A City of Water

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Phnom Penh is a city of water. As we flew in there was water everywhere. Big lakes and massive rivers. And this is the dry season. Phnom Penh was built on a swamp at the junction of 4 major river arms, the northern and southern arms of the Mekong, the Tonle Sap and the Baasac. It was originally called Chaktomuk or 4 Faces. The city was built here as Cambodia moved from agricultural society to one based on trade. It is in the perfect spot. It is like a massive harbor. Boats still ply their trade up and down the rivers though the locals tell me the boat trade is getting less as the roads improve. The rivers are low at the moment about 15m below the banks but in the wet season they come right up to the top. Then the drains overflow because the lakes created in the city to drain the swamp have been filled in for housing as the city expands. Another example of cronyism.

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