Phnom Penh- Part One

We took an early morning bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh on the third day of our vacation. Sami had taught a genocide lesson in her World Studies class, and I have always been intrigued by the horrific brutality of the Khmer Rouge since seeing the movie The Killing Fields. Our plan was to visit the mass graves known colloquially as The Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng, a former high school that the Khmer Rouge turned into a prison.

We had visited Siem Reap a year ago, but didn't have time to make it to the capital city of Cambodia. Siem Reap was and remains a very special place for Sami and me. We will never forget the thrill and amazement of our first tuk-tuk ride from the airport. The warm night air was silent and black. Such a welcome contrast to the cold, neon frenzy of Seoul. I remember being passed by barely humming motorscooters ridden by barefoot teenagers. Skinny dogs sniffed the dirt roads lined with open air gas stations or, to be more specific, short racks of Johnny Walker bottles filled with petrol.

It was only a short walk from our hotel to the bus terminal, but early morning is the busiest time in Ho Chi Minh City, as locals scramble over the best fish and produce sold at narrow sidewalk markets and food stalls. We banged through the crowd clumsily hauling our luggage.

Shortly after finding our seats, the bus began to fill with a decidedly international crowd. I would say that half of the people on the bus were either Vietnamese or Cambodian, but there were a few Frenchman and a clique of young Indian men who smelled strongly of curry. I really don't mean to stereotype and this could have been an isolated incident, but it is my opinion that people tend like what they eat. My first week of teaching in Korea I began to notice that the kids' farts smell like kimchi. My skin smells like garlic if I eat too much of it and my natural armpit odor is enchilada.

On the road again

We were seated toward the back of the bus and I slept most of the way so I did not get a great view of the scenery. I will say that in the US we drive on the right side of the road and in the UK they drive on the left, but it Vietnam they just drive. I am certain that there were dozens of near accidents and close calls. What must be the country's main highway to Cambodia was only two lanes and scooters, buses and cars veered in and out of both at full speed.

At one point, one of the chaperones collected all of the passports and, for a five dollar fee, arranged everything for us at customs on the border. If you didn't want to pay the five dollars you could try and do it all yourself, but it would take longer and you would have to find a way to rejoin the group where they lunched. The group of Indian men chose not to pay, and came running and panting onto the bus just as we prepared to leave after lunch.

Lunch was not overly memorable, but I do remember ordering a beer and asking for a mug filled with ice. This is how I see all of the locals doing it, but for some reason they never offer it to the foreigners. I think maybe they figure we are scared of the ice. Sami certainly is and found my request downright irresponsible.

As the students in Korea say: "Runch-ey"

About halfway into the trip our bus was ferried across a body of water. I am not sure of the name or even if it is a river or lake, so I will have to do some research and revise later. I didn't get a great view of the scenery as we were being ferried across because there were vehicles to our immediate left and another aisle of occupied seats blocking our view to the right.

Upon arriving in Phmom Penh, we were struck by much bigger and busier it is than Siem Reap. The tuk-tuk ride to the hotel didn't have any of the magic of our initial late night carriage due to the traffic and the noise, but the driver was nice, even if he did try to take us to a different hotel- one operated by a family member.

I won't mention the name of our hotel, but it was located in the main tourist area on the river. It seems like a popular ex-pat hangout and is probably known more as a bar than a hotel. Our room upstairs was clean and had a huge bed and flat screen television. Probably the only such tv we have ever seen throughout our cost conscious travels. There were at least a dozen young, attractive Cambodian women (girls?) that worked at the bar/restaurant. It kind of creeped us out how many of the fat old white guys would flirt with the employees, and I wondered just how the owner could afford to pay them all.

Anyway, we ordered some food and then quickly walked to the National Museum before it closed. We soon found out that if we were going to walk places, we would have to pass through the gauntlet of tuk-tuk drivers starving for business. However, we were determined to save money and get some exercise.

The national museum featured many of the same stone relics featured in the Angkor Museum in Siem Reap. The best part about it is the building itself and the courtyard within its walls is a great place to sit and take in the quiet.

Courtyard of the National Museum in Phnom Penh