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Published: January 18th 2010
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PHNOM PENH
We are on to the next city, the capitol of Cambodia, Phnom Penh! Siem Reap gave us an excitement for Cambodia knowing that there was more to the country than harsh poverty. The pub scene gave it a feeling of being alive and the area already had such a relaxing feeling to start. A sweet distraction from reality as we rode our bicycles to visit temples and take a cruise through the countryside. It was a good introduction to the country, but now we are in Phnom Penh and Cambodia is showing us just how many different faces it has. This is our sixth night here and we have a room right on Boeng Kak Lake. It’s not much to look at but they have a way of making it feel as if you’re not overlooking a gurgling puddle of yuck. The tropical potted plants do their job of diverting your attention very well. The first night we arrived here, we were staying on a different side of the guest house in a nice room that was too close to the 24 hour lounge/ restaurant area and the walls were so thin you could here every word said throughout the
night. So day two we switched to another room that is right on a wooden dock overlooking the murky brown lake.
Getting to Phnom Penh consisted of a six and a half hour bus ride and during that time probably four peanut butter and jam sandwiches. The ride itself was smooth as can be despite the constant Cambodian pop music videos on the screen. When we arrived to Phnom Penh we were greeted by a mob of hungry tuk tuk (motor taxi) drivers, I remember looking out the window and seeing an older man practically trample another to get to the exiting passengers, very aggressive tuk tuk drivers. After getting off the bus we went directly to the lakeside area which we were told was a good backpacker spot with budget accommodation. We are now honorary neighbors of mosquito heaven. Great spot none the less, the sunsets over the lake have the most magnificent fiery colors. Sometimes the sky looks like its on fire, incredible!
This city has been a different experience for Marcus and I, we are realizing more that we are making our little homes everywhere we stay and just moving a lot as opposed to figuring out how to see the most and experience the most in every city. Every place we stay starts to feel a bit like home and we do well at making it feel that way.
Phnom Penh has also been emotionally exhausting. We went to both a prison museum and the killings fields where thousands of Khmer men, women and children were executed under the rule of the Khmer Rouge, back in the 1970’s. It has been a shock wave of reality seeing the prison where they were held and tortured behind barbed wired fences and the fields where they have the bones of over nine thousand victims they have dug up from the mass graves. Seeing how these people have been so quick to rebuild their lives and country after it was all ripped to pieces only thirty years ago has been unreal. To think of the condition of this country now and what it could have been if it wasn’t completely destroyed by the revolutionaries of the Khmer Rouge is saddening.
On another note, we had something unexpected happen on the day we decided to make a mission to the central market. “The bible” (Lonely Planet) told us it was in the middle of a huge dome structure that was one of the biggest around. We parked our bike and started the exploration of what looked like a huge mass of stalls made out of left over tin and bamboo and if you were to take a helicopter ride over the whole structure it would look like a sea of rusted tin roofs and tarps all overlapped in the most absurd ways. The only word to describe the markets here is madness. The market itself is overstimulation at its best. Every portion of the market is tons of different stalls with all the same stuff. The shoe section is just a whole row of floor to ceiling shoes. The fruit section is fifteen different fruit stands of great looking and tasting fruit! The food section of the market usually features the commonly seen dried fish, fresh fruit/meat, fried insects, every kind of everything covered in chili, and plenty of good fried snacks. After a while of walking around snacking on salted peanuts and fruit we headed back to our bike. The bike wouldn’t start, just our sort of luck. Marcus is trying to do everything to start the bike when we noticed a whole group of Khmer men starring and pointing at our bike and one so kindly informed us that someone stole the electrical starter for the bike. In the shadier parts of the city, the kids are skilled at knowing exactly what parts of the bike to steal to make the most money. We ended up having to pay Thirty-five us dollars, which doesn’t sound like much but when that is more than one days budget it is a bit of a bummer. All and all we were reminded once again that we are not untouchable. We aborted the mission for the day and stayed in and had a great arts and crafts night. =)
Today we returned to our room after leaving Sambo the elephants 50th birthday party in a park outside of a temple full of monkeys. I’ll leave it at that. We love you all and are privileged to be leading the lives we are. Best of luck in all you do!
Adios for now!
Beash and Marcus
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anonymous
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Crazy...but fun
Hey Beash and Marcus! Good to hear that your trip is going good ! So many crazy and fun and overwhelming things to take and observe! What an adventure! Have fun! Stay safe! Eat lots at the market all that was perpetuating my hunger! Love you both!!