Phnom Penh
Trip Start
Dec 09, 2007
1
32
52
Trip End
Jul 07, 2008
Phnom Penh,
Phnom Penh,
Cambodia
Thursday, April 17, 2008
4/13/08
Just crossed the border with crew: Joel, Trevor, Franky (fancine, claire), Claire, and Ed (cool brit couple from outside London). Franky will be leaving us tomorrow and we've thoroughly enjoyed her company, her joy and ease and ability to put some drinks away. The border was easy thanks to our guide and appreciated after the craze of Lao where no one spoke english and it was a virtual free for all to give and recover passports from crowded window counters and angry looking guards. We had some food payed $2 or 32,000 dong and received back 4,000 Real about a dollar after giving 50,000D. It takes some time for the conversion to sink into the brain, especially when you're dealing in the thousands.
On our way to Phenom Phen and really have no ideas or expectations of it outside of general perceptions I've gleaned from fellow travelers of the country at large
Fountain
. Like India the opinions have moved far across the range from all out disgust to shear bliss and Francine seems to be balanced and slightly toward the bliss of it, not for great experiences but I think for it's uniqueness or character and look...we'll see. The poverty here is more extreme than anywhere in SE asia and already apparent by the amounts of discarded trash along streets and in gutters. Driving through dense forest now. The jungle gives way to temporary glimpses of road side homes sitting atop high poles, some of the highest I've seen and to the west it opens sometimes longer to reveal vast immense tracks of open land, maybe patties and grazing water buffalo. There's also a lot of barbed wire and most the motor bikes seem to be older and worse for wear than most places. Ed and Claire will be checking out an orphanage outside of the city and i've considered joining them for a few days, though not sure how to manage it if I want to see Angor What and make it in time to link up with friends for the full moon party on Cho Samui.
