We checked into a hotel recommended by the Lonely Planet and then headed out around the town. The much talked of market turned out to sell nothing but garbage, the heat was oppressive, traffic bad, and moto-taxi drivers worse so we headed back to the hotel. It was then that we noticed that the room was hot, smelly and the bed was revolting. Put off we headed for a drink, it was only 5pm. By 7.30 we decided we couldn’t stay in the hotel that night, and that there wouldn’t be time to go to Sikhanouville as it would have meant 2 days travelling for 1 day on the beach, and we weren’t sure it was going to be a nice beach anyway.
The flights changed easily, and we managed to find a very nice hotel, though it was well outside our budget. We’d decided that we needed a refuge from Phnom Penh.
The town, and indeed all of Cambodia, had a desperate, poor edge to it. As you walk the streets you’re constantly yelled at “you need tuk-tuk”, “you want water” etc, and they don’t just take a ‘no’. They come back with another offer, ask if you’re sure, tell you they’ll come back later. There’s countless young children walking the streets trying to sell junk, all speaking perfect English, telling you they’re too poor to go to school, but buying what they’re selling won’t get them sent to school. After refusing one girl she told Claire “You’re pretty. You look like a doll.” No walk is pleasurable. Everything feels like a scam, and it’s all overpriced.
Hotels and restaurants feel dirty. We went to typical restaurant for lunch, and while waiting for our meal to arrive I spotted a rat eating the bread-offering to Buddha in the little shrine in the corner of the restaurant. Claire said they all had rats and we should just eat, she must have been hungry.
I guess I find it hard to say good things about Cambodia, outside of Angkor Wat. I did learn a lot from the boat ride though in terms of the way people can live, and what they choose to buy to improve their lives (1 – Mosquito Net, 2 – Tin Roof, 3 – TV), and highlighted to me that development planning can’t work, especially if you don’t get out of an office.
The people didn’t come across as nice, rather desperate and exploitive. The cities were OK. Oh, nearly forgot, we got to have nice breads and pastries that Thailand doesn’t have.
I guess it was a learning experience, but not an ‘enjoyable’ trip.
PS The Lonely Planet's advice on Cambodia was total garbage
PPS Phnom Penh never looked as good as it does in the photo above
No comments:
Post a Comment