we had leg room and everything. I may as well of been the president on air force one with all this luxury. The bus took 6 hours including the border crossing where we were spoonfed across immigration, they wouldn't even let us fill out any paperwork, even when it was just asking for our name, I know that my brain has not not been at all taxed for about a year now but even i could of managed to write my name but hey I wont complain.
We had all ready booked our accommodation (a first for me) through a recommendation and it was lovely to just arrive and collapse on the bed without having to walk miles figuring places out and trying to barter the prices down, especially since the night before, our one drink to celebrate our last night in Vietnam turned into a bit of a session with us getting to bed at 5 to get up at 7 to catch our bus. We decided the next day to do the killing fields and S21 museum so decided to have a early night in front of the telly, thats right there is a tv in our room and it has 3 English speaking channels - we were in our element.
Early birds the next morning, we arranged for a tuk tuk to take us to S21 and the Killing Fields. S21 was a high school before 1975 when the khmer rouge soldiers overtook Phnom Penh in 1975 who then made the former school into a prison or more accurately a torture chamber. The fact it was a school makes it the more shocking as a place where children went to be educated became a place where people who were educated were tortured and killed, its a horrible statistic that only 7 of the prisoners survived S21. In one of the rooms are just mugshots, when people were bought in they had their picture taken and given their number, some are just children even babies and the fact that this happened not that long ago is unbelievable to think about and as you walk around a metallic taste fills your senses reminding you of all the blood spilt here. It is a shocking site to visit but it serves as a reminder that this can not happen again, too many innocents caught up in a crossfire of a few people beliefs that they knew of a better way for Cambodia to be.
We left the horrors of S21 to head towards the Killing Fields, where the bodies of the prisoners were dumped in a mass grave, apparently you can see bones and clothing in the ground where you walk, I can not confirm this however as on the way to the killing fields a passing motorcyclist reached into the tuk tuk grabbing my bag and me. His determination to get the bag actually had me landing out of the tuk tuk in a heap on the ground with just the strap of my bag in my hand. After being told that guesthouses can be unsafe in Cambodia i of course didn't leave anything of value in my room meaning that the motorcyclist in the distance had everything, my brand new camera, i pod, purse with cards and my passport and was speeding into the distance. Our tuk tuk driver started shouting for people to help to no avail so jumped back into the tuk tuk and started our chase, he was in our eyeline for ages but our tuk tuk could not catch up, luckily we followed him still in our sights till we got to the local cop shop, (a shack which had a bed and a desk in and what seemed like hundreds of guns) woke up the 6 police men who quickly jumped to action, jumping on their motos with a good collection of for said guns and starting chase, unfortunately this was just as monsoon started to hit and while they were only a couple of seconds after him, with all the little alleyways , they couldn't find him. While they were out and about, one of the top police guys (well i assume it was the top guy as he had a shirt and shoes on) started asking exactly what happened in Cambodian, luckily our tuk tuk driver explained everything to them while telling me what was happening while they wrote the details on the edge of the daily newspaper, after getting all my details and fingerprinting me, we were told that we would have to go to the main tourist police office to file my report but gave me the number just in case the bag was found dumped somewhere (very unlikely i know but after my moments with the vietnam police, it was a nice thought), so we headed to the tourist police office which was am actual building though they still refused to wear shoes and gave all the details again, bribed him so he would give me my police report for insurance and embassies but finally got it all sorted and just headed back to the guest house. That was 2 days ago now and all i have since done in Phnom Penh is have tours of polices stations, Embassies, and immigration and still haven't got to the killing fields, i finally get my new passport tomo which while it will be great to have one so im not stuck here for an eternity, but gone our all my country stamps and instead i get a terrible and i mean terrible tuk tuk swept picture - its hardly fair. So after getting my passport tomorrow i will finally go to the Killing Fields and then head to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat.
I'm trying really hard not to let my experience put a downer on Cambodia for me especially as it happened on my first day, There is major poverty here and again major wealth with not much of a in between, you see some driving their big jeeps while some begging on the streets with missing limbs usually due to landmines, it makes me realize I just lost stuff, and I was so lucky even to own them in the first place and its very likely that in the future I will own them again, and I met many nice Cambodians as well so I refuse to judge yet even though I'm hanging onto my stuff like a padlock while on the tuktuks now whenever a motorcyclist comes past, it only a good lesson to learn and hey I'm alive and in Cambodia - How lucky am I.

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Comments

[fivesilver]

Too bad
If it's any consolation, you've provided a good reminder for people to never be complacent, so thanks for that. I'm heading that way in the spring, and your tale could help me stay more alert and avoid something similar. Best of luck - hope things turn out okay.

[joilinaery]

at least e bag snatcher didnt get your positive spirit! keep smiling ^_^

[Followme]

Cheers for the comment, Phnom Penh is a beautiful city with some great people so you will have a ball when you come over, like anywhere you just have to take care of your stuff but so far its a great country and i wont let the incident put a dampner on it, im a lot luckier than most

[Tanya]

thank you
thanks for the information, it really helps to know to be extra careful. i'm coming across in a weeks time and will try to take care. i'm not sure i could be so cheerful but you've put it in perspective and you're right - material possessions can be replaced.