Phnom Penh - Take 2....

Trip Start Mar 03, 2005
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Trip End Ongoing


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Monday, May 9, 2005

On my last night in Siem Reap I met some interesting people, one who told me a story of her time in Phnom Penh. She was at the Russian Market, where I'd been a few days earlier, and it became apparent there was some kind of kerfuffle. So, as one does in Cambodia when there's a situation occurring, the crowds gathered. She was one of those was gathering, as Police gave chase to two robbers who had stolen some cash from a stallholder.

And then she heard the shots start to ring out.

It seems that the Police were either concerned by the guys who had robbed the stall, or concerned by the crowd. She wasn't sure if they'd shot the robbers, or if they'd shot some warning shots into the air. But she did know that they had shot someone, as there were two bodies on the ground.

There are signs around Cambodia inviting the locals to turn in their automatic weapons, rifles, and grenades, as "we don't need them anymore". I can't agree more.

I'd decided to return to Phnom Penh on the early morning bus. Mind you, getting up at 6am was a regulation sleep-in in comparison to the previous mornings. The bus was an absolute treat compared to the sheer hell of the boat. For a start, they served little cooling towels, and breakfast boxes with delicious pineapple pastries, and showed movies in English. Oh, and there was a toilet on board. And the attendant was kind and informative in his advice as to where we were up to in our journey. At one stage he announced in perfect English over the microphone that, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the bus has stopped because the driver has gone to take a piss....."

Nothing was wrong, the driver just needed a Khmer number twos.

On arrival back at Phnom Penh, the heavens opened again. Very strange. The rain was timed beautifully as well, as the downpour was at its peak just as we stepped off the bus. Not only are you getting wet, but you've got a dozen locals around you pulling at your arm trying to get you to take their motorbike (yeah right in this rain), Tuk Tuk (hmmm slightly drier) or Mitsibishi Magna (now we're talkin....) to your hotel.

As the rain cleared I was able to wander round the corner to the Central Market. Its a rather strange yellow 1930s art-deco building that looks like a cross between the Duomo in Florence, and an air raid shelter. I must admit my expetations of what would be available for purchase in Cambodia were way off the mark. All the things at the market were exactly as were available in Thailand, but only cheaper in Cambodia. And the supermarkets in Phnom Penh are nothing short of sensational. I found a slab of Bega Extra Tasty Cheese for $2.70, which I think is actually cheaper than at home. When you haven't had a decent chunk of cheese for two months, its like finding gold.

Cambodia isn't as behind as you think its going to be. If you ignore the dusty roads, bulls on the highways, and 5 year olds trying to sell you cigarettes, then its the same same as anywhere else. And to make you truly feel like you're at home in Melbourne, the local Police shoot first then ask the questions.
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