Even though I'd always wanted to see this place I didn't quite know what to expect. I've travelled through Europe and country skipping is no big deal but in this instance I'd not really done a lot of research, meaning, that all impressions were going to be fresh and not tainted by any real preconceived ideas.
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On the outskirts of Phnom Penh I remember thinking that I would be surprised if 'Highway 1', a glorified dirt track in part, led all the way to the centre of town. In fact, I don't think I was too far wrong, it would have only ended about 15kms from down and lining the roads where rickety shacks that were either basic housing or someone's very basic business. So, this place was different...different to the obvious economic momentum that had engulfed Vietnam sometime ago and far different to other SE Asian capitals / cities I've been too. I wouldn't categorise the outskirts or its residents as residing in a position of squalor but there was many an occassion when I thought this was the typical 1960's-70's view of the poor, 'third world' SE Asia that showed up on old National Geographic docs.
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Closer the centre of town we encountered something akin to what could be regarded as a capital city. Pathed streets, traffic lights, shops of some note, general busy activity etc - but when our bus parked and we disembarked, well, it was the typical jump by the localers to acquire tourist business in the only way they knew how. 'Sir, you want Tuk Tuk', 'Sir, I take you to hotel'. 'Sir, yes, come, come'. That's the way it is, a little in your face and sometimes annoying but always done with a good sense of humour. So, Jase and I jumped in with a guy called 'Change' - an authenic Cambodian name I'm told - well, for that ride at least. He took use a couple of kms from the city centre down by the Tonle Sap river where there was a string of hotels , restaurants and cafes all set up to steal a fists of Riel. Not that any Westerner would mind because the price of acquiring anything in Cambodia is probably a 50 times cheaper than it would be in their hometown.
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We managed to steal ourselves a decent little twin room for $30USD per night in a place called the Hotel Indochine. Good view of the rivew across the way and within the 4-5 block area of bars and general nightlife aimed at people like us. I have to say now, just to my short time in Phnom Penh and one solid night of drinking, I didn't really get to see too much else of the city other than this French inspired section. Kind of a shame to a certain extent but truthfully, the real places of interest that made my 'must see' list included the Killing Fields and Tuol Seng, a centre for torture during violent Khmer Rouge regime.
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Now, I'm not sure if I'm getting my days mixed up but I seem to recall that out first night in Phnom Penh ended up rolling into out first late night and early morning. An amusing story in itself which I'll expand on in my next post.
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