Paradise Lost
Trip Start
Nov 22, 2008
1
9
10
Trip End
Dec 09, 2008
Phnom Penh,
Cambodia
Monday, December 8, 2008
When we first arrived it was nice and quiet at the terminal and we were able to enjoy the view out onto the tarmac. That was before the tour groups started to arrive. A large group of very loud and old French tourists came first, followed by loud and obnoxious Americans and then some nice and quiet Japanese tourists. The French and Americans shouted across the terminal and imposed themselves upon everyone else so the later than expected boarding time couldn't come soon enough. Even boarding brought more pain as the Americans complained about walking to the plane (which was only 50m away) and anything else that came into their heads.
The flight on a Bangkok Airways Airbus A319 was short but enjoyable as the plane was relatively new. The staff managed against the odds to get the tasty rolls and drinks out to all of the roughly 140 passengers onboard within the 30 minutes of flying time. Once again we were seated in the exit row and this time we were given a briefing about what to do in an emergency.
Phnom Penh Airport was another bus to the terminal arrangement, not before passing a chartered Air China 747-400 sitting on the tarmac. It was a bit of a worry to see quite a bit of smoke/steam coming from the rear of our plane's jets as we walked on the tarmac. This is after the airline we were scheduled to fly on, Siem Reap Airways, which is owned by Bangkok Airways, has stopped operating after being banned from the EU for being unsafe... In hindsight we probably should've taken the 5 hour ferry from Siem Reap (Tonle Sap lake) to Phnom Penh as it would've been a fun and different way to see the country.
Taxis from the airport to downtown are pretty much set at $9USD and this is how much we paid for the 20 minute drive. Initial impressions of the city were that it wasn't too much worse than Vietnam but as we headed in, away from the main Airport road conditions declined. Views of Phnom Penh were interrupted by the Chinese convoy being escorted to the airport for their return to China. We understand that they were here, along with delegates from other countries (including Australia) to announce their donations to Cambodia for the next year. Foreign aid to Cambodia should exceed $1 billion this year.
Despite the relatively early hour of our arrival the hotel was able to accommodate us and we were led straight to our room. It didn't take us long to find the somewhat unreliable hotel wifi network and start researching things to do in the city (our travel guide only covers Vietnam). I had also grabbed some promotional material from our Siem Reap hotel so we already had a map to work with.
At lunchtime we headed out on foot, through the stench-filled streets where there appears to be little in the way of rubbish collection or public sanitation. A tuk-tuk driver lived up to the rumours of Phnom Penh by haggling us for an entire block as we walked and tried to ignore him. Most locals seem to ignore us but those that come and beg can be quite persistent. However, no beggars have been able to beat the effort of one we encountered in Ho Chi Minh City; he simply approached us and said "Hello, give me money."
During our long walk we made a stop for lunch at Big Burger, a local burger chain for some very substandard fare. After we had ordered an old lady brought a wet naked child out from the kitchen area and proceeded to dress it on one of the counters of the dining area! This worried us a bit but as I type this neither of us is showings signs of illness. Fingers are crossed.
We had a substantial walk ahead, down the contested streets toward the south of Phnom Penh. One wonders what purpose curbs perform other than to control drainage when the locals use footpath spaces for business and parking activities. This forces us and other pedestrians to use the road, making the outer parts of the roads the domain of pedestrians, bikes and mobile sellers. When the footpath really is just an large verge or an extension of the road, curbs only serve to provide a physical impediment, requiring locals to construct mini ramps at each building to allow easy access for wheeled vehicles.
Eventually we found ourselves at the Toul Sieng Museum. This is a museum of and on the grounds of the Khmer Rouge S-21 "security" and "re-education" centre that itself was a loose conversion of the old Phnom Penh high school. Almost all of the old buildings were open for inspection, some containing remnants of their former uses and others with photos and exhibits providing further information on the regime and its philosophies. The visit to the museum was an interesting and educational process, with the actual torture tools, skulls and blood stains making it a confronting experience as well. All of this became even more relevant as we had just seen on the news that "Duch", the person who used to run the very prison we were visiting, is now finally on trial at the international court.
I threw in the idea of taking a tuk-tuk back to the hotel; what would've been our only tuk-tuk trip on a holiday through traditionally tuk-tuk-filled region. The inner stinge prevailed and it was decided to make the return journey on foot, once again taking to the dusty, dirty and stinky streets. Speaking, or in fact typing, of road traffic it appears that cattle class transportation is not as big in Phnom Penh as it was in Siem Reap. Here in Cambodia this usually entails a ute full to the brim with passengers. In Siem Reap I even saw a ute that was stacked full with a passenger standing on the tow bar! A similar concept exists in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), where some of the public buses are actually small ute trucks with cages instead of trays at the back, fitted with horizontal bench seating.
Back at the hotel it was time for a bit of air-conditioned rest before stepping out onto the adjacent river-front strip in search of a feed. Of course we were harassed by many tuk-tuk drivers although a difference was that along the touristy waterfront an offer of a tuk-tuk ride is usually accompanied by an offer for hot girls as well. As we checked out the area's dining options, we noted that the streets leading directly from the waterfront were home to some questionably-named establishments such as "Up and Down Bar" and "Bar 69". We ended up dining at a Thai joint with reasonable prices and where we could try some of the region's beers that we were yet to sample.
This morning we enjoyed our large hotel room and took our time in getting up and ready. Sadly our sleep-in was not as long as it could've been because they're doing flood management works all along the waterfront, which includes the street directly below our window. Apparently Cambodia has not yet discovered the joys of sealed windows and doors, let alone double-glazing so it sounded as though we were outside at the work site. The worst sounds are those of the hand compactor and the extremely annoying reversing beep of a particular truck that frequents the site. It isn't really a beep but a tune like an old phone ringtone, and a very loud one at that!
Breakfast was another variation on a theme; we were invited to order any of the hotel's public restaurant's breakfast options, free of charge. We both opted for the most expensive (American) optioned and were served cereal, pastries, bread, eggs, bacon a hash brown, juice and an optional hot drink. I enjoyed a hot chocolate that was delicious; the French influence (colony until 1953) ensure that it was literally hot chocolate; nice, thick and creamy.
The morning was spent planning the day and relaxing a bit in and around the hotel. To my disappointment the karaoke TV channels here don't feature as many English-language songs as the channels we've seen elsewhere. Another TV shock was that the latest James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, was being played in full on TV! I guess it's fitting because this part of the world is a fantastic source of pirated entertainment products.
When we headed out we once again found ourselves heading south, this time bound for the Independence Monument. As you may guess this celebrates the Cambodian independence from their French colonial masters. Like most expensive and Government buildings in Cambodia it is built in the Angkorian style with many snake motifs. This has become a bit corny and tiresome but at least some places here in Phnom Penh have tried modern interpretations of this traditional, which is more than can be said for Siem Reap.
From the monument we walked down to the waterfront, where once can observe the convergence of rivers at the heart of Phnom Penh. A sign here indicated that the small promenade section in this area had been built with Swiss aid in 2007 but the reality was already very dilapidated and destroyed, not to mention the piles of rubbish everywhere! We headed back inland a bit to the main Royal Promenade, leading up to the Royal Palace and associated silver pagoda. Don't get too excited by the name; this pagoda is more concrete grey than silver and this makes it look very underwhelming.
The palace was just reopening from its generous 3 hour lunch break (more French influences) so there was quite the crowd to be sold tickets when we arrived. Since the combined ticket price came to $12.50USD we were given 2000 of the local currency (Riels) as change, in line with the official Government exchange rate of 4000 to $1USD. We're not sure what we're going to do with this cash now but hopefully we will be able to get a bottle of water or something useful with it.
Inside the palace grounds tourists are restricted to a few main buildings and nearby parts of the grounds, as the royal family is also lives there. The most important and visually stunning buildings are restricted in terms of photography so we must rely on the quality guide books that are provided as part of the entrance fee. The complex reminded me of similar facilities we visited in Bangkok, especially in terms of architectural style (lots of golden spires) and colours used. Cambodia seems to have a stronger connection with Thailand than Vietnam, which itself is more closely tied to China.
It wasn't too much of a walk back up along the water to the hotel, which we could see up the street from the palace. It wasn't long until dinner time had come around so we headed out to where we had eaten last night. Since then I've been typing the rest of this entry and am now about to upload it. Charles has just informed that I won't be allowed to upload any more photos from his camera until I get home so you'll have to wait at least until the evening of December 9th for those.
