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Published: January 31st 2007
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Kids in Phnom Penh
I hung around with these kids for a few hours while waiting for a bus to Sihanoukville. Another update already! So, after spending a few day in Phnom Penh it was off to Sihanoukville, a beach town on Cambodia's southern border. Sihanoukville is a popular weekend destination for wealthier Cambodians from Phnom Penh (sadly there aren't that many) as it takes around 2 hours to get there by car. Sihanoukville was described to me as a much more toned down version of Thailand's beaches and islands. After spending 5 days there, I would say that's probably the best way to put it. Small by many city standards, Sihanoukville has several beaches facing different directions but we managed to keep ourselves staitioned at Serendipity Beach the whole time.
Because the weather is so hot on the coast right now, most of the days were spent on the beach under shade of umbrella. Occasionally I would linger out into the water and relish the sun, but most of the time I was hiding in the shade getting work done. What work you say? Well, since coming to Asia I have rapidly become a bibliophile (someone addicted to books). I am currently attempting to read four books at once because all are too fascinating to put down so...I have my
The Bling
Flashing the cash that I gave them for being such good company. work cut out for me. Among them include a large, well-written history book of Southeast Asia, which I picked up in order to get a better understand this part of the world where I currently am residing. Interestingly, as easy as it is to group all the countries together geographically, it's almost the opposite when it comes to their individual histories. Following the end of World War II and the de-colonization of Buhrma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singpare, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Phillipines (Thailand was the only country never colonized), each nation has taken its own intersting and often tragically brutal path to modernity. I had no idea how different these cultures could be and how much enthnic diversity actually exisits within the region. Quite and interesting book. Also amonst the four are two insanely fascinating books on China (China, Inc. and From Wall Street to The Great Wall), a travel book on Laos, and a detailed account of the global diamond trade. The last one was inpsired by my recent viewing of the movie "Blood Diamond" while in Bangkok. Anyways, at some point in time I'm gonna have to stick to one in order to get through them all.
Hard to Say No
When these little guys chase you down the street selling postcards and travel guide books its hard to turn them away. So most of the time in Sihanoukville I spent on the beach reading books. There are dozens of restaurants along the beach with nearly identical menus so it doesn't make much of a difference where you sit. My typical daily meal in Sihanoukville went as follows (all served on the beach): coffee, mixed fruit, yogurt, and granola - $2, BBQ'd miniature lobsters sold along the beach - $1, BBQ'd fish with baguettes, veggies, rice, and salad - $3. So $6 later I've spent all day at the beach reading and snacking in the sun (actually under the umbrella). Also, most nights we'd return to the beach to enjoy the evening temperature and the sound of crashing waves. Cambodians national beer is called Angkor Beer and it just so happens that there is a brewery in town, which equates to very low prices. So, during happy hour a frosty mug is $.50 and during normal hours it's $.75. At that price it's kinda hard not to have 1, 2 or maybe 7.
During on the evenings I came into contact with a local kid named Noi. He is 12 and spoke incredibley good English. After school everday and on the
New School Uniform
This is my buddy in Sihanoukville named Noi. He was selling bracelets on the beach in order to purchase a new school uniform. So instead of getting one of his bracelets bracelet, I paid for the uniform. weekends he walks up and down the beach selling bracelets he and his siblings make in their spare time. Noi being the oldest has four sisters and no brothers so he's often in charge of wathcing out for the family. They sell bracelets in order to pay for school supplies because their family already has trouble making sure they have enough food to eat at night. Noi in particular explained to me that he really needed a new uniform because his was getting old and torn apart. But having 4 little sisters holds him back a bit from keeping all his money because he manages to be the most successful salesmen of them all. Lets just say he doesn't keep all his profits. Anyways, feeling
in a giving mood I told Noi to take the night of selling bracelets off and hang out with us. In exchange I gave him the money he needed to get a new uniform. I was a little wary that he was trying to con me out of some cash so I tried to make him promise and come back with the uniform the next night. As you can see from one of the photos,
Self-Portrait
Noi and his friend were enthralled with the chance to use my camera. the man held true to his word. It was a happy ending all around.
Anways, one of the days I ventured off to Ream National Park, an area of 210 sq. km about 45 minutes east towards the Vietnamese border. Carly (again, friend from home) and I took a boat through the scenic park observing local fisherman and endless lines of mangroves along the water. We were even lucky enough to get a glimpse of a rare species of dolphin that live in the area, something that even our guides got pretty excited about. After several hours of slow crusing past fisherman and their floating villages we arrived at a sparcely populated beach. Actually there was not a single person in sight as far as the beach extended. Myself and the younger guide played frisbee in the surf for several hours before heading back. Most of the day was relaxing and the untouched scenery and wildlife within the park was beautiful.
Earlier this morning I hopped a bus back to Phnom Penh where I am stopping over for the night before making my way up to Siem Reip. Siem Reip is the city located near Angkor Wat, a
Sunglasses
I let these guys give my shades a try-on while they posed for some photos. massive collection of temples that is part of the "7 wonders of the ancient world". There are thousands of temple structures in the area that all date back to near the time of its construction sometime around the 12 century. At the peak of its civilization the Khmer Empire (inhabitants of Angkor Wat) was the most populous place on earth with more than one million people living around Angkor Wat. In comparison this was a time when Rome had less than 100,000 people. Needless to say I'm pretty excited to see such a momentous and historically significant place. Expect an update in the next few days.
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Caitlin
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Beautiful pictures and stories. Lonely beach is my new desktop pic. Thanks.