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Well Phnom Penh is a huge city that's pretty filthy and completely chaotic, and yet very addictive. I think I must miss the big city life of back home or something because I'm really loving it here. Or at least I just need a good dose of it before I move on. I think I also like that you receive a little less attention here than in smaller towns except, that is, from the moto and tuk-tuk drivers. EVERY SINGLE one of them asks if you want a ride. Seriously, didn't you just see me say no to the other guy, and the guy before him!?!?
But really the people are amazing for the most part and it's a great city to explore. Although when I do, I finish the day with black legs from the dirt and hair that doesn't seem to fall from it's pony tail even after I take the elastic out. At first I showered about 3 times a day, but soon realized you really never stay clean, so I just stopped completely. Just kidding, now only every 3 or 4 days... again, kidding.
A lot of people I've talked to have said the same thing -
they love it here and don't really know why. I think I like that I can walk out and see something completely different everyday. Every street seems to have a different vibe. I am walking along one street lined with chinese herb shops and the next is "every type of electric machine you want" shops all identical lined up next to each other, and then you have streets with tons of "stamping" stands and ladies stamping away at what look like various ticket packages. My favorite was a street that was filled with broken down or perhaps confiscated vehicles with writing on the windows, one of which was "blood behind seat" - I am not kidding. And there are tons of people ripping out the upholstery and seats from the cars and cleaning them or recovering them... seriously, like 10 different shops all doing the same thing, all lined next to each other. Very bizarre.
Where I stayed at first (riverside) I didn't see a lot of travellers... well actually I lie.... I was walking around looking for somewhere to eat and I walked into a place that was buzzing... with old dirty sick men and their young cambodian girlfriends.
It must have been pretty funny to see because I walked in a little blinded by the light and when I saw that ever one in there was either male > 40 or female, cambodian and < 21, I literally stood frozen for a few seconds and then b-lined out of there. I guess hanging out together they feel less like the dirty old bastards they really are? Sorry, I realize this is harsh, but it just grosses me out. I had seen interviews with some of these men who come to places in asia to find younger "women" - more like older GIRLS - and they say they are helping them out, helping them support their families... surely there is a better way, no??? arghh...
Sorry that's that.
Anyways, Phnom Penh... The riverside, where I stayed for the first couple of days, is the more posh area with lots of upscale restaurants and hotels. It's nice to take a walk in the early evening, but a little too expensive for the likes of grubby little me.
Lake side is a nice change... definitely the backpacker hub of the city. It's nice to get a little of that here and
there. I felt much better and was ready to do a little socializing. I already had spent one night there when I passed through a couple of weeks before so I knew where to stay. It was the BEST place to chill out for a few days before heading to Vietnam. I spent hours in the hammocks listening to my music and reading, looking out towards the lake. Fantastic. It would storm a lot in the evening so it was really nice and cool. I met a group of people, half of whom live in Phnom Penh, and they were great people and we had a lot of fun. Tessa, from Vancouver, ended up arriving just before I left so that was really great. It was so nice to see a familiar face and we got to spend a couple of days together before I headed to Vietnam.
So of course I spend 11 days in Phnom Penh and barely do any of the usual sightseeing... terrible I know. I visited the S-21 museum, which is the highschool turned prison where the khmer rouge imprisoned, interrogated and subsequently killed thousands of cambodians (less than 10 people survived it). It was
REALLY depressing and very hard to see. They have 10 or so rooms in which they have left the original beds and they have a picture on the wall that showed what they found in the room, which of course was a tortured corpse lying on the bed. Very harsh. So, I wasn't feeling up for the killing fields. I did visit the royal palace which was so-so... The highlight is supposedly the "silver pagoda" and when we left I was like, shit, where is the silver pagoda with the silver tiled floor? Well apparently I was in it and just didn't look down... damn. But really, I think I prefer seeing daily life happen in the big cities as opposed to museums and the other stuff. After Angkor I feel kinda done with temples and the like... cultured out really. I'm sure I just need a little beach time and I'll be into it again. And so, I'm heading to Vietnam and in a week or so I'll be sunning in Nha Trang! But first I'll be heading to the Mekong Delta with Sophie, a french Canadian I've met. I'm going to miss Cambodia, but I'm excited to experience
a new country, new food, new people...
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