Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Cambodia was magical from the moment we crossed the boarder. Far less developed than Vietnam, the industry dropped off immediately. Vietnam's immigration is a strict, sterile, communist process. Entering Cambodia we filled into a beautiful garden with statues and gazebos. The process to get a visa was painless and I guess if you want to extend your 30 days its pretty easy to pay someone off and stay indefinitely.
The houses on stilts that lined every inch of the Mekong in Vietnam where fewer and farther between in Cambodia. Less jungle, mor farms. People in their underwear or naked swimming in the river, fishing, plowing the earth with wooden ploughs attached to oxen. And every single person stopped what they were doing to smile nand wave at us. This is curious to me. The Americans bombed the hell out of Cambodia during the Vietnam war. There are still land mines strewn in the countryside. The French had colonial control over Cambodia from the 19th through the mid 20th century and still Khmers are kind, welcoming and warm to western. Like much of the developing world, wanting to emulate the consumer culture, styles and media.
I was also relieved to see far less fear of UV rays in Cambodia. These Beautiful brown bodies smiling and unafraid of the sun.
I got off the Mekong delta boat and was immediately bombarded a by a group of men asking if I needed a taxi. I didn't want a taxi. But at that moment I could not have been more grateful for the German woman who was coming into Vetnam and gave me her Phnom Pehn map at the visa check point.
I was able to successfully navigate my way to Hostel using my map and the address I got from the Internet. I had learned my lesson in Hanoi and booked my $7 room ahead of time. I booked a Tuk Tuk to take me to the killing fields and S-21 the following day and asked the front desk guy what I should do that evening. He suggested I walk down by the riverfront and take a Tuk Tuk back when it got dark.
I first walked back to the Phomn temple I had seen on my trek to the hostel. It was a dollar for foreigners, which I happily paid. The pagoda was situated in a giant round about and is situated on top of the only hill in Phenom Penh. Actually Phenom means hill and that's the hill the city is named after. It was huge. And beautiful. At first I was afraid to go inside because people were clearly praying and not just gawking like I was. There was an old man outside with a cage of finches. He was taking them out of the cage and letting them free. He told me it was for good luck, that when you free the bird, they give you a wish. He surprised me and gave me one. I felt like I was going to crush the poor thing and I don't think he liked being in my hand because he bit me! I was trying to take a picture but I was shocked so instead I let go and off it went. "So soon?" He asked. I made my wish anyway, so I suppose it was no matter.
Interacting with the finch man gave me the courage to remove my shoes and enter the temple. Beautiful murals showing the story of Shiva were pained on every interior surface save the floor. There was a small area will bamboo mats for people to sit and pray and make offerings. There was also a walkway around the giant alter where people took paper money, some real and some fake and tucked it into the crevices of the statues, the enormous, gilded, colorful statues of Hindu gods, Buddhas and offering trays scattered with incense throughout the pagoda.
I saw a sign in the roundabout pointing toward a reunification monument so I started walking that direction, using the German women's map to orient myself. It's true, pretty much no one walks in Cambodia in the cities so I had the sidewalk pretty much to myself aside from the occasional other westerner, rogue motor bike and the police officers sitting under umbrellas on the street corners. I passed the ministry of everything from mining to anti-corruption in big yellow gated buildings. The memorial was huge but blocked off so people couldn't get inside. Like the pagoda, it was located in the center of a big roundabout with parks to the east and west. I was getting hungry and headed east toward the river walk where I knew there would be a lot of restaurants.
A little ways down in the plaza that contains the memorial for friendship between Cambodia and Vietnam was a giant political rally. The Cambodian People's Party is the Communist party that has been in control for the past 40 years. They have a stronghold on The political machine and have been known to do some pretty shady things to get the vote, like "help" rural illiterate citizens vote, throw away ballots cast for the opposing party and threaten people if they don't vote the right way. There were lots fond old guys and young people in matching hats and shirts milling about while loud music and propaganda blared through the loud speakers.
I walked up the river walk and saw lots of palm readers and card readers set up telling fortunes on the street like they do in the French Quarter of New Orleans. If I thought any of them spoke well enough I would have had my cards read. Cambodians are very suspicious people, believing in luck, talismans, astrology and the like. I don't know how much of this is cultural and how much is related to the very low literacy levels and lack of education.
I went to a restaurant called Happy Pizza. I think there are likely 50 restaurants with some version of that name in Phnom Penh. There's not much by the way of copyright laws in Cambodia. I ordered Tom Yam soup and got on the restaurant's wifi to upload my pictures. Like most restaurants it was open air and children kept coming in asking patrons, "buy something?" The man at the table in front of mine was getting more and more agitated. It was clear he wanted to dine in peace. I just said nothing and shooed them away. Except when this one adorable little girl came up to me and started talking in perfect interest and asking me about herself. She was in 6th grade and had her school uniform on. I told her I would buy something if she guessed what I ordered. She guessed Amok and curry and then got stuck and asked for a one letter hint. I told her T and she immediately guessed. I was robbed blind paying $6 for a scarf and bracelet. It was more than my meal! She didn't have change so she left her basket and ran away with my $20. Then she came back with two tens, realized it wasn't the right change and disappeared again. She reemergence with some ones and I told her she should continue to work hard in school. At that moment a dirty little boy came in and asked me to buy a knock off travel guide. I said I had already bought something and he seemed offended that I wouldn't also buy from him. I had to pick the shrimp out of my soup but it was very good.
It was quite dark when I emerged from Happy Pizza and as I wouldn't have minded walking, I headed the hostel guy's advice and got in a Tuk Tuk. There are strange gangs of the ruling elite's children who wreak havoc and there are also general criminals and pickpockets.
I spent some time lounging by the hostel pool writing and drinking a beer and reflecting on the warmth and intensity of Cambodia relative to Vietnam. Te people here are very, very poor. But they don't seem to harbor resentment toward the French or Americans the way the Vietnamese can seem to. They are warm and welcoming and excited people. The land, if underdeveloped with bumpy dirt roads and a lack of proper addresses, is magical and seems forever full of possibility.