Phnom Penh

outskirts of central market

 
I have mixed feelings about Phnom Penh. I absolutely loved it when I first got there, but by my third day I was ready to leave. It’s a chaotic city. Before Pol Pot came to power, the French had colonized it and had meant for it to be the “Pearl of Asia.” Before they could finish their job with the French-style architecture, they were kicked out and the typical Asian ramshackle buildings were put in to fill in the gaps. The traffic here is absolutely insane; even worse than Bangkok. There are no traffic laws. People are going every which way, including down one-way streets. I got hit by a one-armed man on a bicycle who was going the wrong way and didn’t have enough control over his bicycle to steer clear of me. But because of the chaos, it’s a great city to walk around. There’s always something to look at. It’s also on a river, which I was surprised to see had a promenade next to. There are also several other parks scattered throughout the city. There touristy area is quite extensive and next to the river, with a variety of eats and LOTS of cheap beer (our cheapest was 50 cents).

central market

We stayed in two different guest houses. One was far from the river and in the Russian part of town. I was glad to see it, but glad that we moved next to central market and were within walking distance of the river. There aren’t too many attractions in Phnom Penh, and besides the killing fields, I only made it to two.

The first was the National Museum, which is a one-level museum of artifacts from Khmer history. I found half of the museum fairly interesting as it consisted of jewelry, costumes, tools, and instruments. The other half consisted of stone carvings and after seeing Angkor Wat, they just weren’t that impressive because we weren’t seeing them with their temples. The museum itself is very beautiful and has a gorgeous courtyard.

The other attraction I saw was Wat Phnom, which is on the only elevated area in the city. Legend has it that the original temple built here was built by a woman who found 4 Buddha images in the Mekong River. The temple now is a colorful dedication to her and the Buddhas, which is now also a symbol of good luck to the locals of Phnom Penh. The most interesting thing I found about it was the giant working clock at the base that is guilt on a patch of grass.

What really got me cynical about Phnom Penh was all the poverty, which is really in your face. Especially after going to the Killing Fields, I felt guilty being a tourist in this poor country; I almost feel as if I am taking advantage. Because Cambodia is the most heavily mined nation in the world, there are many mime victims begging. It is also not uncommon to see children selling you things, undoubtedly with an adult following them closely. I also witnessed babies lying on a blanket on the street while their mother was sitting next to them breastfeeding their sibling.

Kate and I on the river

As unfortunate as the Cambodian situation is, there is much room for improvement. Our taxi driver to Siem Reap told us that universities are over enrolled, and construction around Phnom Penh with renderings of fancy new glass buildings indicates that growth is in progress and a bright future is near. The kindness of the Khmer people also speaks volumes. The other night a group of tuk tuk drivers offered me to sit down with them on their tuk tuk cushions on the side of the street, and then promptly pulled out a beer can out of a trash bag and asked me to join them for a drink.

A trip to Cambodia certainly isn’t complete without seeing Phnom Penh, as stopping in only Siem Reap and Angkor Wat is a tourist pocket. Phnom Penh is tourist-friendly, but allows a traveler to see real Cambodian city life.

giant clock

street-side haircut, anyone?